Society Of Hospital Medicine Announces Hospital Medicine Fellowship, USA

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 14 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) announced the creation of the first designation of commitment to the practice of hospital medicine, the SHM Fellowship in Hospital Medicine (FHM) credential.

"Hospitalists have been asking for a unique designation that clearly identifies those physicians whose career is committed to hospital medicine," said Larry Wellikson, MD, SHM's chief executive officer. "A fellowship program was the natural next step. Hospitalists who earn their FHM designation will have a demonstrated commitment to hospital medicine, systems change, and quality improvement principals."

Applications to become a Fellow in Hospital medicine will be available in the Fall of 2008, and the first class of Hospital Medicine Fellows will be inducted at Hospital Medicine 2009, SHM's annual meeting, in Chicago.

There will be three designations available, each with increasingly more challenging selection criteria:

- Fellow in Hospital Medicine (FHM)
- Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine (SFHM)
- Master in Hospital Medicine (MHM)

The criteria include elements consistent for all candidates, such as:

- Five years as a practicing hospitalist
- Demonstration of competencies tied to the SHM Core Competencies in Hospital Medicine, including systems improvement, quality initiatives, and clinical excellence

- Endorsement by two active SHM members

More information about the fellowship program will be available in early Fall 2008. SHM is the premier medical society representing hospitalists. Over the past decade, research studies proving that hospitalists decrease patient lengths of stay, hospital costs and patient mortality rates while increasing patient satisfaction, have galvanized the hospital medicine profession and spurred demand for hospitalists nationwide. Currently, hospital medicine is the fastest-growing medical specialty in the U.S., with today's 20,000 hospitalists projected to grow to about 30,000 by the end of the decade.

Society of Hospital Medicine