What Hospitalists Bring to the Leadership Table
Study after study indicates hospitals employing hospitalists experience an improvement in the bottom line that is due, in part, to greater efficiency. This is an important consideration in the current economic crunch in which many hospitals find themselves, but today there is an increased focus on improving patient care as well.
In both efficiency and patient care, hospitalists are uniquely positioned to bring something to the leadership table that other candidates might not. “Hospitalists have a holistic view of the hospital,” says Dr. Goldsholl. “Private physicians don’t have the same connectedness to all the parts. That kind of experience is very valuable. After all, that’s what the hospital is all about.”
Jack M. Percelay, MD, a member of SHM’s Board of Directors, puts it another way. “Clearly, administrative positions require some knowledge of hospital function,” he says. “On-site physicians are certainly more aware of where the problems are. They face them on a daily basis.”
Dr. Wellikson adds, “From the very beginning of their medical careers, even when their main role is seeing patients, hospitalists are looking at the hospital as a system as an institution. They may be members of a quality-improvement team or a group that looks at the flow of patients from the emergency room to the hospital. It becomes sort of second nature to them. Our doctors learn these competencies from the beginning. In their training and their involvement with SHM, whole sections are devoted to systems improvement, leadership, and things like that.”
Dr. Wellikson suggests a demographic reason so many hospitalists look forward to climbing the administrative ladder: “It’s the times. Older doctors may be counting the days till retirement, whereas most hospitalists are younger—the average age is 37—and they say, ‘Hey, I’m going to have 20 more years of this. If I don’t change things, who will?’
“I’ll give you an analogy. When you go to a hotel and your towels aren’t delivered, you might complain until you get them, but you don’t try to manage the hotel. That’s the way practicing doctors felt 20 years ago. But hospitalists, because they’re going to go to work every day in that hospital, if it’s not working tip-top, they’re going to get involved. It’s an evolution in healthcare.”
How to Become a Hospitalist Leader
We asked our experts what advice they would give hospitalists who aspire to critical decision-making positions. “Even if you have natural skills as a leader—you’re charismatic, you take on responsibility—leadership is a skill like any other,” says Dr. Wellikson. “Take the time early in your career to develop that skill. Get involved in some project you feel passionate about. Part of leadership is getting other people to move in the right direction and part is dealing with the people who won’t follow. That can be frustrating. See how this feels to you. Get the education you need, and don’t be afraid to fail. Everybody has failures.”
Dr. Percelay suggests finding activities in your group where you can take initiative. “Clinical legitimacy is key, too, together with a systems viewpoint,” he says. “I would also recommend CME [continuing medical education]-type activities to develop leadership skills. There are the [SHM] Leadership Academy, local business schools, and the American College of Physician Executives, but learn mostly by doing and participating. Joining national organizations is also helpful because you will interact with other like-minded individuals.”
Dr. Goldsholl advises hospitalists to be passionate about their beliefs and to have confidence in what they do. She remembers a seminar she attended at which the speaker—a prominent business executive—gave this advice: “If you’ve never been fired, you are afraid to stand up for what you believe.”