Editor’s note: Originally posted to SHM’s blog, The Hospital Leader, on February 25. Visit www.hospitalleader.org for more insight from leaders in the specialty.
Imagine for a second that, instead of being defined by what you are at work, you were defined by what you aren’t. What if hospitalists were called “non-executive caregivers” or “non-janitorial staff?” Confusing, at best—and potentially even demeaning, depending on the context.
That’s what happens to many nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other valuable members of the hospital care team all the time. Instead of being called by the titles that they’ve worked hard to earn, some in the hospital use terms that define them by what they aren’t, like “non-physician provider,” “allied health provider,” “physician extender,” or “mid-level.” More to the point, nurse practitioners (NP), physician assistants (PA), and pharmacists are a critical part of the hospitalist teams working to deliver exceptional care to hospitalized patients.
This is not a fringe issue. Today, nearly 800 SHM members identify themselves as NPs, PAs, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, registered nurses, registered dietitians, physical therapists, research managers, or program coordinators.
That’s why, effective this month, SHM has begun to phase out the following terms in its future materials:
- “Allied health”;
- “Non-physician provider”;
- “Physician extender”; and
- “Mid-level.”
Instead, we plan to use the names for individual groups, like “physician assistants,” “nurse practitioners,” or “pharmacists.”
For a firsthand perspective on how deeply these kinds of terms are felt by NPs and PAs, please read SHM NP/PA Committee Chair Tracy Cardin’s recent blog post on The Hospital Leader.
Admittedly, there may be times when terms like “allied health” are more expedient, and it will take some time for us to fully adjust some of our internal nomenclature (in things like our databases and meeting registration systems) to the change, but the potential for alienating members of the hospitalist family outweighs the need for convenience.
SHM is committed to properly identifying all of SHM’s members. Identity is important in medicine, to the caregivers and their patients. Just 18 years ago, Bob Wachter, MD, coined the word “hospitalist”; the term now applies to more than 44,000 in healthcare.
Today, we’re taking one step toward helping everyone in healthcare better describe the value and expertise of the members of the hospitalist team.
How do you use your titles to convey your contribution to patient care? Let us know in the comments, or join the conversation on HMX (http://connect.hospitalmedicine.org/home).
Blog post author Brendon Shank is SHM’s associate vice president of communications.