Year 2033
Let’s fast forward health care to, say 2033.
Here Hospitalists are treasured & hold the Hospital’s key.
Not just any, we are “THE” Doc,
For our community, we are that Rock.
We are the thread connecting patients’ care journeys with all our might.
We are the super glue that holds specialists, PCPs, & patients tight.
Amazon Echo accompanies each patient from home to hospital & back
To ensure care navigation, improved quality & experiences we can track
Technology plays a crucial role to help patients & care teams navigate,
From accurate meds, and test results, to when the patient last ate!
Med Floors with robots now dispensing meds (of course, with human oversight!)
Giving our overwhelmed nurses time to breathe, maybe eat a bite?
Smart glasses & ChatGPT—charting is now a breeze.
Also, health care is equitable, accessible & (can I dream?) free!
Hospitalists can call an Uber for patients who can’t get home.
Start meal trains for patients & share food vouchers, for those insecure.
Our role is not merely to diagnose disease, treat, & cure.
Healing not just with medicines but with kind words, warm touch, healthy meals & more.
Our calling is to bring relief and to make patient lives wholesome, safe & pure.
Let’s take a trip to 2033, travel in time,
Where taking time for self-care doesn’t feel like a crime.
Plant-based healthy options in hospital vending machines?
Access to gym, mindfulness coaches & in-hospital childcare for free?
PTO/maternity/time off not frowned upon, yes, please!
Hospitalists now have time to listen with empathy & care,
To our patient’s story of pain, hope, or despair.
From newborn babies to the elderly wise
We listen, we heal, we caution & we advise
Our patients are still very sick, anxious & frail
They look at us with hope, to not sink but sail
2033—Helping patients heal & make their life whole,
Delivering high-tech medicine with “low-tech” human compassion will still be our goal!
The future of Hospitalists is bright, we are a noble & worthy creed.
Our roles will evolve yet stay the same—To serve. To listen. To empower. To Lead.
Dr. Mehta
Dr. Mehta is a board-certified internal medicine physician working as an adult hospitalist at Common Spirit Health System in Redwood City, Calif. She is chair of the SHM Patient Experience Executive Council, a faculty member of the SHM Wellness Task Force, and an executive board member of the SHM Bay Area Chapter. As the national director of quality and experience for Vituity, Dr. Mehta leads programs designed to help health systems deliver world-class care to more than seven million patients across the U.S.
Year 2033 is Dr. Swati’s submission for the National Hospitalist Day HM Voices contest.