Career Overview
Provide inpatient care predominantly in settings such as medical wards, acute care units, intensive care units, rehabilitation centers, or emergency rooms. Manage and coordinate patient care throughout treatment.
Also Known As
- Hospitalist
- Hospitalist Medical Doctor (Hospitalist MD)
- MD (Medical Doctor)
- Physician
Alternate Job Titles
- Academic Hospitalist
- Consultant Physician
- DO Physician (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Physician)
- Hospitalist
- Hospitalist Medical Doctor (Hospitalist MD)
- Hospitalist Nocturnist Physician
- Hospitalist Physician
- Intensivist
- Internal Medicine Hospitalist
- MD (Medical Doctor)
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Hospitalist (Neonatal ICU Hospitalist)
- Neurohospitalist
- Neurology Hospitalist
- Nocturnist
- Nocturnist Hospitalist
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Diagnose, treat, or provide continuous care to hospital inpatients.
- Prescribe medications or treatment regimens to hospital inpatients.
- Order or interpret the results of tests such as laboratory tests and radiographs (x-rays).
- Admit patients for hospital stays.
- Conduct discharge planning and discharge patients.
- Write patient discharge summaries and send them to primary care physicians.
- Refer patients to medical specialists, social services, or other professionals as appropriate.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- English Language
- Psychology
- Education and Training
- Therapy and Counseling
- Customer and Personal Service
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Problem Sensitivity
- Speech Clarity
- Written Expression
- Near Vision
- Speech Recognition
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Integrity
- Cooperation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Achievement
- Recognition
- Support
- Independence
- Working Conditions
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months
Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Epic Systems
- MEDITECH software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Aspheric lens magnifiers
- Automated defibrillators
- Ayre's spatula
- Bag valve mask BVM resuscitators
- Binocular light compound microscopes
- Bipolar forceps
- Blood glucometers
- Cannula sets
- Capnograph monitors
- Carbon dioxide monitors
- Cardiorespiratory monitors
- Central venous catheters
- Clinical magnetic resonance imaging MRI scanners
- Cold biopsy forceps
- Continuous wave Doppler ultrasounds
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Frequency of Decision Making
- Contact With Others
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Physicians, All Other occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Hospitalists.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $66,860 |
| Median | >$239,200 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | >$239,200 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 315,360
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
General Internal Medicine Physicians
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: $236,350
Emergency Medicine Physicians
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: >$239,200
Family Medicine Physicians
Education: Doctoral Degree
Median Salary: $238,380
Pediatricians, General
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: $210,130
Nurse Practitioners
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $129,210
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.