Compassion Fatigue

Most physicians are altruistic individuals who unfortunately finish medical school in substantial debt. A fixation on the monetary may merely be the culmination of many years of delayed gratification and the newfound ability to generate capital. Newly minted grads need to be money conscious to get out of debt and lay down a solid financial future.

I’ve contributed to countless conversations during the pandemic by simply saying, ‘My family’s mostly in the states.’ Canadians immediately grasp the added layer of worry implied, typically following up with something like, ‘Oh whereabouts?’ seeking a clearer picture of the level of healthcare system chaos my relatives may be contending with, and whether any additional public foolishness may be afoot.

I enjoy working on Christmas. There's usually great food, as people bring potluck feasts. We have fun in that comrades in adversity, esprit de corps way that a lot of health professionals secretly adore. We non-Christian docs get to have the undying gratitude of our colleagues as we put in a few hours of useful labour before going out to the latest Star Wars movie and eating Chinese food.

There's been a lot written about physician burnout, depression and suicidality. At the root of much of this may be our inability to be our authentic or genuine selves. The charade starts at the very beginning of our careers, during our attempts to get into med school. From there, it just gets more and more ingrained.

Amidst a raging pandemic and skyrocketing budgetary deficits, Canadian actor Elliot Page came out as transgender this week. He described the joy he felt in announcing this as profound, but also fragile. Within the trans community, fear is pervasive. Despite the progress we've made as a society, fear remains.

As we begin to glimpse the holiday season, healthcare workers in Quebec hospitals are already at the end of their rope. “We lost a lot of soldiers since there were outbreaks in several hospitals. Currently, there is a strong community transmission within the nursing staff,” observed Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the association of specialists in emergency medicine of Quebec and an emergency physician at the Montreal Heart Institute.