An Emerging Physician Workforce Trend

                                            By Erica Carbajal 

At Phoenix Children's, leaders are taking note of a growing trend in the subspeciality space.

"We've discovered a population that really prefers to be on inpatient service caring for a subspecialty population more than they like the clinic and vice versa," said Jared Muenzer, MD, chief physician executive at the pediatric health system.

Traditionally, many subspecialists, such as those in endocrinology, gastroenterology, and neurology, primarily work in outpatient settings, seeing patients in clinics for follow-ups and chronic care. However, Phoenix Children's is seeing more subspecialists who want to dedicate the majority of their time to inpatient care.

Rather than shy away from the additional planning and logistics required to accommodate such preferences, leaders at Phoenix Children's see their preferences as a strategic advantage.

"It's actually been a great recruiting tool, because I can say, 'Hey, if you want to come here and do more inpatient, you can. If you want to come here and do more outpatient, you can do that in the subspecialty space,'" Dr. Muenzer said.

"If I can mix and match all those needs, it is actually a win for me."

Clinicians increasingly crave flexibility in both their schedules and the structure of their roles. Numerous surveys highlight physicians' growing desire for greater scheduling flexibility, indicating systems that meet these needs have a competitive advantage in recruitment and retention.

Allowing subspecialists to spend most of their time in their preferred setting is just one example of how systems are tailoring roles to physicians' individual interests. Organizations like Phoenix Children's and Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health are also accommodating part-time scheduling and offering physicians opportunities to diversify their workweeks through virtual visits and involvement in specialized programs.

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