Member-only story
On Being a Doctor
Rounding on the COVID wards
Anticipation of the unknown
Sympathetic system in overdrive
I sense my heart is beating faster.
Carefully I approach the patient’s room
The shut door does not have a welcome sign
It’s adorned by signs of precautions:
Droplet, contact and airborne.
I start the donning process
“Am I doing this right?” I sigh
As I fit the n95 snuggly around my mouth
“Should I double glove or single?”
Doubt prevails
I see myself as a little girl in front of the chalkboard
Staring at a binary equation,
Without knowing the solution.
I enter the room
The helpless patient is happy to see me
But I’m not sure if I’m in command
My thoughts are still about how correctly protected I am.
My examination of the patient complete
I start to approach the door to leave
But now I have to take off what I have donned
My mind draws a blank as to the order of things.
