Insights into HM and PHM fellowship programs

A hospital medicine fellowship combines the best of hospital medicine with the opportunity for physicians to specialize early in their careers.  According to directors of successful programs at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Deaconess Hospital, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and Akron Children’s Hospital, the best fellowship programs benefit the hospital as well as the fellow. These directors shared their ideas on creating and optimizing fellowships, notably in the establishment of pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) programs, which are a relatively new option. Opportunities for enrichment Dr. Fang “Not every adult hospitalist should do, or needs to do, a hospital medicine fellowship,” said Margaret Fang, MD, director of the adult academic hospital medicine fellowship program at the University of California, San Francisco. “However, depending on what you want to do in your career, a fellowship can be an extremely valuable experience that can give you skills, experiences, and mentorship opportunities that might not otherwise be as easy to acquire.”  While fellowships provide many opportunities, Dr. Fang recommends evaluating the benefits, because fellow salaries are lower than faculty salaries. “Therefore, individuals need to balance the benefits of doing a fellowship program with deferring a full faculty salary,” she said. Fellowship programs are uniquely structured and may emphasize different aspects of practice, such as medical educat...
Source: The Hospitalist - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Career Source Type: research