Pediatric hospitalists in medical education: current roles and future directions

As the field of pediatric hospital medicine has evolved, pediatric hospitalists have become increasingly involved in medical student and resident education--providing direct education during clinical rotations, developing novel curricula to meet the demands of the new educational environment, occupying leadership roles in medical education, and more. The literature suggests that hospitalists possess the essential skills for teaching effectively, yet most hospitalists feel that additional training beyond residency is necessary to refine their knowledge and skills in education and in other essential domains. Several pediatric hospital medicine fellowships and continuing medical education activities have been developed in the last decade to meet this growing need. The recent publication of the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Core Competencies will help define the roles and expectations of practicing pediatric hospitalists, and will serve as a framework for future curriculum development in both graduate and continuing medical education.