It is fun. You meet a subset of people you may have never known. Deep friendships are formed. HM is a large specialty in a very small world. People I have worked with in past committees resurface in my life with regularity.
Our committee has been active in providing broad education about the best practices in HM administration, as well as providing a fellowship track for nonphysicians. This is a landmark achievement for us. Recognition for being part of the HM transformation of health care is immensely satisfying.
Tierza Stephan, MD, FACP, SFHM, SHM Practice Analysis Committee member, hospitalist regional medical director, Allina Health, Minneapolis
Serving on the Practice Analysis Committee has helped me to be a more informed, credible source of hospitalist information for senior leaders in my organization. It has definitely provided me a set of knowledgeable hospitalist colleagues outside of my health system to whom I can turn to for advice and help with problem-solving.
Hospitalists across the country share an amazing number of similar issues despite every hospital having its own unique culture. It’s helpful to hear others talk about the solutions they’ve considered and tried, what went well, and what didn’t. I’ve learned more about the complexity of analyzing a hospitalist practice.
Kendall M. Rogers, MD, CPE, FACP, SFHM, SHM IT Executive Committee chair, associate professor of medicine, chief of the division of hospital medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque
My time on SHM committees has been one of the most professionally satisfying activities I have engaged in. In addition to meeting and working closely with national leaders and role models, it has expanded my local idea of what our HM group was capable of achieving by seeing the accomplishments of others and allowing me to incorporate many aspects of these practices without having to develop it from scratch. It also has given me a great sense of pride in our specialty, which has also added to my job satisfaction.
Much of this would not have been possible without the support structure I have built through SHM, which all began with serving on one committee. That has grown to chairing committees, serving as SHM faculty, being a mentee, then mentor, then lead mentor in SHM’s mentored implementation programs.
Committee membership gives you a source of professional satisfaction that is different from your local work. It ties you into a network of people with similar interests while also making you more effective in your local work.
As chair of the Information Technology (IT) Executive Committee, I received a message from my administrative assistant that stated: “The Society of Hospital Medicine called and they need you to go to the White House next week.” I was invited to represent SHM at a town hall meeting on IT with the ONC director at the White House with SHM’s senior advisor for advocacy and government affairs. I have traveled with the CEO, Larry Wellikson, to visit major [electronic medical records] vendors and advocate for the IT tools we need for our members to provide the highest quality of care.