The Lockdown Log - Interview With An Emergency Medicine Doctor

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Welcome to The Lockdown Log!

In this new series, The Lockdown Log, I’m going to be interviewing some of my friends from New Zealand, to hear a little about what their experience was like during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) Lockdown that our country went through in April (and continues, in some degree until we’re told otherwise). For some of my friends, life has radically changed, for others, it’s only a little different. But whatever has happened in the last few months, whatever their situation has been or will continue to be, they have a story, and one that I believe is worth sharing, if not for now, then for the future.

In this installment of The Lockdown Log, I chat to my friend George who is an Emergency Medicine Doctor in Auckland.

George! Hey! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to talk with me! I really appreciate it. Life has looked a little different around the country and the world of late, but what would a usual week look like for you?

Hi! A usual week for me has a bit of a changing schedule. As a shift worker I usually work three 10 hour days “on the floor” seeing patients in a busy emergency department. It might be a day shift (8 – 6pm), afternoon shift (3 or 4pm to 1 or 2am) or nights from 11pm until around 9am. Certainly pre-covid days this was a wide range of presentations including people with chest pain, breathing problems, strokes, broken and dislocated limbs. We spend 10 hours doing non-clinical work which might be running or participating in lectures, running workshops, or organising our own portfolios (like ultrasound).

Outside of work, though, I’d be enjoying playing hockey, running, playing board games or chilling in front of The Crown or a good PS4 game.

As an emergency medicine doctor, you’re an essential service (thank you for all you do!), so you’ve been working throughout our most strict level 4 lockdown time. But has work changed at all for you during that time?

At a quick glance work hasn’t changed at all. I still go to work in the same place, and for basically the same amount of time. Looking a little closer, things have changed a lot! There are the good bits like my commute taking about half the usual time and actually a lot less patients compared to usual. Having said this, the lower number of patients is also a bit worrying. Sure, we expect people to crash their cars less and stop falling off playground equipment, but we’d still expect to see people with strokes and heart attacks. The worry is they’re staying away to help us and probably so they don’t have to sit next to someone who’s coughing in the waiting room.

I’d never really thought about the lack of patients being a bad thing, but as you say, all those people with conditions or health difficulties that aren’t accidents … they should still be coming in. What about within the department? We’re all familiar with the acronym PPE now, but we don’t get to look behind the scenes in a hospital. Have things changed?

Behind the scenes at work nearly everything has changed. Patients are all screened according to their Covid risk and symptoms. We’ve had to change the layout of our department to keep people at risk in separate areas. We’ve all been brushing up on our “donning and doffing” of personal protective equipment and figuring out who needs it and when. All these changes have meant that while we’re not so busy with numbers of patients our processes are much slower and more methodical to make sure we keep every one safe. We’ve had to re think how we perform high risk procedures that might expose staff to aerosoled virus, things like intubation and even how we give nebulisers. Then at the end of the day we need to stop and remember to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe too, but making sure we don’t take the virus home with us… on our clothes, our shoes or our bodies.

While you haven’t been working from home during this, do you have any tips for families of doctors, nurses, or essential workers?

Stay away from your husband (insert children here if more appropriate) who roams the house on his off days looking for someone to play with.

Haha! Excellent advice. Speaking of playing and those fun activities that have been a little lack during Lockdown, what have you found hardest about this time?

Not being able to play hockey and hang out with other people for meals and board games.

Both George and I are missing getting together with friends for board games! This is Raiders of the North Sea, and I highly recommend it!

Speaking as someone who goes around to your place to play said board games, I can totally understand that. It’s been tricky! Readers, we did find a way to play Settlers of Catan via video chat though, and I’m so glad we did.

Are there some things that you’ve been grateful for during Lockdown?

I’m grateful for a lot of things. Having a house, with windows, a yard and some amazing weather! (I can’t imagine being stuck in an apartment without a balcony!) I’m grateful for a prime minister who has been an amazing communicator, making sensible decisions and reminding us to be kind to each other, and our country taking her advice.

Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health, are the dream team; I don’t think I’d want anyone else looking after New Zealand right now.

And hasn’t the weather be crazy!? Will summer ever end?! Has there been anything you’ve actually been enjoying about Lockdown (other than the weather), and staying home on those days you’re not on a shift?

I’m trying to stop and appreciate the smaller things in life that are easy to take for granted. I’ve been enjoying fairly regular runs around our local park, and bike rides to Cornwall Park. I’ve loved the relative quiet, the birds singing louder, the lack of traffic, Church in my PJs… Perfect when coming home from a night shift too!

Haha! I think a lot of people around the country have been attending virtual church and Zoom meetings in their PJs! Do you have any tips for surviving self isolation, or the coming weeks, whatever they bring?

Remember your priorities: shelter, water, food, exercise, Netflix. If you’ve got those then then you should be able to survive most isolation situations. If you’re stuck in the wild then a good camp fire is nature’s TV. And two weeks is the difference between a good haircut and a bad hair cut – you can do it.

Speaking of haircuts, did you do anything drastic to your hair?

I’ve been preparing for this kind of disaster for most of my life so I was well prepared. A quick scissor and shaver combo, nothing drastic. My wife even let me cut her hair (apparently the most trust she has ever put in me!?). She definitely considered the idea of me cutting it drastic! Faith well placed if you ask me. I figure if I continue cutting it we’ll save thousands and we’ll never find out what her hairdresser thinks of that “well placed” faith.

That is hilarious! Well good on you for cutting it yourself! Thank you, George, so much for taking the time to chat with me! It’s been so interesting to hear about the behind the scenes at the hospitals, and so good to hear your thoughts on some of these things. And thank for your essential service to our nation.

We’ll play board games as soon as we’re able!

Stay tuned for another edition of The Lockdown Log coming soon!

To learn more about New Zealand’s alert level system, check out the COVID-19 website.