Each July, the largest gathering of pediatric hospitalists occurs, and 2019 is no different! This year, hospitalists who care for children will gather at Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) in Seattle from July 25 to 28, with the goal of enhancing participants’ knowledge and competence in the areas of innovation, clinical medicine, education, health services, practice management, quality improvement, and research.
Dr. Kris Rehm
But what makes this year particularly special is the launch of the subspecialty exam for certification in pediatric hospital medicine coming later this fall, solidifying its growth and importance within hospital medicine and the entire health care landscape. The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) has approved PHM as the newest board subspecialty with a 2-year fellowship accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This conference will be a great opportunity to join with others to review competencies for board review, as well as to network with those who are also navigating the road ahead.
During 2019, the Pediatric Hospitalist Special Interest Group (SIG) of SHM has been working tirelessly on several initiatives, including a revision of the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Core Competencies as well as additional work to develop Choosing Wisely 2.0 recommendations. These will help us ensure we are developing the best curricula for the next generation of pediatric hospitalists, while cutting back on unnecessary tests and procedures for those practicing today. Each of these initiatives, as well as the July conference, highlights the opportunities that we have within SHM to work with other like-minded providers who care for children. While we partner with all professionals across many organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academic Pediatric Association to name a few, I wanted to share my reflections on SHM and my appreciation for the “big tent” philosophy that has served us so well thus far.
Having an opportunity to sit on the board of SHM has allowed me a chance to really appreciate the efforts that this organization invests in all who care for patients in the hospital; we have an active group of advanced-practice providers, practice administrators, residents, students, academic hospitalists, and the list goes on and on. We collaborate with a number of spectacular societies dedicated to medical specialties, and we are always open to new ways of improving the methods of delivering care to patients, in hospitals, post-acute care facilities, homes – you name it! As health care delivery models continue to evolve, I believe we are well positioned to be leaders in the delivery of acute care medicine in the hospital and beyond.
I have also learned of happenings at the grassroots level by attending SHM chapter meetings across the United States. For example, the Hampton Roads Chapter led a great Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) workshop, and influenced by that, I shared an idea at home in Nashville – borrowing my son as a model to demonstrate ultrasound techniques that hospitalists can use to assist in clinical care. I hope you, as pediatric hospitalists, will see if you have a local chapter and attend a meeting; whether you are a member of SHM or not, you can mingle with those who provide acute care treatments to all your communities and share best practices. If you don’t see an SHM chapter close by, let’s get one going! SHM is here to help launch a chapter that can help bring your community together and provide education and networking closer to home.
If you can’t attend PHM in Seattle this year, I hope you will make every effort to be at PHM 2020, where our own SIG leader, Dr. Jeffrey Grill from Louisville, Ky., will be chairing the next rendition of this amazing conference. The SHM Meetings team led by Michelle Kann will be working tirelessly to make it a great event with continued growth in content and attendance.
Dr. Rehm is associate professor, pediatrics, and director, division of pediatric outreach medicine at Vanderbilt University and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, both in Nashville, Tenn. She is also a member of the SHM board of directors.