Perhaps the best advice for coping with a difficult hospitalist-boss relationship is to avoid it in the first place. By recognizing what’s most important to you—what areas you need autonomy in—you can ask questions and perhaps negotiate during the interview or promotion stages. Dr. Wetterneck suggests that hospitalists take the control/autonomy survey included in the SHM white paper “A Challenge for a New Specialty: A White Paper on Hospitalist Career Satisfaction,” which she co-wrote. (The white paper is available under “Publications” on www.hospitalmedicine.org). TH
Jane Jerrard also writes “Public Policy” for The Hospitalist.