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Hospitalists

People classed as Hospitalists provide inpatient care predominantly in settings such as medical wards, acute care units, intensive care units, rehabilitation centers, or emergency rooms. Interest ratings put Social on top at 6.3 out of 7 and Investigative second, so the code is SIC and the day leans toward helping, teaching or caring for people. The preparation level is extensive preparation, typically graduate school and often five years or more of related experience. O*NET’s skill data points to speaking, social perceptiveness, and reading comprehension as the ones to build. The job can ask you to diagnose, treat, or provide continuous care to hospital inpatients. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.

What they do

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.

Main tasks

  • 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.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Critical Thinking
  • Complex Problem Solving

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and social perceptiveness.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.6 out of 7 here.
  • You want to be working in the field within the next few years.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Post-Doctoral Training. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Academic Hospitalist
  • Consultant Physician
  • Hospitalist
  • Hospitalist Medical Doctor (Hospitalist MD)
  • MD (Medical Doctor)

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.