I've spent much of this week redeployed from paeds to adult medicine/geriatrics. Inspired by @RoshanaMN, here are my observations:
#COVIDー19

1. Yes. The ward rounds are LONG. Even longer than a normal paeds ward round.

2. I think point 1 is largely because there is just so much to go through, if it's done properly.

So many co-morbidities! So many drugs! Thankfully the team I was with were incredibly thorough. I am so grateful I'm a paediatrician.

3. Maybe it's just the current situ, but also it's probably the nature of adult medicine vs paeds, but the adult medicine WR made me sad. I'm not used to as many people dying or even the ceiling of care discussions. This is a lot of my medic colleagues to hold. I don't envy it.

4. Having parents around in paeds is (most often) such an underrated bonus. Automatic carer, medicine giver, safety-net. There are so many elderly people out there who don't have that support and need it all put in place by the hospital/social care. The MDT REALLY comes in here.

5. Adult doctors have a very low threshold for being impressed with paediatricians getting vascular access.

"Please could you try a cannula, but you probably won't get it as they've got very 'thready veins'".

Please relax, thready veins are sort of our thing. #paedsrocks

6. Some adult medics seem to think that paediatricians are in fact children, or so it felt at times. After putting a few cannulas one said to me "wow you're really getting the hang of this!" As if we don't regularly put lines in 28 week babies in the middle of the night.

7. Agree with @RoshanaMN - let's stop talking about the jobs and just do the jobs. Then if we get 15 minutes free we can go on one of my wellbeing walks!*

*It's just a walk around a car park

8. I have untold amounts of respect for my colleagues in adult medicine. The emotional burden of their job is immense, especially during this pandemic. It's been a refreshing reminder of how many of our kids come in, get better, and go home.

The vast majority of them have attentive, loving parents who would do anything for them. The is a stark contrast to so many elderly patients who are either alone or unable to be cared for, for whatever reason.

9. There are huge similarities between paeds and elderly care. We have parents, they have children. They are often angry about whatever is going on. As my old boss @JohnMoreiras taught me, anger is a secondary emotion. They are actually scared, frustrated, tired, uncertain.

Updating families of COVID patients has made this so much more obvious. It's our job to give them the space they need to express those emotions.

Again, I count myself so lucky to be a paediatrician and not have this to deal with every day.

I'm sure there will be more reflections, but that's it for now. Shabbat shalom and stay safe.