While much of our work focuses on patient care and ways to improve that care, it not our only mission. We want to create a hospitalist who is rigorous, flexible and able to wisely respond to any medical issue within the context of today’s ever-changing and demanding health care system.
Our vision is to be regionally and nationally recognized as outstanding bedside and didactic teachers and as innovators in curriculum development. Our division is committed to the education of future physicians and the improvement of practicing physicians. As part of this endeavor our faculty are involved in virtually all aspects of education at Mount Sinai Hospital. Several members of the division are in leadership positions in the Internal Medicine Residency program and medical school, including an Associate Program Director, 3rd Year Clerkship Director and Subinternship Co-Director.
Graduate Medical Education
Horatio Holzer, MD, (director of the 3rd year Medicine Clerkship) and Eric Barna, MD, (director of the Sub-Internship program) have created popular and highly successful clinical rotations for medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine.
In addition to daily rounds, hospitalist's have several opportunities to interact with and teach medical students over all four years. Hospitalists serve as preceptors for first and second year students learning history-taking and physical examination skills. Faculty in our division give third year students lectures on various clinically relevant topics during their medicine rotation. Additionally, fourth year students can participate in a hospitalist elective, working exclusively with one hospitalist and a nurse practitioner.
Residency Education
Our hospitalists are intimately involved in the Mount Sinai Internal Medicine Residency, including program leadership-- Brian Markoff, MD, and Eric Barna, MD, are Associate Program Directors. Our hospitalists are the primary educators on the general medicine teaching service. In addition to morning rounds, hospitalists also lead dedicated "teaching rounds," where they have an opportunity to spend time focusing on one or two interesting cases. The division also runs two innovative monthly noon conferences for the residents on patient safety/quality and high value care. In our OCCAMs Conference, residents review cases of overuse that led to near misses or adverse events. This program, led by Hyung (Harry) Cho, has garnered national attention, and is one of many examples of the division creating innovative educational experiences for the residency program.
In addition, the Division has been instrumental in the creation of The Healthcare Leadership Track (HLT) within the Internal Medicine Residency Program. The track was designed to address the absence of training in what we consider essential skills that physician leaders need in the new health care environment – something that is lacking in traditional residency programs. To lead change effectively, physicians must be able to apply principles of quality improvement (QI), to understand the financial factors that determine hospital performance, and have leadership skills to produce meaningful results. This track provides the necessary knowledge and skills for residents, whether as a hospitalist or other subspecialist, to become successful leaders in health care.
Housestaff apply for the HLT during their internship year and 4-6 residents are selected per year. To learn more about the track, please visit our Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Advanced Practicing Clinician Education
Maria Reyna, MD, and Trini Truong, MD, have created an innovative education program for our more than 20 nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Since its inception in 2014, this program has expended from once monthly to twice monthly didactic conferences. Conferences are geared towards our advanced practice clinicians and cover such diverse topics as inpatient diabetes management and management of heart failure. Feedback has been positive-- practitioners express feeling more empowered to actively manage their patients.
Faculty Development
The division wholeheartedly embraces the notion that physicians are "life-long learners." Continuous education is provided through weekly division grand rounds (attended by NPs, PAs, and hospitalists), along with a new Faculty Development course. This biweekly session focuses on improving teaching skills, how to become quality mentors, and important business considerations when pursuing academic medicine. The division places particular importance on collaboration amongst colleagues. Our monthly Works in Progress meeting gives hospitalists a chance to present research and other projects to get constructive feedback from the entire division.
Continuing Medical Education
The division sponsors the Mid Atlantic: Hospital Medicine Symposium, one of the largest CME programs for hospitalists in the Northeast drawing more than 100 hospitalists every year.
Undergraduate Medical Education
Our hospitalists teach large numbers of medical students throughout the year during their ward rotations. Much time is spent teaching medical students during the Art & Science of Medicine (ASM) course. ASM focuses on getting 1st and 2nd year medical students experience interviewing and examining patients, as well as writing up and presenting their patient.
Each block, one 4th year medical student is selected to perform an elective in Hospital Medicine. This student works closely with a hospitalist on our non-teaching service. In addition, the student spends time with our Medical Consult team and attends Hospital Medicine Grand Rounds each week.
Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program
The Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program in the Division of Hospital Medicine (DHM) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine is an academic fellowship federally funded via a T32 training grant. This training grant supports a 2-year academic fellowship in Hospital Medicine. Fellows will obtain a Masters Degree in Science and Clinical Research (MSCR) and be part of a highly structured, comprehensive training program in research methodology and skills to prepare fellows to become successful clinician-investigators, clinician educators and hospital leaders. A wide range of research opportunities and educational are available, including but not limited to patient safety, transitions of care, communication, and medical education. A maximum of 25% of time is devoted to clinical activities, including attending on the Teaching Wards, Non-Teaching Wards and rotations on the Medical Consultation and Co-Management Services.