May Newsletter 2021 - Post-Vaccination Behaviors
May Greetings
Welcome to May!
As more and more people become fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you may have questions about which activities are safe and which pose a greater risk. The New York Times worked with health experts to create a handy tool for post-vaccination decision-making, allowing you to understand better the risks different behaviors pose for you and those in your immediate circle.
You can find the interactive tool here: “What Can You Do Once You’re Vaccinated?”
I also want to acknowledge the suffering that persists even as Americans help end this pandemic by receiving their vaccinations. Last month, an Emergency Medicine physician in Los Angeles and a strong champion for the LGBTQ community, Dr. Brian Thomas Fletcher, completed suicide. He was, by all accounts, a bright, funny, and adored man whose pain was well-hidden.
The past year has brought an incredible weight that will take us a long time to understand fully. Even before the pandemic, the state of medicine in America was such that physicians completed suicide at a rate greater than twice that of the general population.
Take the time to check on your colleagues. Ask if they’re feeling overwhelmed. Ask if anything is bringing them joy lately. Ask if they’re resting. Ask what they need. We cannot go back to the way things were, and we must ensure that healthcare professionals have the resources they need to heal.
Spotlight on Dr. Naomi Lawrence-Reid
This month, I’m pleased to spotlight Dr. Naomi Lawrence-Reid. She is the founder of Doctoring Differently, an online resource that promotes physician autonomy in salary, schedule, and variety of practice through advocacy, coaching, and online course content.
She is a board-certified general pediatrician from Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, she completed her residency at Albert Einstein/Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.
After realizing that practicing medicine full-time at a large academic institution left her feeling unfilled, Dr. Lawrence-Reid became determined to create a career path she loved and help other physicians do the same. She is on a mission to ensure her fellow doctors believe in their value, providing them the tools and resources they need to build sustainable non-traditional careers in which they can flourish.
“Doctoring Differently was founded with the sole purpose of helping doctors understand that they can have a good life,” she writes. “They deserve a good life. After a lifetime of physical and financial sacrifice, doctors suffer from burnout and depression at exponential rates, and in the face of the medical-industrial complex, some feel powerless to change their lives and the trajectory of their careers. Doctoring Differently is a resource for alternative clinical and non-clinical careers and will teach doctors step-by-step how to reclaim power over their careers and control over their lives.”
Dr. Lawrence-Reid is a member of San Diego Women in Medicine, Association of Black Women Physicians. San Diego Black Health Associates, National Medical Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics.
She lives in San Diego, California. You can find Doctoring Differently on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Around the Web
Out of the Pandemic, Chances for Another Future
“When life is disrupted by crisis, as it has been this past year, some people see opportunities — for change, action, introspection — they might not otherwise. The pandemic has caused many to question the way they live and what is important to them. That’s because a crisis often helps us develop a wider perspective on our lives, said Amit Sood, a physician and executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing in Rochester, Minn. And that allows us to reframe what we see.”
Not ready to return to ‘normal’? Here’s your guide for easing back in.
“Indeed, the pandemic has changed people’s lives in disparate ways. So as we reenter into something that resembles pre-pandemic life, there’s no one-size-fits-all advice for how to do so as smoothly as possible, according to experts. Still, there are tips that may help.”
Don’t Be Surprised When Vaccinated People Get Infected
“Breakthrough infections, which occur when fully vaccinated people are infected by the pathogen that their shots were designed to protect against, are an entirely expected part of any vaccination process. They’re the data points that keep vaccines from reaching 100 percent efficacy in trials; they’re simple proof that no inoculation is a perfect preventative. And so far, the ones found after COVID-19 vaccination seem to be unextraordinary.”
Where To Find Me
This month, I’ll be speaking at the NY ACEP ED Director Forum 2021 on May 7th.
On May 10th, I’ll be speaking at the Faculty Development Workshop at Norman Regional Emergency Residency in Norman, Oklahoma about Communications and Feedback.
And on Friday, May 14th, I’ll be presenting at the Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants 360 Conference.
