COVID-19: a medical resident’s tale of sign-outs and ID bands

Here are latest stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are latest stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com [Geriatric psychiatrist](. Join an established team of multidisciplinary mental health providers. 16-bed geriatric unit. Monday to Friday work schedule. Anticipated call 1:6. [All ED/medical consults handled by PMHNPs](. [Family medicine](. Busy outpatient setting with the ability to focus on clinical and patient excellence. Physician-led group surrounded by excellent support, financial stability, and a focus on [patient and provider wellness](. [Non-invasive cardiology](. Join a group of 13 cardiologists and five nurse practitioners. Culture focused on communication and growth and that values your input and understands the importance of [work/life balance](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Jun 6, 2020 [COVID-19: a medical resident’s tale of sign-outs and ID bands]( Two-paged signouts This was the picture of the unusually higher than normal patient load we have in the wards. The hospital looked grim and eerie. Gone were the days when we would start with morning report and see plastered smiles on colleagues’ faces, relaxed and ready to conquer the day. I saw patients without visitors. […] [An internal moral and ethical conflict doctors face every day during this pandemic]( One of the most memorable milestones in my life was my journey to becoming a doctor. A path that I look upon so fondly as it marks a time that molded much of who I am today. Charles Dickens describes my experience perfectly, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, […] [I will be a cardiologist with a subspecialty in resilience]( I am writing this as I lay in bed, feverish, sweaty, and persistent dry cough. I have been sick with presumed COVID-19 for the past ten days. I have quarantined myself from my wife and two sons, unable to hug or reassure them that everything will be okay. Additionally, my wife is 39 weeks pregnant. […] [These are the doctors under the PPE]( They are physicians, mentors, partners, mothers, sisters, friends, colleagues – but most evidently, at the moment, they are heroes. I (virtually) sat down with five women physicians, at all points in their medical careers, who are working in several of the largest emergency departments in Texas, to talk about their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. […] [Parenting as an ICU physician]( COVID-19 has upended the medical community. Nowhere more so than in the intensive care unit. Life as an intensivist with two young children and a working spouse is never dull. I liken it to tight-rope walking with a pole for balance. I wake up every morning and balance the clinical responsibilities, teaching, reviewing journals, learning, […] [With voices unified, medical students are heard]( When a coalition of medical organizations, led by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), petitioned in 2001 to cap medical resident work hours, they were turned down by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Despite their rejection, students and young doctors were determined. They knew that exhausted residents had poorer health and made more […] [What’s worse than a doctor getting cancer behind prison walls? Try COVID.]( He could hear the football game playing on a radio outside his room, so he knew someone was there, and he knew he was dying. He screamed and screamed as the paralysis from what he was sure was sepsis took over more and more of his body. No one answered. Only his wits and knowledge could save […] [Why remdesivir may not be a wonder drug]( Gilead’s $1,000-a-pill antiviral remdesivir is no wonder drug. We knew this when it failed for hepatitis, the disease it was created for. And then when it failed for Ebola. And then again, when it failed for COVID-19. But like a bolt, in late April, a breakthrough: in a second trial for COVID-19 patients, remdesivir sped time to […] [I transitioned to a non-clinical career. What did that mean?]( Career transition is talked about a whole lot more these days than it was in 2004. Maybe I just notice it more now. Back then, I felt like I was the only one doing it. You know how it is when you are going through something difficult, and you feel utterly alone and unsure about […] [COVID-19 from the New York City frontlines [PODCAST]]( “As a physician anesthesiologist who has previously been on assignment for Doctors Without Borders in a resource-depleted region fraught with conflict, I’d like to say there’s little I haven’t seen. But now, after four weeks of staffing COVID intensive care units and emergency response teams throughout New York City, I struggle to distinguish between the […] [I wrote my memoir. Should you write yours?]( An excerpt adapted from Being Authentic: A Memoir. Our existence is fragile. I learned that in many intricate ways, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, so I do not take today for granted. I do not know what tomorrow will bring. I do not even know if tomorrow will come. On the eve of Thanksgiving 2016, […] [In the Zoom era, an unprecedented view into the lives of our colleagues and children’s classmates]( Whatever method you have been using for video conferences these days, we have had an unprecedented look into the lives of our colleagues, children’s schoolmates, teachers, professors, and even famous folks. While this pandemic has allowed the opportunity for a paradigm shift in the way we think about communication and the work environment, it has […] [A flurry of emotions as internal medicine residency comes to an end]( As I come to the end of my internal medicine residency, I cannot help but experience a flurry of emotions. I am sure many of you, like myself, are feeling a whole host of sensations: relief at the fact that you have now completed over 23 years of education/training; exuberant joy when you click on […] [Starting medical school in the midst of COVID-19]( When I made the choice to pursue a medical school education three years ago, I never imagined preparing to matriculate during a pandemic. After accepting a position at the Icahn School of Medicine in March, processing what came next became muddled in between figuring out how to transition to living and working out of a […] [How telemedicine led to my personal and professional growth during the COVID-19 pandemic]( Telemedicine blossomed into an essential tool in health care overnight due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. It is a long lost innovation at the forefront of our battle. Telemedicine is especially valuable for our frail older adult patients. At the initial phase of the pandemic, a quick decision was made by fellowship program leaders […] [How grit in the face of hopelessness brings out the best of the medical profession]( The only drawback to reading The Plague by Albert Camus for the first time while experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic is that I will never get the experience of reading it from a less personal perspective. As the plague in the novel begins to unfold slowly through rat deaths and lockdowns, I recognized my own incredulity […] [The truth about research: Lessons learned by an aspiring physician-researcher]( Many people looking in on the world of research have perceptions of brilliant minds at work, rapidly putting forth groundbreaking ideas. While they’re not entirely wrong, I discovered that this arena of fascinating new discoveries is not always so rapid and not glamorous at all. As a clinical trials research associate, I learned that research […] [Ventilator rationing is guided by rules that could worsen health inequities]( Imagine there are two individuals who have been admitted to a hospital due to COVID-19, and both desperately need ventilators. One is a 60-year-old with a heart condition, and another is a 63-year-old with chronic kidney disease. Because of resource constraints, you have to decide which patient will be able to receive a ventilator. Both […] [Take a gratitude perspective on coronavirus]( I often turn to my children when facing life’s vexing moments. So I did just that recently. “Kiddos, what do you think coronavirus is here to teach us?” My 11 year old spoke first, “To be thankful for our health.” Gratitude, huh? I step back from this moment and wonder if she is on to […] [COVID-19 misinformation: To respond, or not to respond, that is the question]( Recently, I ran across a post on social media with multiple bullet points of theories targeted at the current COVID-19 pandemic. Having encountered handfuls of previous posts running along the lines of these factually incorrect claims, I decided it was time to politely challenge the post by asking for the sources of these claims. Within […] [Mobilizing medicine: a breathtaking solution to asthma disparities]( Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the U.S., with a prevalence of 15.2 percent. The condition is manageable when treatment is appropriately prescribed, adjusted, and accessed by the patient. However, uncontrolled asthma can impair various facets of life and may even be fatal. This dichotomy is noteworthy, especially when considering how […] --------------------------------------------------------------- If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](