The Intertwined Histories of Resident Education and Pediatric Hospital Medicine in the US

Abstract

The histories of pediatric resident education and pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) are intertwined. PHM, now a new subspecialty, is generally considered to have emerged from the hospitalist movement in the late 1990s but is actually what some influential pediatricians in the 19th century envisioned for pediatrics in the United States, comparable to the British model. The prime focus of resident education during the 20th century remained hospital care, even during the years of national concern regarding the need for more primary care physicians. Various changes in resident education have contributed to the rise of PHM as a subspecialty. Requirements for subspecialty certification in PHM have implications for general residency training in pediatrics.