Hospitalists in medical education: coming to an academic medical center near you.

Hospitalists are physicians whose medical practice focuses on general medical inpatient care. In the past decade, the number of practicing hospitalists has soared, and hospitalist programs have been established at both community hospitals and academic medical centers. As hospitalists increasingly assume a greater share of inpatient care responsibilities, they will contribute to the training of medical students and house staff. This paper reviews current data on the impact of hospitalists on medical education and the future of hospitalist training.