TSMD February 2022 Newsletter - Curiosity
February Greetings!
“In the coldest February, as in every other month in every other year, the best thing to hold on to in this world is each other.”
— Linda Ellerbee
Recently, I came across an article that shared the surprising places people are finding joy during the pandemic. From open-water swimming to driving hours to listen to cicadas, what all respondents had in common was their willingness to be led by their curiosities.
I hope you find some time to follow your curiosities and passions this month. See where they lead. May there be new and surprising joy waiting for you there.
Some joyful experiences I'm looking forward to this month include celebrating passing my boards and recertifying with the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
Mid-month, I'll be having a soul-renewing staycation at my home with some fellow emergency physicians and lifelong friends from residency (we met in 1987!)—Amy Archer, Valerie Dobiesz, Melissa Gillespie, and Diana Williams.
And on February 20th, I'll be riding on a Mardi Gras float with the Krewe of King Arthur in New Orleans with fellow emergency physician and friend, Mike and Dawn Smith.
My joy will lead me into the arms of friends in February. Where will your joy lead you?
Dr. Gita Pensa and Physician Litigation
This month, I want to share the work of my colleague, Dr. Gita Pensa, who has been teaching and podcasting about physician litigation and supporting physician defendants for many years.
Dr. Pensa has recently launched a website, which you can find at DoctorsAndLitigation.com.
Around the Web
'There is no before': Life in the emergency department, two years into the pandemic
“This time two years ago, we were fully staffed, and our emergency department ran like a well-oiled machine. We would regularly see 300-plus patients in a day. When patients arrived by ambulance, we immediately got them into beds. Rarely were there more than 15 people in the waiting room, where the wait time was almost never longer than an hour or two. We could accommodate all hospital admissions, meaning a patient in the emergency department would have a bed in the hospital within four hours, more often within the hour. But that was before.
Now, when I begin my shifts and check in with my charge nurse, I take in all of the yellow highlights on the schedule — the empty nursing and tech shifts we are desperately trying to fill. Over the past two years, I have seen dozens of these colleagues leave our ranks. The reasons are multi-faceted: burnout, better pay, easier work environment, different career options, family needs and illness being some of them. Currently, we have a 32% vacancy rate for nursing and an almost 40% vacancy rate for our techs and secretaries.”
‘It’s a war zone’: healthcare workers show signs of stress similar to combat veterans
“Recent research indicates that healthcare workers and first responders are displaying post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms like veterans who served in combat.
Healthcare providers and researchers now say that if hospitals continue to be overwhelmed with patients who have not been vaccinated against the virus and administrators don’t find a way to provide relief to medical staff, many will leave areas where they care for Covid patients – or exit healthcare altogether. That would worsen staffing shortages and further strain hospitals’ capacity to provide necessary care.”
How to Make Sense of Our Covid Losses, Big and Small
“I have a ghost calendar for the last two years. An eerie anti-diary, of a kind you surely have as well, it records what didn’t happen: a family Thanksgiving, never before missed; a Jason Isbell concert, postponed and rescheduled and then finally canceled; some work travels out West; a wedding I was meant to attend in May 2020 and then August 2020 and then June 2021. For two years now, the future as we envisioned it has been steadily fading away in front of us.”
Where to Find Me
From January 31st until February 3rd, I'll be lecturing with Northwest Seminars Topics in Emergency Medicine in Sarasota, Florida.
On February 4th, I'll be speaking at the International Fellowship in Clinical Simulation, Brigham and Women's Hospital STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation on Leadership.
On the 21st, I'll be on a panel discussion for the Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine on a Roadmap to a Career.
Stay in Touch
I love speaking to physicians, women’s groups, community organizations— anywhere I have the opportunity to grow, share, and connect. Learn more about my work as a speaker by clicking here or let me know if you have an upcoming event, conference, or class you’d like to tell me about!
I hope you have a wonderful February. What are your goals? How can I support you? I’d love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Tracy
My best co-workers (except for Mookie’s snoring)!