Overview:
In this episode, Tiffany talks with Dr. Mark Ramzy about finishing residency and starting his Critical Care fellowship in the hotspots of the COVID pandemic. They also discuss the unique challenges Dr. Ramzy faced when he became a father at the start of the pandemic. Dr. Ramzy shares how he rediscovered artistic talents and reinforced old friendships and family bonds to help overcome the sense of isolation during quarantine. Take a listen, we will get through this together.
0:00 – 1:15 – Introduction
Host: Tiffany Proffitt DO, Staff Emergency Medicine Physician Honor Health
Guest: Mark Ramzy, DO, EMT-P, who is the Critical Care Fellow at University of Pittsburgh, Chair of the EMRA Critical Care Committee, he is also the Essentials of Emergency Medicine Fellow for HIPPO Education and the Multimedia and Communication Editor for ALiEMs Faculty Incubator.
@MRamzyDO
1:31 – 19:30 – Questions + Discussion
1) 1:31 – 2:01 – What were your first thoughts when you saw your first Happy Hypoxic patient?
2) 2:01 – 2:59 – When you first came back into the ED at the start of the COVID pandemic what percentage of the ED did you think was COVID versus non-COVID?
3) 2:59 – 3:52 – Was every room in the ED turned into a resus bay if it was all COVID?
4) 3:52 – 4:42 – Were you wearing PAPPR’s all day and did you have enough?
5) 4:42 – 5:28 – When you were in the ICU did you feel more or less protected than when you were in the department?
6) 5:28 – 6:21 – How stressful was it to go from paternity leave back to work in the epicenter of COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic when we still did not know very much about the virus?
7) 6:21 – 7:26 – How did you manage the isolation and anxiety?
8) 7:26 – 9:26 – Discussion of how Dr. Ramzy distracts himself from COVID.
9) 9:26 – 10:13 – Discussion of Dr. Ramzy rediscovering his high school love of art when he found his medical school anatomy drawings.
10) 10:13 – 10:43 – Will there be a showing of your infographics and anatomy and physiology drawings?
11) 10:49 – 12:07 – Were you seeing more ECMO COVID patients in the ICU in November in Pittsburg versus at the beginning of the pandemic in New York?
12) 12:07 – 13:11 – Have you tried to create a disaster plan for another COVID surge in Pittsburg?
13) 13:11 – 14:45 – What do you think will happen this winter or what are you afraid will happen this winter?
14) 14:45 – 15:37 – Are your current ICUs trying to increase their ventilators and ECMO capacity in preparation for this winter?
15) 15:37 – 16:30 – What advice do you have for Emergency Medicine practitioners this winter battling COVID?
16) 16:30 – 18:37 – What is your COVID algorithm?
17) 18:37 – 19:15 – What equipment are you using when intubating COVID patients?
Key Points:
• When you are struggling, especially alone or isolated and struggling, the best thing you can do is reach out to your social support systems.
• Have an open mind, approach these patient’s in a very algorithmic way, don’t anchor on a diagnosis and don’t forget that you will have a lot of non-COVID patients to treat.
• Explore your creative side.
• We’ll get through this together.
Produced by @kevinjdongMD
Tiffany Proffitt