Our hospital is starting in the near future to use mid-level practitioners as "hospitalists". These mid-level practitioners will be able to do rounds on patients and write discharge orders without these patients having seen the doctor. I hear the wave of the future are "hospitalists". If this is the wave of the future, are MDs going to be obsolete in 20 or 30 years. Why go to school for an MD if you can become a hospitalist? What do you guys think. Are hospitalist a good idea?