Confusing Times as a Physician

Confusion. Uncertainty. Fear . These are just a few words that first came to my mind working on the frontlines during these unprecedented times of this pandemic.

I didn't think that I would be writing one of my first published post on the website I created over almost 2 years ago - with every intention of bringing physicians together with exciting ideas and innovations and platform.. to a world ready for great things in technology and humanity; which would make navigating healthcare more simple, accessible, real & connected. Bringing back to the roots what defined Healthcare; as per Merriam Webster " efforts to maintaining or restore physical, mental, or emotional well being especially by trained and licensed professionals". It was a passion I developed where I wanted to create a platform where physicians can connect with each other and to exciting new innovations and technology that would bring us back to a more simpler life. Because it became apparent that with so much change in forms redundancy, sometimes meaningless metrics, patient-physician & physician-physician relationships became seeming more disconnected in healthcare over the years. Almost chaotic, physicians were looking for ways to to enjoy medicine again. And with technology it was helping connect and make life less redundant and offered more time to develop meaningful relationships once again..

Then everything just stopped. The world stopped. I remember the day for me was Thursday March 12, 2020 when I received an email from my sons school that they will officially teach remotely. I distinctly remember during January & February I had been following peripherally the virus traveling overseas thinking it would never make our shores, we had the infrastructure right? Boy was I wrong. It just exploded. The world we knew BC (Before Covid19) just stopped. It paralyzed everything from Health (physical & mental), our economy, our normal relationships with family, friends, colleagues, our Work. We had to adjust, and quick. Even though it has only been almost 3 months it feels like an eternity, except we don't know when things will ever be normal again BC (Before Covid19).

In the past few months I have been doing a lot of soul searching. Reading, listening, connecting with physicians who are going through the many concerns with the present world around us. Connecting with friends and family via social distancing means. Many have inspired and shared stories of comfort even if its just connecting. As humans we are social creatures, even if we are limited to distance social communication, it is still very important. I have listened to more podcasts in the past month than I have ever in my life. Web conferences. Social Media. Mostly inspirational. Times like these, with 24 hr news cycles that only feed fear, sadness, anxiety I was craving inspiration and positive messages, and even promising solutions to this pandemic. I tried to find any sense of clarity in an unclear path. I had to consciously shut of the news but to just get enough to keep me informed.

After all, like a river, the water will continue to flow which is not in our control. There will be rocks, branches, even a dam which impedes the flow. But the river will continue to flow. Also knowing that there are millions of bright Scientific minds who are working 24/7 around the world on the treatments to cure and prevent present & future outbreaks; there are millions of us on the Healthcare frontline trying to contain and save those affected from the disease to get them well again, there are millions working in Government & finance trying to save our economy from total collapse; there are millions in the Industry supply chain such as in food/essentials to bring sustenance to our existence-- all have a dedicated, specific role in combating this pandemic, and knowing as a whole , Society Collectively played their part to social distancing, and hopefully continue to use this wisdom as healthcare providers to keep reminding our non healthcare friends/family that for now this is how we will tamp down the spread until we have a viable treatment and vaccine. And we will.

From this difficult experience we will learn. And from there will be millions of New protocols, New guidelines, New Common Sense rules, New ideas, New ventures, New ways of thinking, New ways to see the world; New ways to forge new relationships or find the old ones that you somehow lost in your journey to the present and just didn't realize until the world stopped.

Reflection. Introspection. Inspiration. Keep Moving Forward.

These are my words now. These are what we have to do. Like a river, the water will continue to flow. We will ride through these turbulent times as we navigate these waters and know it will open to a peaceful lake once again. Where all of our newly gathered, bottled up information & ideas and innovation will flow once again into something spectacular.