---
title: "Pediatric Hospital Medicine FTEs and Staffing Models: Challenges and Needs"
id: "pubmed-42764174"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42764174"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Pediatrics"
source_name: "PubMed / NCBI"
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/"
doi: "10.1542/hpeds.2026-009408"
published_at: "2026-09-21T00:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Article"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Pediatric Hospital Medicine FTEs and Staffing Models: Challenges and Needs
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42764174
- **Specialty:** [Pediatrics](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pediatrics.md)
- **Primary Source:** PubMed / NCBI
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/)
- **DOI:** [10.1542/hpeds.2026-009408](https://doi.org/10.1542%2Fhpeds.2026-009408)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-21T00:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Article
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Appropriate physician staffing is critical to delivering safe, high-quality care for hospitalized children and is a central responsibility of **Pediatric Hospital Medicine** (PHM) program leadership. - Multiple barriers complicate achieving optimal staffing, including **financial constraints**, coverage of off-hour shifts, recruitment shortages, and the need to design models that support staff satisfaction and retention. - PHM leaders must balance program structural needs with built-in flexibility to create sustainable staffing models amid an evolving practice landscape. - The literature currently provides limited detailed descriptions of PHM staffing models, including how **full-time equivalent (FTE)** definitions are applied, criteria for determining staffing needs, and the variety of practice environments across the field. - Providing detailed outlines and standardized reporting of FTE definitions and staffing criteria would help establish regional and national benchmarks and inform future staffing decisions. - Because PHM practice environments and workforce needs change over time, staffing models will likely require ongoing adjustment; current evidence gaps restrict the ability to compare and benchmark programs reliably.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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Online ahead of print. # Pediatric Hospital Medicine FTEs and Staffing Models [Lara Batey](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Batey+L&cauthor_id=42764174)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts."), [Marie Dawlett](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Dawlett+M&cauthor_id=42764174)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#full-view-affiliation-2 "McGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Houston, Houston, Texas."), [Allison Markowsky](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Markowsky+A&cauthor_id=42764174)[ 3 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#full-view-affiliation-3 "Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia.")[ 4 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#full-view-affiliation-4 "George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia.") Affiliations Expand ### Affiliations * 1 Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. * 2 McGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Houston, Houston, Texas. * 3 Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia. * 4 George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia. * PMID: **42764174** * DOI: [ 10.1542/hpeds.2026-009408 ](https://doi.org/10.1542/hpeds.2026-009408) Item in Clipboard # Pediatric Hospital Medicine FTEs and Staffing Models Lara Batey et al. Hosp Pediatr. 2026. Show details Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Hosp Pediatr Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Hosp+Pediatr%22%5Bjour%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in NLM Catalog ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=%22Hosp+Pediatr%22%5BTitle+Abbreviation%5D) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/) . 2026 Sep 21:e2026009408. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2026-009408. Online ahead of print. ### Authors [Lara Batey](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Batey+L&cauthor_id=42764174)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts."), [Marie Dawlett](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Dawlett+M&cauthor_id=42764174)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#short-view-affiliation-2 "McGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Houston, Houston, Texas."), [Allison Markowsky](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Markowsky+A&cauthor_id=42764174)[ 3 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#short-view-affiliation-3 "Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia.")[ 4 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42764174/#short-view-affiliation-4 "George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia.") ### Affiliations * 1 Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. * 2 McGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Houston, Houston, Texas. * 3 Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia. * 4 George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia. * PMID: **42764174** * DOI: [ 10.1542/hpeds.2026-009408 ](https://doi.org/10.1542/hpeds.2026-009408) Item in Clipboard Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID ## Abstract Appropriate physician staffing is essential to providing safe, high-quality care for hospitalized children. Many challenges exist in achieving optimal staffing, including financial constraints, coverage of off-hour shifts, recruitment shortages, and building models that promote staff satisfaction and retention. Pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) program leadership must consider the structural needs of their program while building flexibility in their systems to create balanced and sustainable staffing models. With an evolving PHM landscape, these models will likely need to be adjusted over time. Detailed outlines of PHM staffing models, including full-time equivalent definitions, criteria for determining staffing needs, and data on the range of practice environments within the field, are limited in the current literature. Adding such detailed descriptions would be valuable to establish regional and national benchmarks. Copyright © 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics and Society of Hospital Medicine. 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