UAB Medicine is a leading voice in flattening the curve during the COVID-19 outbreak. Six feet apart, social distancing, handwashing and staying home are a few of the valuable public service announcements shared.
Everyone is doing their part during this time to stop the spread of the virus, including the UAB Department of Surgery. All standing meetings and lectures have moved to Zoom, as well as any events that can be properly hosting virtually. Work situations are changing, and generally, individuals have less and less face time with others in the department. If they do, it is usually six feet apart.
Although work continues, some feel the pains of virtual-only and six-feet-apart work environments. Virtual meetings are a wonderful substitute, but coworkers lose the impact of facial and body language expression. Some studies have even suggested up to 93 percent of communication pans out to be nonverbal.
But, that has not stopped the uplifting culture and spirit of the department from marching on. A feeling of unity and solidarity has swept the department as physicians and clinical staff bravely remain on the front-line while many support containment efforts by working from home and waiting to be called to the front-line.
The department is getting creative while faculty and staff are staying positive and doing all that they can to support overall COVID-19 efforts. Recently, transplantation researchers in the department donated over 10,000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to UAB Hospital. And, residents are cooking up their own donation plan, creating face shields and other PPE at home.
While residents’ work might be limited and they cannot gather together in person, they are conducting meetings with each other, and faculty, via Zoom. Recently, the department ordered pizza for a resident-faculty meeting, as usual, but for personal pick-up or delivery so that residents could still enjoy a meal together and “sit around the table.”
UAB Department of Surgery Chair and Professor Herbert Chen, M.D., FACS, has been hosting COVID-19 updates for his community. Typically, Chen sees between 50-100 participants in these meetings, and he shares his knowledge, as a provider, of the current status of COVID-19 affairs using publicly-available models and figures.
The UAB Department of Surgery is digitally hosting its Grand Rounds for the month of April and will still feature dynamic presentations, some from faculty of other institutions. Even Department of Surgery labs have checked in virtually, such as the Beierle Lab.
Faculty and staff are sharing their personal wellness initiatives, like getting out into nature and spending time with family. Department of Surgery Chief Wellness Officer Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS, led efforts to create an article, “Things you can do today to help improve your mental health amid COVID-19 outbreak” and is encouraging faculty and staff to prioritize their own mental health during this time.
Although it temporarily does not look quite the same, the UAB Department of Surgery will always find a way to hold tight to its core values and supportive culture.
Share your positive news with surgcomm@uabmc.edu, and check out some virtual department highlights below.