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Hospitalist physician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a hospitalist physician. Hospitalist physicians usually study medicine, physician assistant, or business. 30% of hospitalist physicians hold a doctoral degree, and 27% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 195 real hospitalist physician resumes to see exactly what hospitalist physician education sections show.

The most common colleges for hospitalist physicians are the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

There are also many online hospitalist physician courses to help get the education required to be a hospitalist physician.

There are certain hospitalist physician certifications that you should consider. These hospitalist physician certifications include Family Medicine and Physician Assistant - Certified (PA-C).

What education do you need to become a hospitalist physician?

What degree do you need to be a hospitalist physician?

The most common degree for hospitalist physicians is doctoral degree, with 30% of hospitalist physicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 27% and bachelor's degree degree at 15%.
  • Doctorate, 30%
  • Bachelor's, 27%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 23%

What should I major in to become a hospitalist physician?

You should major in medicine to become a hospitalist physician. 34% of hospitalist physicians major in medicine. Other common majors for a hospitalist physician include physician assistant and business.

Most common colleges for hospitalist physicians

Hospitalist physicians often get their degrees at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of the Sciences, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Here are the most common colleges for hospitalist physicians in the US based on their resumes.
Hospitalist physician common collegePercentages
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine10.34%
University of the Sciences10.34%
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai10.34%
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center6.90%
Georgetown University6.90%

Best majors for hospitalist physicians

RankMajorPercentages
1Medicine33.7%
2Physician Assistant11.2%
3Business8.2%
4Nursing6.1%
5Biology5.1%

Best colleges for hospitalist physicians

The best colleges for hospitalist physicians are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A hospitalist physician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for hospitalist physicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become hospitalist physicians.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for hospitalist physicians

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1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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2. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

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4. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing

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Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...

5. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

6. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

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Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...

8. Introduction to Longevity Medicine

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A Medical Guide to Longevity Medicine for Physicians...

9. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers

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COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...

10. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

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This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact...

11. Medical Terminology 101

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12. Medical Terminology

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Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...

13. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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14. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

15. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

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16. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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17. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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18. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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19. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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20. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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Top 10 most affordable universities for hospitalist physicians

The most affordable schools for hospitalist physicians are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for hospitalist physicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for hospitalist physicians.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for hospitalist physicians

The hardest universities for hospitalist physicians to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for hospitalist physicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for hospitalist physicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for hospitalist physicians

The easiest schools for hospitalist physicians to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a hospitalist physician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for hospitalist physicians.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

10. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

Average hospitalist physician salary by education level

Hospitalist physician education levelHospitalist physician salary
Doctorate Degree$252,424

Hospitalist physician education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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