Ever wondered how it feels like when you don’t sleep for a couple of nights in a row when people tell you their problems in hopes of getting rid of them finally or making sure everyone in your family is healthy?
Well, if this sounds good to you, then you should probably take a risk to become a healthcare worker: a DOCTOR in particular.
Why is it so appealing and drastic at the same time? I guess it’s because doctors who save lives, sometimes need a savior for themselves.
This phrase is especially relevant during the events of the past six months.
The CORONAVIRUS: how did it change the lives of doctors? Let’s do a quick “Before and After”, shall we?
Corona suit is the new black
We all know doctors can’t brag about their high fashion OOTD’s (outfit of the day), as they need to wear uniforms while working. But wearing them has never been so overwhelming and hard. The special Covid-19 suits they wear (often weigh a few kilos) has made it harder to work for long shifts. The new outfits are weighty, and it’s oven-like in them. Fun fact: in some countries, doctors are allowed to wear these new uniforms right on top of their underwear to make it more comfortable for them to work.
Parties and reunions: Time to say goodbye
Being a doctor means you’ll spend a lot of time away from family and friends, probably skipping all family events and friendly reunions. But it’s even worse with Corona. I’m sure you’ve all seen the photos of doctors sleeping in the corridors of hospitals, just because they haven’t been home for weeks or even months. But even when they finally get back home, they need to be extra protected. Who knows whether they carry the virus or not, as they work with COVID patients 24/7?!
No healthy diet or sleeping schedule
We all know doctors always talk about being healthy, keeping a healthy diet, and getting a good night’s sleep of a minimum of 8 hours. But what about doctors themselves? Their lunch and dinner time depends on the patients’ health status. So, most of the time, they don’t manage to maintain a proper nutrition system or get enough sleep. Now, during the time of the pandemic, doctors’ schedule is way busier, so they barely get time to think about their well-being. And this is one of the toughest points here because healthcare workers need to feel good to take care of others.
The Corona witnesses
Being a doctor means to be ready to see someone suffering from an illness or even death. But let’s not forget that doctors are human beings: they also have feelings, and sometimes seeing someone dying can be emotionally exhausting or put them in a depressive mood for a couple of days. During this pandemic, many doctors are not only working overtime and getting burnt out physically but also witnessing patient after patient succumbs to the disease: sometimes dozens of deaths in ONE DAY. That’s one of the things the new doctors would never expect coming soon.
Among all mentioned, there’s one thing that is positive about how Covid-19 changed the life of doctors. BC (I mean not Before Christ but Before Corona) “doctor” was just a profession, sometimes highly underestimated. They were always available, always there ready to help or give advice on health problems. On one hand, it’s their professional duty to take of people’s health, but on the other hand,
people need to appreciate the job they do because compared to other professions, this one is straightly related to human life, which is the most important thing in the world. Coronavirus is a challenge- both for patients and doctors. Doctors are winning the challenge, battling for human lives on the frontlines, which makes others reevaluate this profession, applaud doctors from their balconies, or sit up the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro as a doctor.
More than ever, doctors are now respected and treated as life saviors. Cause that’s who they are!
Written by Nellie Melkonyan