Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A neurologist is redeployed and is a better physician for it

Aarushi Suneja, MD
Physician
April 24, 2020
500 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

In neurology, we all crave to “localize the lesion,” taking pride in our well-refined and meticulous physical examination skills – an aspect of my identity that was temporarily stolen from me in the era of COVID-19.

As I walked into the hospital that day, I felt bare without the typical hammer, tuning fork, and ophthalmoscope weighing down my white coat. I was welcomed by an infrared thermometer check, and my smile replaced with a surgical mask. I dusted my stethoscope out of its retirement and braced myself for what was yet to come: I never thought that the last few months of my residency would look like this.

In Detroit, one of America’s hotspots, COVID-19 viciously attacked our community, transforming it into a war zone. Nearly overnight, our neurology unit was converted into a COVID-19 unit, with us residents being redeployed. Here, it didn’t matter what your specialty is – you are a COVID-19 doctor now.

Before we could fully understand the repercussions, we were engulfed by an invisibly mysterious colossal monster, which completely revolutionized the way we practice medicine. Like many of my co-residents, I went through the stages of grief as my panic progressed into a strange calmness when I realized I would be practicing medicine for COVID-19 patients: a skillset that I would have to develop in real-time. Protocols for management and clinical trials for treatment were in place, only to transform on an hourly basis. The pandemic was evolving, and so are we.

In certain aspects, learning medicine in the hospital, which has become my home for the last four years, felt foreign for the first time. The goal was minimizing patient contact, where we often resorted to calling patients multiple times a day on their hospital phones to take subjective histories and understand their complaints in the interim. We made relationships behind closed walls: updating them about their lab work and condition while learning about their careers, their goals, and their ambitions. I even taught patients how to check their own pulse ox! More than once, the patient would ask me how I was doing amidst the chaos – a gesture that made me swallow my tears. COVID-19 brought out a different kind of humanity; in some ways, I felt more connected to my patients than ever before.

Despite it all, our team worked like a well-oiled machine. We covered for each other while we saw our co-residents and attendings get tested, recover, and come back to work with their relentless work ethic. Fear was an unspoken sentiment between us: the stress-levels of the unknown and exposure both to ourselves and our loved ones ran high. What our hidden smiles couldn’t express, our tone and cadence conveyed. We went above and beyond for each other.

We all started to gain confidence. After all, this land wasn’t so foreign to us after all. As neurologists, we loved puzzles! We “localized” the disease: understanding its diverse manifestations and refined our auscultation skills. We learned the proper way to don and doff PPEs, the importance of proning patients, and interpretation of CT chests.

On any other instance, the neurologist in me would ask patients to say: “Today is a bright and sunny day” to test their repetition and comprehension. That became my mantra. Before I hung up the phone with any patient, I would ask all my patients to repeat it – even when it wasn’t bright or sunny. It was a change in perspective: a stark reality-check that at that moment, we were all OK.

Like my co-residents, I grieve for the loss. The loss of lives. The loss of memories. The loss of missed graduations (including mine) and the displacement of health care workers (including me) from their families. But I’ve also gained more than I could ever ask for: I’ve gained an appreciation for life, my health, my co-residents and attendings, our nursing and support staff. I could not be more proud of the community of health care that I’m part of.

And I’m a better neurologist for it.

No matter what the pandemic brings – repeat after me: Today is a bright and sunny day.

Aarushi Suneja is a neurology resident.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com 

Prev

How do you grieve when you are still mourning?

April 24, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

Is asking for hazard pay "not becoming of a compassionate and caring physician"?

April 24, 2020 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease, Neurology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How do you grieve when you are still mourning?
Next Post >
Is asking for hazard pay "not becoming of a compassionate and caring physician"?

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • The black physician’s burden

    Naomi Tweyo Nkinsi
  • Why this physician supports Medicare for all

    Thad Salmon, MD
  • Embrace the teamwork involved in becoming a physician

    Nathaniel Fleming

More in Physician

  • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

    Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH
  • Revolutionizing emergency medicine: Overcoming long-term challenges with innovative solutions for physicians and patients

    Anonymous
  • The pediatric health care system tested to the limits: an inside look at the “at capacity” period during the tripledemic

    Jacqueline Bolt, MD
  • How chronic illness and disability are portrayed in media and the importance of daily choices for improved quality of life

    Juliet Morgan and Meghan Jobson
  • How biased language and stigmatizing labels affect patient care and treatment

    Joan Naidorf, DO
  • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

      Kevin Pho, MD | KevinMD
    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • How electronic health records preserve patients’ legacies in the words of oncologists

      Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Unmasking the brutal reality of gun violence in America: a call to action for unity and meaningful change

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Policy
    • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The growing threat to transgender health care: implications for patients, providers, and trainees

      Carson Hartlage | Policy
    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The power of coaching for physicians: transforming thoughts, changing lives

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Tech
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
    • Why HIPAA is failing and what you need to know to protect your data [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • What Drug Did FDA Just Approve for COVID?
  • PET Scan for Alzheimer's Dx; Predicting Colon Cancer Survival
  • What Happens When We Classify Kids' Weight as a 'Disease'?
  • Sotagliflozin Gets FDA's Blessing for Heart Failure
  • Cardiorespiratory Monitoring Can Be Telling of Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants

Meeting Coverage

  • No Access to Routine Healthcare Biggest Barrier to HPV Vaccination
  • Trial Results Spark Talk of Curing More Metastatic Cervical Cancers
  • Cross-Border Collaboration Improves Survival in Pediatric Leukemia Patients
  • Monoclonal Antibody Reduced Need For Transfusions in Low-Risk MDS
  • Less-Invasive Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer Proves Safe, Effective
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

      Kevin Pho, MD | KevinMD
    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • How electronic health records preserve patients’ legacies in the words of oncologists

      Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Unmasking the brutal reality of gun violence in America: a call to action for unity and meaningful change

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Policy
    • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The growing threat to transgender health care: implications for patients, providers, and trainees

      Carson Hartlage | Policy
    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The power of coaching for physicians: transforming thoughts, changing lives

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Tech
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
    • Why HIPAA is failing and what you need to know to protect your data [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...