Alfred J. Maher, MD, differs from most hospital physicians in that he didn't begin working as a hospitalist soon after residency.

The hospitalist career path is among medicine's fastest growing specialties.

While primary care physicians, by and large, worked as much in 2008 as they did the previous year, the number of patients seen increased just marginally, according to Medical Economics' annual productivity survey.

As you prepare to start a new job, read your employment contract carefully, make sure you understand all of its provisions, and, if necessary, let a lawyer have a peek.

Whether just done with residency, an experienced hospitalist seeking new work, or a private practice physician transitioning to hospitalist work, a job hunt, at the outset, is an exercise in information-gathering.

With the rapid and sustained growth of the hospitalist movement, cooperation between teams of physicians becomes even more critical.

A rough year for the U.S. economy had little negative impact on the income of physicians, according to the results of Medical Economics' 2009 Exclusive Survey.

E-mail and voicemail are excellent and convenient means of dealing with prescription renewals, appointment reminders, and other standard administrative tasks.

There's little doubt that patients who understand key health issues make more responsible decisions and are more likely to stick with treatment regimens. And there is no better person to instill that knowledge than you.