ADVERTISEMENT

All Hands on Deck: Learning to “Un-specialize” in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Hospital Medicine 15(5). 2020 May;314-315. Published online first April 7, 2020 | 10.12788/jhm.3426
April 7, 2020|Journal of Hospital Medicine
Peter Cram, MD, MBA;Mel L Anderson, MD;Erin E Shaughnessy, MD, MSHCM
Author and Disclosure Information

1Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Sinai Health System and University Health Network, Toronto, Canada; 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; 3Primary and Specialty Care Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, Minnesota; 4Division of Hospital Medicine, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona; 5Department of Pediatrics, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona.

Disclosures

The authors have no financial conflicts to disclose.

Funding

No external funding has been received for this paper. Dr Cram receives support from the US National Institutes of Health (R01AG058878).

© 2020 Society of Hospital Medicine

CONCLUSION

In this time of a global pandemic, we face a looming shortage of hospital generalists, which calls for immediate and purposeful workforce expansion facilitated by learning to “un-specialize” certain providers. We propose utilizing the framework of FPPE to educate and support those joining hospital medicine teams. Hospitalists are innovators and health systems science leaders. Let’s draw on that strength now to rise to the challenge of COVID-19.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT