It is now clear that we are entering into a moment with little precedent. For us to navigate this pandemic, we will need to work as one community with teams that combine generosity and wisdom to deliver legendary patient care. Fortunately, these are some of our core attributes and strengths.
However, we will have to reinvent our work flow in new ways. In contrast to our tradition of deep specialization, our new reality will require flexibility and ‘generalization’ to sustain a suitable workforce. This will mean that our fellows will need to be credentialed as attendings. It will mean our faculty and fellows, particularly in specialties where work has slowed or halted due to cessation of elective activities, will need to become available for hospital coverage, telemedicine visits, the occupational medicine clinic and COVID-19 response teams.
Our leaders are currently formulating policies and schedules to ensure we have adequate numbers of healthy providers to achieve safe, high-quality patient care without unnecessary burnout or fatigue. This is a new situation for all of us, but with a bit of trust we can manage the uncertainty of this outbreak together. We are grateful for your patience, constructive ideas and openness to working in new ways to meet this mighty challenge.
-Mark
