Trainee Takeaways: Physicians In Training Luncheon
On Thursday, April 8th, I arrived in Nashville’s Music City Center for my first Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) annual conference, SHM Converge. I am a second-year resident at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and I was able to attend the conference largely thanks to the SHM conference grant. I initially learned about this grant while submitting a poster to the SHM conference in November 2021, and I found out that I was a winner in January 2022. I was thrilled to receive the grant, as it allowed me to present my research on inpatient diabetes management in a national forum. Additionally, as an aspiring hospitalist, the opportunity to attend the conference was invaluable.
I enjoyed many facets of the conference, including networking with other trainees and attendings, enhancing my clinical knowledge, and learning about the many dimensions of a hospitalist career. One session that I particularly enjoyed was the Physicians in Training (PIT) luncheon, which allowed me to network with other students and residents interested in hospital medicine as well as mentors from other institutions.
The PIT luncheon was planned such that trainees sat at a table with a mentor and rotated between tables every ~15-20 minutes to meet new faculty. I met two mentors (*see their bios below) through this process – Dr. Rachel Peterson and Dr. Alan Hall. Dr. Peterson is a medicine-pediatrics hospitalist at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and she spoke to my table about negotiating job offers. My takeaways from this conversation included:
- Perform research in advance of negotiating offers, especially with regards to average market compensation rates
- Negotiate job offers with regards to both time (e.g., time buyouts) and money (e.g., asking for items such as signing and moving bonuses)
My group of trainees subsequently rotated to Dr. Alan Hall’s table for the remainder of the session, who is a medicine-pediatrics hospitalist and Assistant Dean of Curriculum Integration at the University of Kentucky. We discussed a variety of topics with Dr. Hall, including how hospitalist roles vary widely between different institutions (e.g., expectations with regards to performing procedures and time spent working in direct care models vs. teaching models vs. APP-supported models). Several attendees were also interested in leadership and administrative roles, and Dr. Hall provided some advice on how to advance to these positions, including:
- Volunteer for projects and positions as a junior faculty member that align with your areas of interest
- Demonstrate initiative and project management skills in order to position yourself for leadership roles and time buyouts in the future
One of the best aspects of the luncheon was meeting my peers. The other trainees at my table were all residents. Three of the attendees were graduating residents who had already completed the job search process, which was immensely helpful since I am starting my job search this coming summer and fall. Other attendees were able to provide me with tips regarding application timelines and what to look for in a hospitalist position, such as:
- Start preparing materials for job applications to academic hospitalist positions in the early fall prior to graduation from residency
- Inquire about average census, support from residents and advanced practice practitioners, typical schedule, ICU and procedural expectations, and career development opportunities when interviewing for faculty positions
Overall, the Physicians in Training luncheon and SHM Converge prepared me to embark on my job search over the next several months. I am looking forward to exploring faculty positions, and I left the conference feeling energized and excited by all that a career in hospital medicine can offer.
----------------------------
*About the Mentors
Dr. Rachel Peterson
Dr. Rachel Peterson is a Med-Peds Hospitalist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Pediatrics at IU School of Medicine. She acts as the Medical Director at Riley as well as the Associate Division Chief/Service Line Lead for Pediatric Hospital Medicine. She is passionate about providing quality care to acutely ill patients across the age spectrum. Her research focuses on care of adults in pediatric institutions.
Dr. Alan Hall
Dr. Alan Hall is the Assistant Dean of Curriculum Integration, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and Med-Peds Hospitalist at University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, KY. He currently practices at University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital and Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Dr. Hall also serves on SHM’s Physician’s in Training Committee and serves as the Early Career Hospitalist editor for SHM’s magazine, The Hospitalist.
Bloggers
