Young Internists Say 'No Way' to Office Practice

Dr. Nichole G. Zehnder is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado’s internal medicine residency and was also a participant in the hospital medicine training track. She is now a faculty member and director of the hospitalized adult-care clerkship there. For her, one the biggest attractions of hospital medicine has been the chance to work as part of a team.

"In hospital medicine, you’re afforded a unique opportunity to get to interact with subspecialists and other teams, whether it be through perioperative care or comanagement," Dr. Zehnder said. "It’s a real-time team-based environment that I think the office setting lacks."

Dr. Zehnder is early in her career, but she expects to stick with hospital medicine for a long time. So far her job has allowed her to achieve a work/life balance, as well as a balance between clinical and academic time. "Right now, I’m incredibly happy and satisfied with my career."