I really admire all those on the front lines of this surge (ED, ICU, etc etc). I'm on the primary care middle-lines and I've aged a decade in the past six months.
This pandemic *has* made me think a lot about a joke people tell, ruefully, in medicine, especially primary care, after doing something trivial (filling a Rx for a statin, or taping someone's toe): "another life saved."
Primary care saves lives, ideally, in a lot of ways....
Primary care saves lives, ideally, in a lot of ways....
although not directly, immediately, like in the acute care specialties I mentioned above. But we refer, diagnose, treat, image, test, & sometimes pull people away from the jaws of death.
I like to think that being there for them is a life-saver too, sometimes. It's hard to know.
I like to think that being there for them is a life-saver too, sometimes. It's hard to know.
I've made a few condolence telephone calls in the past week, I always thank the family for the privilege of taking care of their loved one. That's a kind of bringing to life too, one of memory.
Just keeping on. Just keeping the lights burning.
Just keeping on. Just keeping the lights burning.
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