ABPS Hospital Medicine study guide
ABPS Hospital Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ABPS Hospital Medicine certification is a board credential offered by the American Board of Physician Specialties for physicians who practice predominantly in the hospital setting - hospitalists, internists who cover inpatient services, and clinicians who manage complex acute care transitions. It signals that a physician has demonstrated competence across the breadth of inpatient medicine rather than a single organ system, from perioperative comanagement and critical care through cardiology, pulmonary, infectious disease, nephrology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology, plus the systems work of quality improvement and patient safety. The ABPS Hospital Medicine study guide has 10 sections and about 2,644 words.
01Clinical Hospital Medicine: General Internal Medicine and Perioperative Care
The hospitalist's core skill is risk stratification and recognizing which stable-looking patient is actually decompensating. Understand the major perioperative frameworks: the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI), functional-capacity assessment in metabolic equivalents (METs), and the current emphasis on avoiding unnecessary testing.
296 words, about 1 min02Critical Care Medicine
Critical care questions reward a systematic approach to shock, respiratory failure, and sepsis. Distinguish the four shock states (hypovolemic, cardiogenic, distributive, obstructive) by physical exam, lactate, and bedside ultrasound findings.
269 words, about 1 min03Cardiology and Cardiovascular Emergencies
Focus on rapid recognition and time-critical decisions. For acute coronary syndrome, know the distinction between STEMI (immediate reperfusion) and NSTEMI/unstable angina (risk-stratify, early invasive strategy for high-risk features).
263 words, about 1 min04Pulmonary Medicine and Respiratory Failure
Differentiate hypoxemic (type 1) from hypercapnic (type 2) respiratory failure and the mechanisms behind each: V/Q mismatch, shunt, diffusion impairment, hypoventilation. Know the management of COPD exacerbation (bronchodilators, systemic steroids, antibiotics when indicated, controlled oxygen targeting SpO2 88-92%, and noninvasive ventilation for hypercapnic acidosis) and asthma (early steroids, inhaled bronchodilators, magnesium for severe cases, avoid routine antibiotics).
236 words, about 1 min05Infectious Disease and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Balance prompt, appropriate empiric therapy with stewardship. Know the common hospital-acquired syndromes: community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP), catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and Clostridioides difficile infection.
243 words, about 1 min06Neurology and Altered Mental Status
Approach altered mental status systematically: airway/breathing, glucose, then a structured search for toxic, metabolic, infectious, structural, and vascular causes. Distinguish delirium (acute, fluctuating, inattentive) from dementia (chronic, progressive) and from psychiatric causes.
225 words, about 1 min07Nephrology
Master the approach to acute kidney injury (AKI): prerenal, intrinsic, and postrenal, using history, volume status, urinalysis, and fractional excretion of sodium (with caveats). Know the indications for urgent dialysis (AEIOU: acidosis, electrolytes, intoxication, overload, uremia).
225 words, about 1 min08Nephrology, Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Disorders
Interpret acid-base disorders systematically: check pH, then PaCO2, then bicarbonate, and calculate the anion gap and delta-delta to detect mixed disorders. Know the causes of high-anion-gap metabolic acidosis (MUDPILES/KULT) and normal-gap acidosis (GI losses, renal tubular acidosis).
227 words, about 1 min09Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders
Focus on the inpatient emergencies: diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), thyroid storm, myxedema coma, and adrenal crisis. Understand DKA management: fluids first, insulin infusion after potassium is addressed, and frequent electrolyte monitoring.
218 words, about 1 min10Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Know the approach to GI bleeding, pancreatitis, liver disease, and hepatic encephalopathy. For upper GI bleeding, resuscitate, risk-stratify (Glasgow-Blatchford), and arrange endoscopy after stabilization.
442 words, about 2 min