“My Journey to Becoming a Hospitalist”

“My Journey to Becoming a Hospitalist”
By Jill Kruse, DO


When I first moved to Brookings, the primary care physicians took care of their own patients in the hospital.  We would round on patients in the morning before clinic or try to sneak over during lunch or after clinic.  While I loved taking care of patients in the hospital, it was hard to juggle the responsibilities of both giving my attention to the patients in the hospital while seeing people in the clinic.  Any time the hospital nurse had a question; my clinic nurse would have to interrupt a clinic visit or wait for me to between patients.  This could lead to some less-than-ideal times where I was being pulled in multiple directions at once.  
Then about six years ago, the Brookings Health System decided to start a new program where there would be Hospitalist hired.  These would be doctors who would just take care of patients in the hospital.  Primary Care Physicians in the clinic would follow up after the hospital stay and resume care.  This had already been done for several years in Sioux Falls at the Sanford and Avera McKennan.  Despite the fact that I was familiar with what a hospitalist was, it was still hard to give up caring for my patients when they were in the hospital.  However, I learned to see these Hospitalists as valued colleagues who were giving my patients the time and attention that they deserved.  They could give better care and more attention as hospital medicine continues to evolve and advance.
During COVID, I started taking extras shifts to help out in the hospital on weekends.  This was a good way for me to keep up my skills for taking care of patients who were sicker than in the clinic.  In the clinic, we mainly focus on taking care of minor illnesses and injuries as well as managing chronic medical conditions and health maintenance visits.  I realized that I missed taking care of hospitalized patients and caring for people when they were at their sickest. 
 When one of the hospitalists left for a new job, I was asked if I wanted to take their place as a hospitalist.  After careful consideration of all the pros and cons, I decided to answer the call to this new challenge of being a hospitalist.  I am happy to see my former clinic patients, but now it is usually in the grocery store and at the post office.  However, it is extra special when I can care for them when they are admitted to the hospital.  I embrace this current chapter in my medical career and wonder how it will continue to evolve as medicine changes with time.  
Jill Kruse, D.O. is part of The Prairie Doc® team of physicians and currently practices as a hospitalist in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show, 2 podcasts, and a Radio program, providing health information based on science, built on trust, streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central and wherever podcast can be found.