Group Growth

“I don’t think [it’s] necessarily more difficult” to build community in this setting, says Dr. Harris, “particularly if the hospital and physicians are on board with bringing in hospitalists. They might even be easier because you have fewer folks to deal with.”

But there may be an underlying problem with working at a smaller hospital. “If you’re the only hospitalist, or even the only hospitalist on a given shift, you’re practicing in a vacuum,” says Dr. Harris. If this is the case, you can broaden your hospitalist community by establishing a network with nearby hospitals and/or hospital medicine groups, and by becoming active in a regional or national group. TH