Are Your Hospitalists Bored?

The Hospitalist. 2012 August;2012(08):

August 28, 2012 | The Hospitalist

Committee participation and other activities help foster what she sees as a primary goal: a “culture of ownership within the group,” or the sense that each hospitalist has a role in guiding the organization and in the success of the whole team.

Dr. Bowman says that involvement in hospital affairs is critical to becoming a fulfilled hospitalist.

“Our mantra, if you will, is to be involved,” he says. “If you’re involved, you don’t have a chance to be bored.”

It’s important, Dr. Bowman adds, for doctors to see “the milieu that they’re involved with” in the hospital organization.

Team meetings outside the workplace, with families, can build camaraderie.

Foster a team atmosphere that offers flexibility and encourages doctors to fill in for one another when required.

Flexibility is a crucial part of keeping hospitalists happy, and many times is necessary for group retention, Dr. Lum Lung says.

“For some people, at this point, when their kids are getting to a certain age, it’s that they want to be able to have some time that is flexible where they can go to their kids’ soccer games and to softball games,” she says. “Providing them these opportunities will give them the longevity to do this job.”

Hospitalists are people, too, and they often deal with personal issues, such as a looming divorce or a seriously ill family member. Group leaders need to be tuned in to such situations so they can accommodate their colleagues as best as possible, Dr. Lum Lung says.

Be conscious of and willing to mitigate “mission creep.”

Sometimes, the growing list of responsibilities for hospitalists gets to be unwieldy. And, if necessary, group leaders should communicate to administration the need for changes that meet those demands.

A healthy working relationship between hospitalists and administration is crucial, says Steve Rubin, executive director at Gwinnett.

“I think it’s critical that administration recognizes value and works with your physicians—and hospitalists included—in a collaborative manner,” he says. “If people don’t feel valued or involved or engaged in decisions, then obviously they get disenfranchised.”

Hold frequent meetings and encourage free discourse.

A problem raised by one colleague could be solved by another colleague if brought up at a meeting. And group leaders can take the temperature of the group before issues become big problems.

At Gwinnett Medical Center, the hospitalist retention level is high, with just three physicians leaving the group since it was formed more than 12 years ago. The group holds mandatory monthly meetings that foster communication and allow potential problems to be aired before they become a big issue, says Dr. Austin. Such topics as relationships with subspecialists, acceptable consults, workloads, and staffing levels are discussed at these meetings.

“People have a good chance to really vent and hear how other people feel.”

“People have a good chance to really vent and hear how other people feel,” Dr. Austin says. “And you really take the pulse of the group.” He described the sessions as “a controlled period of time to gripe to each other and have everybody together to group problem-solve.”

At Gwinnett, gatherings outside the workplace—with families—also help build camaraderie.

Thomas R. Collins is a freelance writer in South Florida.

Quality Hires Key to Job Satisfaction

Keeping a hospitalist happy on the job, when it comes down to it, might be as simple—or as difficult—as finding the right person for the job from the beginning (www.hospitalmedicine.org/careercenter).

Leaders of well-regarded hospitalist groups say it’s important to be clear with your candidates about your expectations and make smart hires. “That’s the million-dollar question for anyone, whether you’re in academics, corporate hospitalist medicine, or local hospitalist groups: Is this a good match?” says Dr. Lum Lung of Northern Colorado Hospitalists. “How well do you match with any candidate that’s coming in?

“We’re very up front with what we do—what our goals are for the group, how we’ve gotten here, and where we’re going. There’s no point in trying to portray ourselves to be something different, because it won’t be a good fit for the doc or for us in the long run.”

The importance of finding the right match is highlighted by work soon to be published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Lead author Keiki Hinami, MD, assistant professor in the division of hospital medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, says his team’s workplace survey showed that hospitalists report similar job satisfaction ratings regardless of the practice model.

“Different jobs supply different benefits, and individuals have different needs,” Dr. Hinami says. “And so as long as the needs and the supplies are well-matched, hospitalists are more likely to accept the attendant work demands and report good job satisfaction.”

Part of finding the right person is having the right people already in place to attract them, says Dr. Austin of Gwinnett Medical Center.

“I think if you start out with a couple of really good people that they’re going to attract other people who are similar,” he says. “I think it’s worth the effort to start out—even if you have to start out a little slow—with a smaller group,” but a group with the right personnel.

“If you have the right people, then you create that culture,” he adds. “Then that culture will attract more of the same.”