Educational hospitals

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 9, 2012

"Teaching hospitals" have physician residency programs. The residents are there around the clock and provide much of the routine medical care -- supervised by more senior residents, fellows, and attending physicians. Teaching hospitals may also be associated with a medical school and provide clinical experiences for medical students as well. Teaching hospitals have grants and federal support for providing those teaching services -- and to reimburse them for part of the costs of the residents' salaries, benefits, etc.

At "non-teaching hospitals," there are no (or very few) medical residents. All of the medical care is provided by physicians who have already completed residencies and fellowships in their respective specialties.

Usually, teaching hospitals have a variety of educational programs for people in other disciplines too, not just medicine. They'll have student Respiratory Therapists, Physical Therapists, Social Workers, Lab Techs, Nurses, etc. The largest (and most complex) teaching hospitals are usually associated with a major university -- and their mission is to educate future health care professionals, not just to provide health care to those who need. Such hospitals also engage in a lot of research activity.