Pediatric hospitalists' influences on education and career plans

Pediatric hospitalist (PH) presence is rapidly increasing, yet little is known about pediatric resident exposure to hospitalists, or how this affects resident education/career decisions.

To determine resident exposure to pediatric hospitalists; examine resident opinions regarding hospitalists' roles; examine resident opinion of hospital medicine career training needs; explore how resident exposure to hospitalists affects career choices.

Survey of random sample of 300 residents from the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Residents database.

Two-hundred seventy-nine pediatric residents surveyed; 120(43%) responded with variance by question; 90% work with hospitalists during residency. Of this national sample, 82% cite hospitalists as enhancing education. A majority (64%) believe pediatric hospitalists are better than primary care physicians at caring for complex inpatients; 28% felt PH provided better care for routine admissions. Over one-third surveyed are considering a career in Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM); 7% plan to enter the field upon graduation. Residents cited opportunities to participate in education, flexible hours, and better salaries as the top 3 reasons to become a hospitalist. Ten percent felt there was no difference between resident and hospitalist positions; 21% see PHM as a short-term job without long-term potential. Of residents entering Primary Care, a majority (59%) stated that the availability of hospitalists would positively influence their choice of a practice position; 7% said they were "less likely to choose to practice Primary Care Pediatrics because of hospitalists."

PH have a role in physician training. While PHM has become a career consideration for trainees, more work needs to be done to improve the perception of PHM as a viable long-term career.