Nurses and Covid, November 2020

Doctors have traditionally been considered the most reliable profession in business, far beyond politicians or lawyers.  Of course our medical professions have had their share of ‘Quacks’ but far less than others; much of this is due to the fact that medical professions are based on scientific fact.  Science is truth based and proven by others over and over; basically ‘it is what it is.’  In today’s environment the concept of reality is being questioned; what’s true and what’s not true?  It’s like ever child in America is asking, “Mom, Dad, am I adopted?”  The conspiracy theories are flooding the air ways and because we are use to the media giving us ‘true’ information; many are accepting this information as ‘true’.  But conspiracy theories are just theories that should make us question, “is this real?” yet many hear and accept these false beliefs as the truth.  Suddenly the world becomes distorted and we become delusional with fear.  This is ‘Star Wars’ here on Earth.  Does our rebel alliance have the resistance to overcome ‘The Dark Force’?

My doctors have suggested I receive elective surgery which I have agreed to.  My concern is Covid 19; this is November, 2020 and here in Florida the numbers are starting to increase as they are across the U.S.  I’m sent to a large major hospital for lab work and Covid 19 testing; clearance for my pending procedure which is scheduled in less than a week as an out/patient surgery.  I go to the hospital for my pre-op procedures and I’m in for a rude awakening.  On the news I see nurses and doctors in almost full blown Haze Mat suits treating Covid patients.  You see protective layers everywhere.  My experience is much different; the admission procedure is like going through airport security just to enter the Medical building next to the hospital for my labs with everyone masked up and a few bottles of hand sanitizers. Had my blood drawn and peed in a cup…all is well so far…not too many patient and the wait was not long.  Then off the the hospital next door for my Covid test.  Now I’m inside the hospital at ‘admissions/registration’ and it’s running at a level just under chaotic.  Lots of hospital personnel running around, lots of clients waiting with just one family member to assist but it was different from any hospital routine that I had ever seen in my 40 plus years as a physician.  Hospital personnel were working, running back and forth, asking questions and getting answers from each other…it was like Controlled Confusion at best.  After an hour and 15 minutes my hand beeper (the same type you would get at a restaurant while waiting for your table) goes off and I have to stand at a specific door where a nurse final opens the door and invites me in.  Down the hall and into a room which she and I share for the next 20 minutes.  She asks me a slew of questions; the type you would fill in on a form when you first see a doctor at their office.  She was very pleasant and friendly; finally I was ready for my Covid test!  She was extremely professional and a expert at sticking a small stick with some cotton at the end into the nasal area…going boldly where no one had gone before!  A little uncomfortable and I said, “Not bad, how often do you all get tested?”  “Oh, we never get tested, who really knows which staff may or may not have Covid?”  “What” I responded.

It appears that they are screened with temperature checks but unless they have symptoms your nurses and doctors are not tested…at least at the hospital I was at (Bed Capacity 393…that’s a big hospital),  I was surprised, shocked actually because I assumed they were all free from Covid… and maybe they were.  But I thought that if one hospital personnel had Covid; it could easily be transmitted to others.  Covid is like glitter in a first grade classroom!

My procedure is elective and I have been encouraged by both the surgeon and my wife to ‘get it done’.  I was fine until I saw the potential of spread; I’m scheduled for next Tuesday and need to be quarantined until then.  Many patients are delaying elective procedures at hospitals and offices.  After my lab and Covid testing I can understand why many of us are delaying elective procedures.  Of course this is not advisable for potential serious issues but I now fully understand the reasoning behind some of these delays.  Certainly if a potential serious problem is potentially possible, you need to seek the attention of your attending’s recommendations.  Otherwise, I tend to take Mr. Samuel Jackson’s (think movies here) advice and “Stay the f___ at home.”  And whatever you