Clarissa Barnes is an internal medicine physician and can be reached at Dr. Clarissa Explains Healthcare.
I see you, and I am honored every day I get to work alongside you.
To the frontlines: As the hospital gets busier and busier, I can feel the anxiety. People are sicker than ever with COVID and non-COVID illness alike. Seeing the new diagnoses going up every day and knowing that portends an influx of increasing COVID cases 1-3 weeks later feels like watching an advancing onslaught you are powerless …
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day was September 17, 2020. Honestly, I hate that this day needs to exist. Prior to COVID, physicians had the highest suicide rate of any profession, and we clearly needed to be having conversations about how we improve care for physicians. Since COVID, the stress placed on physicians has increased exponentially. In hotspots, we’ve felt overwhelmed and demoralized. In the downtime, we’ve had to worry about …
“I can’t fight you anymore.
It’s you I’m fighting for.”
-Ordinary Love by U2
I’m exhausted. As the pandemic rages on, the mental toll of dealing with COVID-19 has started to wear on me. As a practicing hospitalist in the Midwest impacted by one of the many hotspots caused by the meatpacking industry, I have spent a fair bit of time with this virus on the frontline. Some aspects of practicing medicine in …
Doctor’s Day is March 30, 2020. Usually, it is celebrated simply. Recently, it means if you work for a health care organization, they may give you a gift, or they may have a special meal in the lounge. Personally, I am grateful for that recognition. Some of my favorite work jackets came to me for Doctor’s Day. Usually, I take the time to appreciate how lucky I am to be …
Medicine is a difficult calling. You already know the sacrifices. As an undergraduate, you gave up time with friends and family so you could be accepted into medical school — where you worked even harder.
You understand that the practice of medicine requires you to take responsibility for the care of others … and the emotional toll that comes with it.
In this profession, it’s easy to feel like you’re alone. Our …
COVID-19 is here. As the numbers of cases continue to grow, my fellow physicians have to evaluate how we will respond when the number of ills outnumbers our current capacity. Older physicians, younger pregnant physicians, physicians with young children at home, no matter their personal circumstances, the response is the same: “If we’re needed, we will be here.” There is no hesitation to do what we’re trained to do. For …
Burnout and moral injury are terms that litter the landscape of ongoing research and debate about what is happening with American Physicians. With increasing awareness and acknowledgment, there is an increasing number of leaders and health care organizations willing to attempt a solution. However, while there is utility and looking below you to the physicians you lead and to the organization around you, you also need to be looking inward …
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