During this, the celebratory birthday month of civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded of his commitment to a dream for us all to one day find equality among our brothers and sisters along with achieving equity in moving ahead in our lives. That dream continues to light the way most significantly in these turbulent times of an ever evolving pandemic, focused attention on Black Lives Matter and a microscope on Diversity, Equity and inclusion in all its many forms.

One of which is the desperate existence of our healthcare workers who are stretched to the limit with seemingly no end in sight. As nations across the globe continue to grapple with how to cope with staff shortages, overwork and the growing fear of yet another variant showing up, tensions are high. This condition is sending us back into isolation, triggering more social limitations and prompting finger pointing that is causing nerves to fray at alarming proportions.

The culture of healthcare is a huge topic! I cannot do it justice in one blog. I can provide a glimpse into its challenging environment to provide a starting place from which to begin addressing all that healthcare encompasses while it seeks to find solutions to problems that reveal themselves as fast as the infection spreads.

I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by the world of medicine. Family members, friends, colleagues and clients come from various aspects of the medical field from doctors to administrators and from hospitals to insurance companies. Yet with all of my experience healthcare continues to be a daunting world in which to affect change. It is happening and yet, while the pace of change may seem slow, by contrast the world of medicine changes at warp speed with innovations and technology. It is the human side of healthcare that suggests stagnation.

What I find particularly disturbing is that no matter with whom I have a conversation, the underlying issues that continually surface. It can be summed up in a recent conversation I had with one clinician who spoke of the extreme outrage between administrators and clinicians over COVID–19. According to numerous caregivers, administrators asked/expected clinicians to put their lives on the line by not wearing masks from the very beginning, citing improper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). When asked what all was included, I was given a list encompassing, along with face masks, face shields, gowns, gloves, other protective measures, etc.

Another clinician shared that the policy not to wear masks changed when many clinicians began getting sick themselves, some dying while others elected not to continue working. Additionally, conditions got so challenging that across the country here in the US, medical students are being turned into doctors early to support and offset the staff shortages that ensued.

One occupational therapist who had gone into semi-retired in 2019, found herself unable to get much in the way of part-time work after the arrival of COVID–19 due in part to her refusal to take the vaccine. While some share their outrage, it is worthy to note that such avoidance to the vaccine have not always been based in sheer resistance or the stoking of conspiracy theory notions. Instead it is the understanding that taking the vaccine could actually kill some due to the vaccine reportedly triggering blood clots identified as a side effect that cause some underlying health conditions to become fatal.

We are at a pivotal moment with our healthcare that suggests the dam most assuredly will break sending flood waters spreading as fast as the wildfires in California and as rapid as the rising number of COVID-19 cases with more variants becoming known.

Given what is being discovered about COVID-19 as time passes, it seems the relationship between administration and clinicians – identified as somewhat adversarial – has remained relatively the same these many months. In a less than satisfactory attempt, some hospitals have even tried to demonstrate their appreciation by sending care packages to clinicians with self-care tips, inspirational quotes and an array of items that simply miss the mark. This is not unlike the state of affairs that triggered the ‘we’ve had enough’ exasperation that lead to the civil rights movement. What might Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. say to us now about our current state of health affairs as it relates to equity?

What this boils down to is that being humane isn’t just how healthcare facilities should be to patients, healthcare must be humane to its employees as well. It seems the lesson is far from learned and it will take something more significant before we see such humane behavior truly rising to the surface as an imperative.

Stephen Knight is an RN in the Step Down Unit (SDU) of a hospital in New York City where an intermediate level of care between the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the general medical-surgical wards is administered.

It was one of the first units in the city to become an exclusive unit during the first wave of COVID-19. At that time the number of deaths rose from one every couple of months to multiple deaths per day. That was the case throughout the city as clinicians faced not having what they needed to keep patients alive. That became an overwhelming experience.

The public remains divided on just how real an epidemic we face. We have such varying opinions among us on how to respond to the epidemic, that once again a growing number of people are falling ill as new variants arise.

The lingering impact of COVID–19 is effecting us to such a degree, that many are growing weary and tired triggering a less vigilant effort around safety and prevention. In addition, healthcare workers are challenged with effectively managing triage. Essentially new cases are competing with non- COVID–19 cases creating a greater challenge for our healthcare system that is already strained.

The danger to society is that hospitals become overwhelmed by cases that could be avoided. As such, exhausted healthcare workers are electing to leave the profession altogether or in some cases, choosing to travel to other hospitals for better pay.

 “Sometimes I want to scream from the rooftops of building. Please take this virus seriously”, Says Stephen. The travesties he has witnessed have taken their toll on him and his colleagues; fellow nurses, doctors and other clinicians who say “keeping up with the demand feels hopeless at times. You just keep on moving and trust you can save more lives tomorrow. Or at least make patients more comfortable than they were last.”

“Everybody needs to care for themselves and each other and let us have time to care for ourselves”, says Knight. When asked what he most wants at this juncture of the pandemic, the over worked Mr. Knight shares, “What I want most is for people to recognize and take responsibility for their role in staying healthy because I need a break and I can’t get one.”

What I am hearing and seeing is that clinicians are finding themselves returning to what seems like the front lines of the most horrific of wars, the war against ignorance.