By: Parth Patel
The Year We Left Behind
As we all contemplate what it means to be done with the year 2020, we are hopeful. Physicians still have to go battle the impacts of COVID-19 every day, but something has changed. They are able to breathe a very slight sigh of relief because of the COVID-19 vaccines. Fearlessly running into a warzone, medical professionals have put their own lives at risk to save the lives of their patients over the pandemic. With only PPE to protect themselves, some have had to endure the unfortunate consequence of contracting the virus. Many doctors feared for their families, some even lived separately for months. The mental burden of the idea that one day they could bring the virus back home crushed them. Their perseverance speaks to the bravery that healthcare workers have shown over this past year.
2020 left a mark on all of our lives, but especially frontline workers. I am sure people might remember the heartwarming images of city folk banging pots and pans at 7 p.m. to honor healthcare workers in March and April. The American heroes needed to be appreciated. Our country was hurting, and physicians had the hard task of healing. However, one thing everyone knew was that medical professionals will get us through this period of unknown. We did not know how long it would take or how painful it would be, but healthcare workers needed to win the battle. Unthinking numbers of patients died in front of the eyes of doctors. Their patients were gone too soon. No one can escape that reality. America’s heroes fought, sacrificed, and grieved in 2020.
Photo: The New York Times
The Year Ahead
What has changed in 2021? The pandemic is not gone. Physicians are still standing in the middle of a battlefield, a field much bigger than they witnessed in 2020. But healthcare workers in 2021 have armor, shielding them while on their large battlefields. Taking the first shots in the world, the country is determined to protect and defend healthcare workers on their conquest to less hurt. A common analogy we like to use at Medical Minds Matter is to “wear your own oxygen mask, before assisting others.” Medical professionals now have their oxygen masks on so they can continue to fight to win the war for us all.
Coronavirus vaccines will define this upcoming year. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines brought new hope to a worrying world. We finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
Who will be responsible for the largest short term vaccination effort in American history? The same medical professionals that ran into the fire months ago. They are the most deserving of the new vaccine as it is the ultimate award for their courageous work. The experience of receiving the vaccine was emotional for many. It represented the start to an end. We applaud healthcare workers for leading the charge to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
What does the vaccine mean for the medical community? One of my close friends received the vaccine recently and was elated to be chosen to receive this protection. “With the vaccine, I feel more confident about serving my patients. I can help them get better health outcomes without putting my own health at stake,” she explained. When I asked how she felt the vaccine affected her mental health, she paused and said that “at least I will not have to be a patient myself.” These words spoke volumes to me as it represented a weight lifted off her shoulders as well as the shoulders of many healthcare professionals who now are able to serve their patients with a little less worried than they had last year.
Photo: AAMC
Harsh Reality
COVID-19 is far from over. Medical professionals must fight for many more months before they will have time to take their well-deserved vacations. We are in a worse place than we were a year ago. It is sad for all of us to think about. In just the first few weeks of 2021, tens of thousands have died and millions have been infected with the virus. We have some brutal months to get by. It may seem easy for some of us to stay at home, but physicians do not have that luxury. They are out in full force trying to save as many lives as they can. Stories of many being extremely exhausted started to surface as this “new” wave began. Physicians are tired. Burnout is at an all-time high. However, medical professionals have not given up.
Medical Minds Matter started due to a group of individuals witnessing the harsh reality of physicians’ mental health in the pandemic not being given enough attention. We need to keep physician morale up, but we cannot ignore that they are as human as we are. It is so important for us to destigmatize talking about mental health in medicine. The start of this conversation might be the only positive from this pandemic. There are still systemic health disparities that plague our system and economic barriers that impact a patient’s ability to seek affordable care. Our system is not perfect, and that is why the field must work towards reforming it for the better.
Photo: The Conversation
Hope
We cannot understate how painful these next few months will likely be for healthcare workers and the country as a whole. Regardless, one thing we are looking forward to is the future and what it holds. We know we will pass this period of struggle. We know it might take time. Nevertheless, our healthcare workers will persist. Several states have vaccinated a majority of their frontline healthcare workers by now. Many workers have even received their second doses. Physicians battling the coronavirus pandemic can sleep a little easier this year not having to think about their own risks.
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Posted on January 21st, 2021. Follow us on Instagram at (@medical.minds.matter).
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