Reflections after attending on an oncology hospitalist service for three years

Reflections after attending on an oncology hospitalist service for three years
The Hospitalist; by Nathaniel Parker; 6/24/25
Unlike many inpatient services, the oncology hospitalist role often means managing pivotal moments in a patient’s cancer journey... Whether initiating dexamethasone for cord compression within minutes of arrival, or facilitating timely discharge to inpatient hospice, the immediacy of our role never feels routine. Each encounter reminds me that cancer doesn’t wait—and neither should we... What we’ve observed—both anecdotally and in our published work—is that transitions to inpatient hospice occur more often and earlier for patients on our service... When patients and families choose hospice, it happens in the context of trust, clarity, and alignment. And in a field where “doing more” often means intervention, this is one instance where doing more means connecting better.