Committee participation and other activities help foster what she sees as a primary goal: a “culture of ownership within the group,” or the sense that each hospitalist has a role in guiding the organization and in the success of the whole team.
Dr. Bowman says that involvement in hospital affairs is critical to becoming a fulfilled hospitalist.
“Our mantra, if you will, is to be involved,” he says. “If you’re involved, you don’t have a chance to be bored.”
It’s important, Dr. Bowman adds, for doctors to see “the milieu that they’re involved with” in the hospital organization.
Team meetings outside the workplace, with families, can build camaraderie.
Foster a team atmosphere that offers flexibility and encourages doctors to fill in for one another when required.
Flexibility is a crucial part of keeping hospitalists happy, and many times is necessary for group retention, Dr. Lum Lung says.
“For some people, at this point, when their kids are getting to a certain age, it’s that they want to be able to have some time that is flexible where they can go to their kids’ soccer games and to softball games,” she says. “Providing them these opportunities will give them the longevity to do this job.”
Hospitalists are people, too, and they often deal with personal issues, such as a looming divorce or a seriously ill family member. Group leaders need to be tuned in to such situations so they can accommodate their colleagues as best as possible, Dr. Lum Lung says.
Be conscious of and willing to mitigate “mission creep.”
Sometimes, the growing list of responsibilities for hospitalists gets to be unwieldy. And, if necessary, group leaders should communicate to administration the need for changes that meet those demands.
A healthy working relationship between hospitalists and administration is crucial, says Steve Rubin, executive director at Gwinnett.
“I think it’s critical that administration recognizes value and works with your physicians—and hospitalists included—in a collaborative manner,” he says. “If people don’t feel valued or involved or engaged in decisions, then obviously they get disenfranchised.”
Hold frequent meetings and encourage free discourse.
A problem raised by one colleague could be solved by another colleague if brought up at a meeting. And group leaders can take the temperature of the group before issues become big problems.
At Gwinnett Medical Center, the hospitalist retention level is high, with just three physicians leaving the group since it was formed more than 12 years ago. The group holds mandatory monthly meetings that foster communication and allow potential problems to be aired before they become a big issue, says Dr. Austin. Such topics as relationships with subspecialists, acceptable consults, workloads, and staffing levels are discussed at these meetings.
“People have a good chance to really vent and hear how other people feel,” Dr. Austin says. “And you really take the pulse of the group.” He described the sessions as “a controlled period of time to gripe to each other and have everybody together to group problem-solve.”
At Gwinnett, gatherings outside the workplace—with families—also help build camaraderie.
Thomas R. Collins is a freelance writer in South Florida.