Workforce Characteristics of Med-Peds Hospitalists

Objective This article aims to describe the workplace characteristics of internal medicine and pediatrics (med-peds) hospitalists practicing hospital medicine (as internal medicine hospitalists, pediatric hospitalists, or both) in the United States. Methods The investigators conducted a cross-sectional survey of med-peds hospitalists via distribution through online platforms supported by the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and Twitter™. This sample was then reviewed and evaluated for similarities and differences in workplace characteristics. Results One hundred and sixteen respondents completed the survey and provided data on 63 unique institutions employing med-peds hospitalists. Of these institutions, 46% (n=29) employed six or more med-ped hospitalists within their hospital system. Furthermore, 44% (n = 28) of the institutions utilized the med-peds skillset to meet patient care needs in their hospitals. Forty hospitalists from 24 unique institutions saw both adults and children on the same day. Only 5.6% (n=6) of respondents were fellowship-trained. Interestingly, 34.9% of institutions (n=22) were required to provide adult-based care (age >21 years) within the pediatric hospital due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of note, 35.5% (n=38) of participants from 24 unique institutions stated a high likelihood of hiring additional med-peds hospitalists in the next one to two years. Conclusions Med-peds hospitalists have a unique role within the hospitalist workforce given the variety of practice patterns and clinical needs they can fill within a hospital system. This survey provides the first sampling of workplace characteristics for actively practicing med-peds hospitalists in the United States.