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Skilled Doctors Playing an Important Role

At Saint Vincent Hospital, we’re dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate care to those in our community. As part of our ongoing commitment to excellence, our Hospitalist Program plays a critical part in providing you with support in getting the care you need. Hospitalists are doctors whose primary focus is providing general medical care for anyone admitted to our hospital.

What Do Saint Vincent Hospitalists Do?

Hospitalists are responsible for many important tasks, including:

 

  • Working in partnership with your primary care doctor to coordinate inpatient care
  • Working closely with nurses, ancillary staff and other specialists involved in your care
  • Being familiar with the hospital’s systems for ordering tests, analyzing results and arranging for treatment
  • Being trained to quickly recognize and respond to changes in the patient’s condition
  • Being available at the hospital 24 hours a day, so they can see patients as frequently as their medical conditions require
  • Promptly providing your doctor with a written report of your hospital visit to facilitate any follow-up care you may need

 

If you do not have a primary care doctor, the Hospitalist team will provide you with a list and arrange your follow-up care.

How Hospitalists Help Primary Care Doctors

Hospitalists practice full-time in the hospital, so they are readily available to help your doctor. When you enter the hospital, a Saint Vincent Hospitalist will immediately begin acting as attending doctor for the length of the hospital stay.

Hospitalists will:

 

  • Provide prompt admission and treatment
  • Oversee your entire hospital stay to provide quality care
  • Communicate ongoing patient status to your primary care doctor on a timely basis

 

Daily activities include:

 

  • Coordinating hospital admissions
  • Arranging diagnostic testing and specialty consultations
  • Explaining findings and discussing recommendations with patients
  • Orchestrating all patient care
  • Providing medical care for patients who need surgical treatment
  • Managing urgent situations that may arise during the hospitalization
  • Reviewing hospital treatment with insurance companies and payers

 

Career Opportunities

If you’re interested in a career as a Hospitalist at Saint Vincent Hospital, call (508) 363-6849 to learn more.

More Information

Cold, Flu or COVID-19?

Symptoms of a cold, flu and COVID-19 can be similar. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the following most common symptoms, all of which may vary from person to person. Please note that information continues to evolve about COVID-19.


Symptoms & Signs Cold Flu COVID-19
Symptom Timing Gradual Symptoms typically appear 1-4 days after infection Symptoms typically appear 5 days after infection, but can be as soon as 2 days and up to 14 days
Fever or feeling feverish Rare Sometimes Typical
Chills Uncommon Typical Typical
Headache Uncommon Typical Typical
Muscle pain or body aches Slight Typical Typical
Fatigue Sometimes Typical Typical
Cough Mild to moderate Typical Typical
Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath Uncommon Typical Typical
Sore throat Common Sometimes Typical
Runny or stuffy nose Common Sometimes Typical
Sneezing Common Sometimes Not common
Vomiting and diarrhea Rare More common in children than adults Typical
New loss of taste or smell Uncommon Sometimes Typical

Colds, the flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, and the difference can be undetectable by symptoms alone. Seek a test to confirm a diagnosis. Protect your community by staying home and avoiding interactions within 6 feet of others when experiencing any of the above symptoms. Please don’t delay care.

Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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