I am smart, I swear.

I graduated near the top of my class in medical school, I swear.

I kicked butt on the Step exams, I swear.

But ask me to manage someone’s diabetes or hypertension; No, thank you!

Thank God for hospitalists, a set of remarkable physicians that allow me to do my job effectively. Without them, I would be lost. Would you really want me, an orthopedic surgeon, to manage complex medical patients? I don’t think so. Every day I am thankful for the hospitalist whom I work with.

March 2nd, 2023, marks National Hospitalist Day. This day to honor our amazing hospitalists was established by the National Day Calendar in 2018 and is celebrated on the first Thursday of every March. Requiring a day to honor our hospitalists is silly; they should be honored every day for their incredible work, which I could not do.

It actually annoys me that this country has the audacity to honor the hospitalists I work with on the same day as National Banana Cream Pie Day and National Old Stuff Day. WTF! That’s right, National Banana Cream Pie Day.

Did you know that any individual, group, organization, or company can apply for their “national day?” The National Day Calendar is part of the for-profit digitizing company Zoovio Inc. There are over 1,500 proclaimed “days” each year. That’s an average of four celebrated causes each day on the National Calendar. The National Day Calendar adds approximately 30 new “days” each year to further dilute one’s proclaimed day.

Let’s not ever dilute the value of our fantastic hospitalists, those responsible for managing complex patients, consultants (some with egos), and administrative burdens.

When I need you there to clear my patient for surgery, you are there.

When I can’t figure out how to complete the med reconciliation, you are there.

When case management has issues, you are there.

When I can’t recall the difference between long or short-acting insulins, you are there.

When the cardiologist doesn’t return my calls, you are there.

When I am too tired to put in admission orders for a 23 year old with an ankle fracture, you are there.

Thank you for always being there when you are needed. I know my patients are always better off with you caring for them. From a patient’s admission to discharge, I am glad you are quarterbacking the team. On this National Day of Banana Cream Pies, I thank you for what you do.

Happy National Hospitalists Day! May we honor you today and every day.

Thank you to my coauthors, Drs. Sundar Rao and Vasudhev. They are not only great hospitalists but also helped to edit this piece and reminded me of a few things they do for a bone doctor like me.

Shreekant Vasudhev is an internal medicine physician.

Corinne Rao is an internal medicine physician, working as an independent contractor at several health care facilities, the owner of an internal medicine practice, and a partner at FlexMedstaff. In her spare time, she is a ballroom dancer.

Aaron Morgenstein is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder, FlexMedStaff.com, a fully transparent and free marketplace for physicians to find new clinical and non-clinical opportunities to improve work-life balance. Contact Aaron here.