A Personal Perspective
Sonya Narla, DO
The good: A patient dropping off an extra container of Lysol wipes because they wanted to make sure we had enough. Surprise pizza delivery from an elderly patient after a particularly rough week. Working with a great team of colleagues that are like-minded, intelligent, and compassionate. The strong spirits of healthcare workers who are so creative at meeting patient needs despite pandemic restrictions. Birthday parades. Technology that allows us to function in ways we could not 40 years ago. Solidarity. The existence of an expert like Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose contribution to medicine over the years is immeasurable. Dogs because, well, duh. The phone calls that end with “please be safe; we need you.”
The bad: Medical masks stolen from our waiting room. Trials and tribulations of telemedicine. Missing the face-to-face connection we value so much in primary care. Elective procedures placed on hold – necessarily, but also to the detriment of our patients. Limited fresh air due to 110+ degree temperatures. Burn out. Missing my people. Cancelled [insert important trip / reunion /season / milestone here]. No idea what to do about school.
The ugly: Reading and re-reading social media posts that spit in the face of medicine and healthcare professionals. Being told that you’re part of a conspiracy to control free people, when you’re just trying to keep people alive. Gaslighting. Watching people proudly declare they won’t wear a mask when healthcare workers are pulling shift after shift dealing with COVID-19. Watching medicine become politicized. Physicians fired for speaking out about lack of PPE in NYC. Lies. Job loss & furlough. Seeing people take advice or get information from a random web source or Facebook post, as opposed to trusted healthcare professionals. The disproportionate rate of COVID-19 fatalities in Black and minority patient populations. The sensation of watching things go awry from a bird’s eye view, while simultaneously being in the thick of it. Preventable illness. Preventable death.
What are your Good / Bad/ Uglies of the COVID-19 pandemic?
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