Impact of academic hospitalists on American medical education : A compact review

Hospitalists are physicians whose medical practice focuses on general medical inpatient care. (1) Wachter and Goldman first used the term Hospitalist in 1996 to describe a new type of physician in the United States. (2) Initially, the concept of the Hospitalist was not widely accepted and faced significant resistance from many physicians. (3) However, Hospitalists now constitute a major force in the healthcare industry, providing inpatient care in both non-teaching settings as well as teaching hospitals ranging from small community hospitals to large academic centers. This article will discuss the role of academic Hospitalists in medical education in the United States