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The Hospitalist. 2007 May;2007(05):

May 1, 2007 | The Hospitalist

Heather A. Harris, MD, director of Eden Inpatient Services at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Calif., has been a hospitalist for nearly four years and helped start her hospital medicine practice, which currently employs eight full-time day hospitalists and “a cadre of night folks.”

“I’ve been on both ends of looking for a job and hiring hospitalists,” she says. Below, she and other hospitalists share advice on how to choose your first position in hospital medicine.

Questions to ask during the interview

Patient Profile

What is the demographic of patients I’ll be seeing?
How many patients are typically seen a day?
What is the rate of daily patient turnover?
How are new patients distributed in the group?
What groups or practices do you admit for?
How many consults do you do?
How much intensive ICU care does your group typically do?
What procedures and practices do you have to cover for when you are on call?
What types of patients might you have to cover for when you are on call?
What is the sign-out system for call and coverage?

Business

Who is in charge of making the business decisions in the practice and how much experience do they have?
Will I have any say in making business decisions?
What is the philosophy of other physicians in the practice regarding lifestyle and compensation?
What is your expected role in the practice?
What is the competition in the region?
How long has the practice been operational?
What is the financial stability of the practice?
What are duties beyond patient care?
- Quality improvement
- Teaching
- Research
Can I be fired without cause?
How long is my notice if fired?
What is the adjustment period to see if I’m compatible with the practice?
How many new physicians have there been in the past five years? Ten years?
How many have made it to partner (if partnership exists)?

Compensation and Benefits

What is my pay based on?
- Salary
- Productivity
- Incentives
- Bonus
- Profits
Is this going to change?
How are raises determined?
How does this compare with compensation in the area?
What is the benefit package?
- Student loan payback
- Retirement
- Disability insurance
- Life insurance
- CME
- Health insurance
- Moving expenses
- Signing bonus

Work Schedule

Is it based on shifts?
- How many shifts a month?
- How many in a row?
- How long are the shifts?
- Am I on call for patients when not in the hospital?
- Do I have to work swing or nightshift? If so, how many?
- Are there other non-hospital care shifts such as pre-op clinics?
If there are no set shifts:
- How long do physicians typically stay in hospital?
- What hours am I responsible for new admissions?
- What hours am I responsible for pager call?
- Is there anyone in the hospital available for emergencies?
Who is my backup in case I have a personal emergency or am sick?

Source: Questions taken from www.MDgrad.com.