Hmm, this is being misinterpreted. My mom is a nurse and she's been hammered at work. Overall, the census IS lower, but that's because less electives and overall in general less people are doing shit. Not at many drivers, less accidents, less robberies/shootings(they still happening though) This whole attempt to "flatten the curve" as they call it is actually doing something. Hospitals are not empty and they certainly arent just sitting there playing with their thumbs up their asses in empty rooms.
I get a daily update on the census at my hospital and I can assure you, it’s pretty much empty...
Now, some hospitals in more “hot zones” this might not be the case, but our town has a city-wide “ban” on elective procedures, mostly to preserve PPE, but it has drastically impacted census. Our entire state has less than 400 confirmed cases.
Nurses in the hospital are easily transferable. You can be switched to an area or unit that is surging (COVID patients) from most other areas.
Many other areas are too specialized to be transferable. For example pathologists. With no biopsies coming in and not being specialist trained to manage ventilated patients, most are likely with nothing to do.
Even OB/GYN is way down, they are still catching babies but the vast majority of the Gyn work is on hold.
Neurologists, cardiologists, radiologists, orthopedists, etc all have half the volume they did before. Some but not all of these can be crash-retrained to care for COVID patients under supervision of intensive care docs.
Ancillary personnel like transporters are needed much less.
Obviously busy will be pulmonologists, hospitalists, intensive care docs, and ED personnel.
Hmm, this is being misinterpreted. My mom is a nurse and she's been hammered at work. Overall, the census IS lower, but that's because less electives and overall in general less people are doing shit. Not at many drivers, less accidents, less robberies/shootings(they still happening though) This whole attempt to "flatten the curve" as they call it is actually doing something. Hospitals are not empty and they certainly arent just sitting there playing with their thumbs up their asses in empty rooms.
I get a daily update on the census at my hospital and I can assure you, it’s pretty much empty...
Now, some hospitals in more “hot zones” this might not be the case, but our town has a city-wide “ban” on elective procedures, mostly to preserve PPE, but it has drastically impacted census. Our entire state has less than 400 confirmed cases.
Nurses in the hospital are easily transferable. You can be switched to an area or unit that is surging (COVID patients) from most other areas.
Many other areas are too specialized to be transferable. For example pathologists. With no biopsies coming in and not being specialist trained to manage ventilated patients, most are likely with nothing to do.
Even OB/GYN is way down, they are still catching babies but the vast majority of the Gyn work is on hold.
Neurologists, cardiologists, radiologists, orthopedists, etc all have half the volume they did before. Some but not all of these can be crash-retrained to care for COVID patients under supervision of intensive care docs.
Ancillary personnel like transporters are needed much less.
Obviously busy will be pulmonologists, hospitalists, intensive care docs, and ED personnel.