To My Family

To My Family,

These past several weeks have been a whirlwind, to say the least. Developing and changing information coming every 10 minutes from all angles. The feeling as if the world you’re taking care of does not appreciate you, while you witness critical shortages of protective equipment and college students continuing with their Spring Break (“if I get corona, I get corona”) can all be somewhat discouraging. While we are in the business of handling stressful situations and changes in acuity at the drop of a hat, I think that I can speak for all of us when I say: it has been hard. On top of continuing with our education covering everything else that comes in the ED, we are now presented with a literal global crisis. And we are right there on the front lines, caring for a population that is already marginalized and underserved. We are being spread thin, pulled in different directions, with no perfect strategy, no end in sight, and no clear path to victory in this war against an invisible enemy…

But you are all heroes. I have never been prouder to be a part of this residency program. Everyone’s willingness to rise up to this challenge and to help in whatever way they can has truly been awe-inspiring. You are all leaders, and whenever you wonder why you decided on Emergency Medicine when you could’ve done almost anything else, remember how we responded in the face of this adversity. Remember how we supported and advocated for each other. Remember how we fought to do what’s right for our patients. And while there are some less-than-pleasant patient interactions, remember those who thanked you for risking your health and well-being to serve those who need you.

And to our incoming interns: welcome. This shouldn’t have been how you celebrated becoming an Emergency Physician, but a time like this is exactly why you chose this career. We are in this together. You will be joining us very soon in the thick of things, right in the trenches. You will learn and grow quickly, and you may be expected to do more than should be expected of any newly minted doctor. But remember that we are all here for you. This will be hard, but it should be hard, and you will never be short of a helping hand. And you will come out of this eventually as…dare I say…one of those “monsters who work clinically”…

We are far from the end of this, and we likely have many more unpredictable obstacles that we’ll need to overcome as this plays out. But remember that we are #countystrong (sorry Dr. Smith) with #countygrit (better?). This family of BAFERDs is unshakeable and fearless, which is what our patients and the world need right now.

Post by Dr. Bryan Flores, PGY-3

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Robby

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