It Takes a Village, and Then Some

“Perspectives on Pandemics” was my last course before becoming an MD. I thought it would be a medically focused course, and was surprised to find out it was anything but. I was even more surprised when I realized how important this was to wrap up my four years of medical school. 

Interprofessional Education has been a part of the four-year curriculum at CMU’s College of Medicine. We spent time learning and training with other healthcare providers. However, while taking “Perspectives on Pandemics,” I realized there is so much more to learn beyond the health field that can help us overcome challenges in healthcare.

Biological anthropology, journalism, history, and even fiction books, have the potential to provide guidance on the circumstances we have found ourselves in today. We are in a world where COVID-19 has taken our normalcy, routines, and comforts by turning everything inside out, leaving our daily lives no longer recognizable.

Hospitals are currently being overwhelmed. States are scrambling to come up with the best plans to manage a disaster that’s spreading right beneath their noses and yet, it is completely undetectable to the human eye. In this time more than ever, we must turn towards each other, have respect for all professions, and maintain a willingness to listen and learn. This will be essential to overcome this disaster that seems to be bigger than all of us.

While we will always need hospital staff, some may be starting to see that medical teams alone will not be enough to take on this new challenge. As a society we need a plan to attack the Coronavirus outside of the hospital, and that means bringing on new members of what we currently consider the interprofessional team.

We must recognize the biological anthropologists, who are collecting data on other countries and cultures that seem to have less spread and lower death rates. We must recognize the historians, who have studied the eradication of prior diseases. We must recognize the journalists, those of which reports stories accurately, helping to spread information to be used by the general public, and preparing everyone for this battle from the safety of their homes. And finally, we must recognize the fiction authors, who reminds us in a pandemic, “Survival is insufficient,” and that making it through this is about more than our physical health. In a time where we are to remain physically isolated from family and friends, we must continue to hold onto relationships, hobbies, or whatever may bring meaning and happiness to your life.

Getting fresh air on walk at the family cottage in rural Michigan during my quarantine.

My dad got creative and set up a virtual graduation celebration with family. May 2020 was an exciting month for my family with my brother receiving his Bachelor’s on May 9th and me receiving my Doctor of Medicine on May 10th, both from Central Michigan University.

“Perspectives on Pandemics,” has given me perspectives far beyond pandemics. It has reinforced the importance of teamwork. It has taught me how important it can be to expand teams beyond traditional roles. In doing so, problems can be viewed from a different angles and areas of expertise. Combining these views might just be the key to overcoming overwhelming challenges. 

Teaching local elementary school classes, “What’s in a Doctor’s Bag,” in effort to make going to the doctor less scary!

In continuing my career, I have a new tool in my “doctors bag.” For challenges I face, big or small, I will carry the knowledge to collaborate with professionals beyond the hospital and health field.

As I start my residency, I will begin knowing that I am far from alone in the fight for my patients’ health, and with a renewed feeling of hope in the fight against Coronavirus and the many other challenges faced in medicine

I want to thank Dr. Cathy Willermet, Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Ed Simpson, Professor of Journalism, Dr. Andrew Wehrman, Professor of History, Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven, and “Perspectives on Pandemics” course directors Dr. Marcy Taylor and Dr. Christi Brookes for giving me hope and inspiration as I start my career as a physician in these uncertain times.