Need some help from my fellow APNs - interviewing for hospitalist position....

[traumaRUs]

Okay - so I've got a phone interview for a hospitalist position at a very rural, very small (115 bed) hospital that utilizes a contracted hospitalist service. They are wanting an APN to join the practice (3 12 hr shifts) as a hospital employee. The hospitalists cover M-F 0700-2000 and the rest of the time the ER MD covers.

This is a position located about 60 miles from my house but as I travel an average of 100-250 miles/day now this is not an issue.

It is a very very rural area but this is NOT a critical access hospital.

What types of questions should I ask?

I've been an APN for almost 9 years but only in nephrology except for a brief locums (6 months) position in a community hospital ER.

I've scoured their website and know the hospital mission statement, who's who in the hospital and kinda how the hospital works but is there any hospitalist-specific questions I should ask??

Thanks so much...

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Just an update - I ended up not taking the position due to salary and acuity. During the interview, the medical director of the hospitalist program point blank asked me if I would be bored with a low acuity census. He got me to thinking as there would only be 20-35 pts on the hospitalist service, the ICU was used basically for a 1:1 sitting service for psych patients and they rarely had anyone on a vent.

So.....

As to what the hospitalist APRN does - it seems to vary based on location, level of acuity, patient census.

[NP2015]

That's not realistic in this profession. Every RN does not always have the time to go around socializing. The question was catty at best and unnecessary. RNs have this unprofessional cutthroat attitude and it is just ridiculous. Just because you found spare time is not the case for many of the rest of us......

[canchaser, BSN, RN]

It does vary by location. But 25-30 pts might seem low but if it takes you 1 hour to admit someone/ dictating, doesn't give you much time for those patients. When I worked inpatient neurology having 15-20 to see in a day was a lot.

[Sha-Sha RN]

That's not realistic in this profession. Every RN does not always have the time to go around socializing. The question was catty at best and unnecessary. RNs have this unprofessional cutthroat attitude and it is just ridiculous. Just because you found spare time is not the case for many of the rest of us......

Socializing? Very interesting take on a RN participating in rounds. All I can say is good luck in your new role as a AGNP. Now back to the main topic of this post.

[Dranger]

Just an update - I ended up not taking the position due to salary and acuity. During the interview, the medical director of the hospitalist program point blank asked me if I would be bored with a low acuity census. He got me to thinking as there would only be 20-35 pts on the hospitalist service, the ICU was used basically for a 1:1 sitting service for psych patients and they rarely had anyone on a vent.

So.....

As to what the hospitalist APRN does - it seems to vary based on location, level of acuity, patient census.

How many providers would split that total? 25-30 inpatients is a lot for one provider. The docs and NPs at my hospital take half that maybe.

Also if you have the admit pager, that is even more time invested.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

These would be divided into two providers, one MD, one APRN.

This was a tiny hospital where they rarely even had a pt on a vent. When I had my interview, it was very obvious they did not care for really ill patients - they transferred out a lot.

As to census - I'm in nephrology and when I do hospital rounds, I often have 20-35 pts to see in a 12 hour shift. At least as a specialist this is doable. (I have been in this position for 9 years).