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

Masks Off: Adaptability in the Face of Emergency

by Robin W. Lindsay, MD • July 19, 2023

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Robin W. Lindsay, MD

On March 11, 2020, I was in the OR for what I didn’t realize at the time would be the last day for three months. It seemed like a normal day except for one small detail: All the masks disappeared. The nurses were able to find a small supply in a locked cabinet so that we had enough to finish the day. This was the start: one mask per day unless visibly soiled to preserve the mask supply. The masks we had discarded between cases were now a precious resource. Walking into the hospital, we found hand gel, mask dispensers, and a new sense of fear.

You Might Also Like

No related posts.

Explore This Issue
July 2023

On May 11, 2023, the public health emergency in Massachusetts came to an end, aligning with the federal public health emergency. For most, lives had already returned to near normal outside of the dramatic increase in remote work and more casual work attire. For healthcare workers, it allowed us to remove our masks in the workplace for the first time in three years if we felt safe to do so. 

When I walked into work that day, I used the hand gel and grabbed a mask out of the dispensers. It felt like any other day. When I arrived in clinic, I was greeted by one of our medical assistants, who was smiling. It took me a minute to realize that she didn’t have a mask on. “Dr. Lindsay,” she said, “we no longer have to wear masks in the hospital!”

We all have our stories about the early days of COVID-19 and how we tried to convince ourselves that this would be a two-week hiccup, after which we would get back to our normal lives. We couldn’t have been more wrong.

In Massachusetts, there was no elective surgery for three months, a restriction with enormous consequences for otolaryngology. This was a departure from most mass casualty events, where surgeons are at the front and center of the action to care for the injured. In some regions, our colleagues became intensive care unit docs, using medical knowledge that hadn’t been used since residency training.

Surgeons are accustomed to wearing a mask in the OR, but wearing a mask in clinic was a significant challenge at first, and it left me feeling oddly out of breath. The uncomfortable feeling improved over time, and we changed the way that we interacted with patients to adjust to the new normal. Now, with the removal of masks, clinic feels normal again. I can see the faces of my colleagues, some of which I’d never seen, as they had started working with us during the pandemic.

The OR has been an interesting adjustment as well. I now must remember to remove the mask in the PACU. I now need to consciously think about when it’s required, but I’m certain that this will feel normal again soon. Two things stand out from this experience: One, it’s remarkable how adaptable we can be in the face of an emergency, and two, I hadn’t realized how much I missed seeing the faces of my friends, colleagues, and patients.

—Robin

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Departments, Home Slider, Letter From the Editor Tagged With: COVID19, physician wellnessIssue: July 2023

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
    • Second Victims: The Effects of a Medical Error on Physicians Can Be Devastating
    • Is Middle Ear Pressure Affected by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Use?
    • Keeping Watch for Skin Cancers on the Head and Neck
    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • What Happens to Medical Students Who Don’t Match?
    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name
    • Qualitative Research Shows How Patients Feel About Quality-of-Life Issues
    • How to: A Dynamic Endonasal Columellar Strut Placement
    • Second Victims: The Effects of a Medical Error on Physicians Can Be Devastating
    • Advanced Degrees Can Help Otolaryngologists Better Understand the Business of Medicine
    • Laser Laryngeal Surgery Is Safe Under THRIVE

Polls

Have you ever been, or have you ever known someone who has been a second victim?

View Results

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

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

Wiley
© 2023 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939