As a board-certified family medicine physician, I have spent many years serving the underserved community. My passion has always been helping and healing others.
Then, COVID-19 hit. My clinic went into lockdown. We couldn’t see patients face-to-face, forced to communicate behind ugly, dirty, and overused N95 masks. One day, while on the phone with a patient, I heard another patient yelling in the hallway: “What do you mean I can’t see my doctor?! I’m gonna wreck this place if I don’t get to talk to her.”
Shortly after, my medical assistant came into my office. “Doctor, he really wants to see you,” she said, looking at me as if I could break the rules and restore peace. I smiled and replied, “Please find out what his symptoms are so we can keep everyone safe.”
To my surprise, she returned giggling with relief: “Doctor, he said he just wanted to make sure you didn’t catch COVID, die from it, and that we weren’t hiding it from him.”
Though it seemed a silly thought, it was a poignant reminder of the challenging times we faced, with doctors overworked and often lacking proper protection. Too many did not make it through.
This loud and aggressive patient was my wake-up call. He reminded me to take care of myself first so I could care for others.
