Hospitalists Applaud Stress-Free CME Sessions, MOC Training at HM13

The Hospitalist. 2013 June;2013(06):

June 1, 2013 | The Hospitalist

“The acute-care management skills that they have in the hospital, we can use them in these other sites of care,” he adds. “They aren’t just limited to the hospital anymore.”

Another angle of career development is career inception, so newly minted by SHM president Eric Howell, MD, SFHM. In fact, Dr. Howell made recruitment of the next generation of hospitalists and HM leaders a major plank of his one-year term. Of the society’s 12,000 members, just 500 are medical students and house staff members. He’d like to triple that figure by HM14.

He believes that the same professional and personal factors that have swelled the specialty’s ranks to some 40,000 practitioners will appeal to younger physicians. On the clinical side, that includes a focus on QI at a time when health care is being pushed to be better and a chance to be a leader in the hospital of the future. On a positive note, Dr. Howell, chief of hospital medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, says hospitalists continue to see their compensation rise along with good work-life balance.

“For our specialty to be just as powerful, and just as important, and thrive just as much in the next 16 years as it has in the past 16 years, we are going to need high-quality recruits—and a lot of them,” Dr. Howell says.

Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.

Mastering a Senior Field of Fellows

The annual crop of FHMs, SFHMs, and MHMs was inducted at HM13 with a twist. This year was the first time nonphysicians (nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and practice administrators) joined the fun. The first class of fellows (FHM) was introduced at SHM’s 2009 meeting in Chicago, with the initial cohort of senior fellows (SFHM) and masters (MHM) being honored the following year.

FHM: SHM has now inducted 822 fellows. Criteria to apply include spending at least five years as a practicing hospitalist and endorsements from two active society members.

SFHM: This level now numbers 318 physicians. Candidates must first be an FHM, and demonstrate experience in leadership, teamwork, and quality improvement.

MHM: This year’s class of three masters (Scott Flanders, MD, MHM; David Meltzer, MD, PhD, MHM; and Jeff Wiese, MD, MHM) brings to 13 the number of physicians who have reached the specialty’s highest designation. Hospitalists cannot nominate themselves but must have two letters submitted to a selection committee. Involvement in SHM is expected, with rare exception.

To apply for next year’s class, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/fellows.

—Richard Quinn