ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Letter from the Editor: In the Midst of COVID Life, Where Did My Superpower Go?

by Alexander G. Chiu, MD • June 15, 2020

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Writing usually comes easy to me. Some people can do a neck dissection in 30 minutes. Others build amazing rapport with patients after just five minutes of interaction. We have colleagues who have the hands of a jeweler when performing a stapedectomy, and others who have the courage to face down a 12-hour surgery on a sick patient. Our field is filled with amazing people, each with their own particular superpower. I like to think mine is writing.

You Might Also Like

No related posts.

Explore This Issue
June 2020

But these past few weeks have been hard for me, and I have been unsure of myself, struggling to find words and nearly begging out of doing my monthly editorial. And although I’m fortunate to have been healthy, these crazy times of COVID life have taken their toll—no proven treatment, no definite vaccine, higher unemployment numbers, re-opening plans that change by the day. Watching the new COVID-positive numbers daily go up and down like the stock market, with no positive trend in sight. Financial pressures at work. Financial pressures at home. Stress over adequate PPE. Stress over wearing that PPE. Stress over how to take care of patients. Stress over getting infected. Stress over bringing home that infection to my wife and boys.

It’s a lot to handle. And the worst part about this, especially for us as surgeons who like to fix things and make it all better, is that there’s very little we can do that we know is going to absolutely work. And that loss of control, more than anything else, is sapping my superpower.

Every superhero movie has a similar story arc. Superhero shows off his/her power. Something happens that diminishes or takes that power away. Superhero learns to acknowledge that he/she needs help. Support comes in the form of friends, colleagues, and loved ones. Superhero embraces that help and becomes a better person. Superpowers come back stronger than ever, and he/she saves the world.

I think we’re all somewhere in the middle of that story arc. What we do won’t always be right. We won’t be in control in a pandemic. But we all need to rely on our friends, colleagues, and loved ones. Commiserate with each other. Seek out different opinions. Show vulnerability as well as strength. We will come out of this as better people, and our superpowers will come back stronger than ever. Thank you for being my support network; I hope I can return the favor.

Looking forward to talking next month.

—Alex

Filed Under: Letter From the Editor Tagged With: alex chiu, medical careerIssue: June 2020

You Might Also Like:

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Some Studies Predict a Shortage of Otolaryngologists. Do the Numbers Support Them?
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name
    • Neurogenic Cough Is Often a Diagnosis of Exclusion
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • Tympanoplasty Tips: Otology Experts Give Advice on the Procedure
    • How Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Is Evolving to Give Patients a Better Night’s Sleep
    • Vestibular Schwannoma Position Relative to Internal Auditory Canal Helps Predict Postoperative Facial Function
    • Vocal Fold Lipoaugmentation Provides Long-Term Voice Improvements for Glottal Insufficiency
    • Upper Lateral Cartilage Mucosal Flap Enables the Successful Closure of Larger Septal Perforations

Polls

Do you think there will be a shortage of otolaryngologists in the next five to 10 years?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2022 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.