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: Working Through the COVID Pandemic Is the Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

by Alexander G. Chiu, MD • December 14, 2020

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

It’s mid-November as I’m writing this, and we’re now on month eight of managing/practicing/living during COVID. I live in Kansas City, Kan., and we’re experiencing a second wave that has exhausted our bed capacity, has held out 300+ staff and physicians from work, and has now caused us to defer non-emergent surgeries that require extended inpatient stays. The state has a mask mandate that isn’t enforceable locally, Halloween has proven to be a super spreader event, and we shudder to think what the holidays and cold weather will bring.

You Might Also Like

  • Letter from the Editor: Lessons I’ve Learned Practing Medicine Since COVID-19 Reopening
  • Letter from the Editor: In the Coronavirus Pandemic, Words, and How We Communicate Them, Matter
  • Letter from the Editor: Lessons We’ve Learned
  • Letter from the Editor: In the Midst of COVID Life, Where Did My Superpower Go?
Explore This Issue
December 2020

Matt Glynn is an otolaryngologist and a managing partner of Topeka ENT, a seven-physician group with 14 practice sites spread around a 250-mile radius in central and western Kansas. They’re an extremely busy group and have worked hard to build and maintain their business. We were on the phone the other day, and he made a remark that really hit home: “Alex, you and I have done some sizable things in our careers, but don’t you think working and managing through this pandemic is the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do?”

I’ve moved my family and started a new practice in three very different parts of the country, started an academic otolaryngology practice from scratch, spent a year as an interim department chair of surgery babysitting problematic transplant and cardiothoracic surgeons, and now run a large academic program, all while editing ENT today. The answer was easy: “Yes, Matt. This has been the toughest year in my career.”

I don’t think any of us were prepared for what hit us in March. Jon Lara and Tom Kang are otolaryngologists in Tucson, Ariz., who just four years ago left the practice they had been partners in for eight years to start out on their own. They had just opened a second practice site when the pandemic hit. “The worry about keeping our staff safe and paid during the lockdown kept us up all night. With the second wave, we’re better prepared financially, but the worry to provide is still always there.”

Cecilia Schmalbach is the chair of the department of otolaryngology at Temple University. She’s also a U.S. Army veteran and spent more than six months in Afghanistan in the years following 9/11. I asked her to compare what we’re going through to her time spent being a trauma surgeon in an active war. “The initial lockdown reminded me of the esprit de corps we had in the military,” she said. “The national and international otolaryngology communities banded together to keep us and our staff safe. We all had a common mission. But the difference between war and this pandemic is we had previous experience with wars—the pandemic is new to all of us.” 

As COVD-19 rages on, many experts are warning of darker days ahead. I can only agree. I asked Cecilia what she would say to her troops to keep up morale. “Celebrate the small things that provide a distraction to the everyday grind,” she said. “I was deployed during Christmas, and I remember how important it was to celebrate the day, even in the middle of a war.” I like that piece of advice, and I’ll use it with my troops. Find joy in the small things, stay resilient in the fight, and we’ll get through this together. Happy holidays, my friends—you are not alone.

—Alex

Filed Under: Home Slider, Letter From the Editor Tagged With: COVID19, medical careerIssue: December 2020

You Might Also Like:

  • Letter from the Editor: Lessons I’ve Learned Practing Medicine Since COVID-19 Reopening
  • Letter from the Editor: In the Coronavirus Pandemic, Words, and How We Communicate Them, Matter
  • Letter from the Editor: Lessons We’ve Learned
  • Letter from the Editor: In the Midst of COVID Life, Where Did My Superpower Go?

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
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

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
© 2021 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.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.