COVID Meetings

[docB]

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I'm probably a little more at risk on this as I have several admin and EMS commitments but I'm having about 8 extra phone call/meetings per week about COVID. I know all the preparations and firefighting is important but I'm starting to get a little numb and brain dead, let alone the time involved. Is everyone else in the same boat? I'm not even considering trying to get on the big national webinars being put on by my CMG, ACEP, etc. If I tried to do those as well I'd be over 12/week.

Disclaimer - I'm on a call right now as I'm posting this.

 

[NYEMMED]

Not much extra, Not in admin though, I'm a Pit Doc

 

[bravotwozero]

yeah the EMRA podcasts are enough of a bandwidth user for my brain. Not strictly required to attend, but choose to sometimes if there's an issue I want to be addressed. Otherwise the emails go in the delete box.

 

[gutonc]

Not in EM (or inpatient medicine at all) but I am in leadership both with my group and with our primary hospital affiliate. At the peak a couple of weeks ago, I had 18 meetings on my schedule (I could only make 15 of them). Now that it appears that we are not going the way of NY, we're down to 12 a week (8 of which I make an effort to be a part of) and 20-30% of them are being canceled due to nothing to talk about.

 

[Hercules]

I'm probably a little more at risk on this as I have several admin and EMS commitments but I'm having about 8 extra phone call/meetings per week about COVID. I know all the preparations and firefighting is important but I'm starting to get a little numb and brain dead, let alone the time involved. Is everyone else in the same boat? I'm not even considering trying to get on the big national webinars being put on by my CMG, ACEP, etc. If I tried to do those as well I'd be over 12/week.

Disclaimer - I'm on a call right now as I'm posting this.

Absolutely in the same boat with a good bit of admin commitments. At one point I felt pretty guilty because part of me was yearning for the surge to just hit so we could start treating and quit meeting. It felt kind of like the coin toss/national anthem for a football game that would never kickoff.

 

[docB]

"Start treating. Quit meeting."

I am absolutely stealing that.

 

[deleted109597]

DSHS has them 3x a week. TMA has them EVERY DAY.
Each hospital system I work in has 1-5 a week. I work in 4 hospital systems.
Our RAC wants weekly ones, and my county medical society also wants weekly ones.

I've been using this time a lot like I have in FB. Culling uselessness. I probably sit through 1 meeting a week at this point, but I was doing about 5 in the beginning.

 

[deleted87051]

 

[bravotwozero]

how long did the photoshop job take?

 

[deleted87051]

how long did the photoshop job take?

As it happens I have a lot of time these days. I wish I could take credit for it but it’s off Twitter.

 

[UKEMdoc]

How many people have picked up COVID from these?

 

[gutonc]

How many people have picked up COVID from these?

Ours are all virtual.

 

[Birdstrike]

I've had several Board of Directors phone-conference calls since COVID-19, but no in person meetings. In fact, one could argue any in person meeting on COVID-19 has failed the minute you all physically enter the same room. My propensity to point out such things, leading to moments of uncomfortable silence and awkward laughter, is why I don't do very well in these situations.

 

[thegenius]

how long did the photoshop job take?

That is good s!*t, that should go to the Onion. Or maybe the NYT or Washington Post.

 

[docB]

Yeah, all phone conferences here too. It's possible I played Fortnite throughout one of my recent meetings with no appreciable detriment.

It makes sense though. Everyone feels compelled to act in this situation. And meetings is what administrators do. So for them this = action.

 

[gutonc]

Yeah, all phone conferences here too. It's possible I played Fortnite throughout one of my recent meetings with no appreciable detriment.

On my clinic days when I have these meetings (I'm not EM so I have an actual schedule that I can block for meetings) I've been going for walks or going to the grocery store 3 blocks from my office during the meetings.
On the non-clinic days I have:
- Mowed the lawn
- Power washed the patios and driveway
- Built a gate for the front porch
- Built 70% of a pergola on the back patio (saving the last 30% for Friday's 5 meeting marathon)
- Oiled the teak outdoor furniture
- Turned the planter boxes in preparation for vegetable planting this weekend
- Shopped at Costco

It makes sense though. Everyone feels compelled to act in this situation. And meetings is what administrators do. So for them this = action.

Werd....

We're in one of the places that flattened the curve so well that we're going to have a low level of new cases and deaths throughout the entire summer (based on Johnny Hop's current predictions) so there's so little change in our plans and preparations that even the suits and clipboard nurses have started to cancel meetings.

 

[docB]

- Built 70% of a pergola on the back patio (saving the last 30% for Friday's 5 meeting marathon)

Excellent! And that's how we know this has gone around the bend, when you're saving tasks for the next meeting. Great idea. I'm totally doing this.

 

[docB]

I'm starting to see some meetings get cancelled. Perhaps this is a good sign?

 

[Birdstrike]

Yeah, all phone conferences here too. It's possible I played Fortnite throughout one of my recent meetings with no appreciable detriment.

It makes sense though. Everyone feels compelled to act in this situation. And meetings is what administrators do. So for them this = action.

One administrator, when asked, “What’s the one thing everyone should do when facing a situation like COVID-19, in the future?” responded with, “Go back and read your corporate mission statement.”

 

[Birdstrike]

I'm starting to see some meetings get cancelled. Perhaps this is a good sign?

In a way it’s a good sign. But it also means the administrators have realized they would rather have people sick and dying of COVID itself, if it means full beds, profits and bonuses as opposed to sagging profits for them due to empty beds from COVID prevention.

 

[docB]

This is sadly true. I have sensed for a few weeks that there is more angst about the economic losses than the potential of the disease.