I haven’t posted any stories about what physicians face when working on the front lines during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, my Blog is about nursing. In more recent years, the collaboration between nurses and physicians has grown. The professions work together with more mutual respect than when I began my nursing career. And physicians on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic risk their lives just as nurses do.
I have reblogged a story written by a physician who is working “extra on-call time” to care for the new admissions at a local hospital. I read this essay in the online publication: Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine.
I highly recommend reading Pulse, which publishes each Friday. There you will find stories that show the human aspect behind the practice of medicine.
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In Need of a Prayer
Posted By Jo Marie Reilly On December 16, 2020 @ 10:44 pm In Stories
The new patient’s name is Emmanuel. He was sent from his nursing home to our emergency room with a cough and fever. The oxygen level in his blood is well below normal, and he’s gasping for air.
It’s my third week in the local community hospital ER. I’ve been putting in extra on-call time during the COVID pandemic. It’s been rough to get back into the emergency setting while continuing my day job as a family doctor and medical educator. I’ve been sharing admissions with the hospitalist, who’s joined me in the on-call room.
“I’ll take him,” I tell my colleague.
“Sure?” he asks, eyebrows arched over his face mask.
The pager blares again.