What is a RN Hospitalist ?

[RNewbie]

Found this job online. I still don't really understand what exactly this kind of nurse does from the description. Has anyone ever heard of this or worked in this kind of position before?

Job Description:

Utilizing an evidence based nursing approach, the Nurse Hospitalist serves as a consultant, facilitator, practitioner , educator and resource for nursing staff caring for a defined patient population. The Nurse Hospitalist is responsible for assessing and evaluating patient needs, developing and/or providing consultation on development of patient care plans, assisting in the management of patient care, and monitoring of clinical responses and resource consumption on a concurrent basis. The Nurse Hospitalist takes a collaborative approach to communication among all care providers and care managers to optimize the efficiency and efficacy of patient care. Performs all other duties assigned.

Education Required:

Graduate of an accredited school of nursing

Baccalaureate degree

Master's degree preferred

[DoeRN]

Sounds like a resource nurse/educator/research actually it sounds like a good job. Especially for someone who has a strong clinical background.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I love the use of corporate "buzz words" that sound important but don't actually tell you anything.

Job descriptions are notorious for this. Between all the facilitating, implementing and collaboration, what do people in this job do all day? You will probably have to contact HR (difficult) to find out.

[elkpark]

Sounds like a CNS job (or possibly, a CNL-type role, based on what I've read about that), except for the MSN "preferred" part.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Case management? Sounds like the job is to smooth patient flow through the system.

[llg, PhD, RN]

It sounds a lot like what job descriptions for Clinical Nurse Specialists used to sound like.

I hate it when employers just make up new roles like that. New titles/labels just confuse everybody. ... And to use the term "hospitalist" for a nursing position that doesn't even require a Bachelor's Degree makes an incongruence with the usual meaning of the word "hospitalist" to refer to a category of physicians. Not good.

[somedaypeds]

I saw this job posting too. I wonder if we saw it at the same facility? It was a Children's Hospital.

[elkpark]

It sounds a lot like what job descriptions for Clinical Nurse Specialists used to sound like.

I hate it when employers just make up new roles like that. New titles/labels just confuse everybody. ...

ITA -- But ... A few years ago, the state (psych) hospitals in my home state all started advertising for a new position -- I forget what newfangled title they used, but the job description was clearly that of a psych CNS. I applied for a few of the positions, and, at my first interview for one, asked about why they weren't just calling it a CNS position, since that was clearly the intent and that is a title that is already known. The answer I got was that the state had specifically decided not to use the CNS title, because, once they use the title, that locks them into the specific education/certification requirements for CNSs. They wanted to have the flexibility to hire someone who might not be a CNS, but have many years of psychiatric nursing experience and, in their opinion, be able to do the job (basically, they wanted to have the option of being able to promote some of their more experienced RNs who had been in the system a long time, without requiring them to go back to school). They were preferring to hire actual psych CNSs, but they weren't willing to rule out other possibilities (esp. since they weren't getting a lot of CNS applicants -- as the person interviewing me put it, "I know there are plenty of psych CNSs in the state, but, apparently, none of them are interested in working in the state hospitals ...")

This may be a similar situation.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Yes, Elkpark. You may be right. I've seen similar cases. But the choice of the word "hospitalist" is certainly unfortunate. They could have created a better title to avoid confusion related to physician hosiplatists.

[RNewbie]

ITA -- But ... A few years ago, the state (psych) hospitals in my home state all started advertising for a new position -- I forget what newfangled title they used, but the job description was clearly that of a psych CNS. I applied for a few of the positions, and, at my first interview for one, asked about why they weren't just calling it a CNS position, since that was clearly the intent and that is a title that is already known. The answer I got was that the state had specifically decided not to use the CNS title, because, once they use the title, that locks them into the specific education/certification requirements for CNSs. They wanted to have the flexibility to hire someone who might not be a CNS, but have many years of psychiatric nursing experience and, in their opinion, be able to do the job (basically, they wanted to have the option of being able to promote some of their more experienced RNs who had been in the system a long time, without requiring them to go back to school). They were preferring to hire actual psych CNSs, but they weren't willing to rule out other possibilities (esp. since they weren't getting a lot of CNS applicants -- as the person interviewing me put it, "I know there are plenty of psych CNSs in the state, but, apparently, none of them are interested in working in the state hospitals ...")

This may be a similar situation.

This explanation makes sense.

[magster63]

For Those who wonder what a Hospitalist RN is : It is a great job with many responsibilities that never end.

PURPOSE: The Hospitalist Registered Nurse is responsible for the collaboration process which assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors, and evaluates options and services to improve quality and efficiency in the care of hospitalized patients. This position directly supports the hospitalist team and does not involve direct patient care. Carries out all duties while maintaining compliance and confidentiality and promoting the mission and philosophy of the organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Coordinates process to assess, plan and implement, monitor and evaluates options and services to improve quality and efficiency in the care of hospitalized patients.
• Contributes in development of tools and workflows under direction of Hospitalist Clinical Manager.
• Collects and report relevant program metrics as determined by hospital leadership teams.
• Involvement in daily communication with hospitalist team to identify metric performance, pending queries, missing quality measures etc.
• Identifies opportunities for improvement in tools and workflows.
• Assists with physician education on key quality metrics.
• Participates in hospital committees and special projects.
• Serves as point of contact for hospital staff (e.g., issues related to clinical processes and triage for other potential issues related to hospitalist team).
• Provides orientation and support to new and current physicians related to hospitalist quality standards and goals.
• Consults with the medical staff, nursing staff, and ancillary department staff to eliminate barriers to the efficient delivery of care. Identifies service delivery problems and potential for effective improvements.
• Demonstrates proficient computer skills and is able to function within the electronic medical record.
• Maintains data on patient's outcomes.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supports and adheres to defined processes, participate in optimization as requested.
• Provides timely status updates and respond to requests in a timely manner.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent. Graduation from an accredited school of nursing.

Required Certificate/License: Current licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN). Current AHA approved Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) course completion card. Will be required to maintain a current nursing license and CPR certification during employment.

Experience:

2- 3 years inpatient nursing experience, with at least 1 year in an in-patient care setting, including exposure to electronic medical systems, preferred.

Process and performance improvement preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to work independently
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to multi-task and prioritize workload in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to interact and communicate with individuals at all levels (e.g., patients, physicians, hospital staff, hospital administration and other colleagues)
• Strong interpersonal skills to handle sensitive situations and confidential information. Position continually requires demonstrated poise, tact, diplomacy, and good judgment.
• Strong presentation skills
• Strong negotiation skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Proficiency with technology, including electronic medical systems and Microsoft Office Suite

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

BSN required