Emergency physicians and nurses are accustomed to working in difficult situations. During the initial COVID-19 wave, many areas across the country experienced conditions only seen in war zones. As the situation improved, their stories were told across multiple media channels and publications.
Currently, the delta COVID-19 variant is sweeping the nation. Hospitals are at capacity and COVID patients are being either housed in emergency rooms or waiting rooms, or being sent home. Some have chosen to propagate the notion that this is a false narrative and that the delta variant is not causing any strain on our healthcare system. In response, the question “How bad is it where you are?” was posed to emergency physicians across the country. Voices In EM represents a collection of quotes from their answers — real people, working in real emergency departments, all across the United States.
If you are currently working in an emergency department, you are invited to contribute your quote. You can do so directly here, or use the submission form listed on the Voices In EM page. Contributions are posted anonymously and all information submitted is used solely to confirm your role in healthcare.
Be safe,
Sam Ashoo, MD, FACEP
Last Updated on November 30, 2021
Sam Ashoo, MD, FACEP, is board certified in emergency medicine and clinical informatics. He serves as EB Medicine’s editor-in-chief of interactive clinical pathways and FOAMEd blog, and host of EB Medicine’s EMplify podcast. Follow him below for more…
I wish I could put into words the fear, pain, sorrow, and regret I’ve seen on people’s faces when they realize they may die of a virus they thought was a hoax because they wouldn’t get a vaccine they thought was a government plot to control them.
But I can’t.