On Friday, writing for the Washington Post, New York City dermatology resident Dr. Sophie Greenberg laid into President Donald Trump for his recent, offhanded remark that "we're not a shipping clerk" for states that need medical supplies — and what it reveals about his sense of responsibility to the nation in a time of crisis.
"Strictly speaking, a physician’s duties are to diagnose and treat a patient’s illness or injury," wrote Greenberg. "The president’s comment brought to mind all the times I have stepped outside of my physician role — as any physician would do — to care for my patients."
"I am not a phlebotomist, but when my patient needs a lab test, and the phlebotomist has gone home and it’s outside a nurse’s duties, I draw my patient’s blood," she continued. "I am not a secretary, but I work until 10 most nights to document every patient encounter in the electronic medical record. I am not a nurse, but when I learn that my patient’s dressings have not been changed on time, I stay to do it myself. I am not patient support services, but I wait on hold for hours with insurance companies to obtain prior authorization for my patient’s medications. I am not a scheduler, but I respond to requests for expedited appointments, even when it means being awoken at 3 a.m. by the emergency department asking to accommodate a patient with an eczema flare. I am not an ICU physician, but when hospitals are overwhelmed with sick patients during a pandemic, I pull out my stethoscope and stand by when asked to help out in the intensive care unit."
"If physicians refused to complete work that is outside of their strict job description, the health-care system would collapse," wrote Greenberg. "Physicians know this to be true, and so does the government. The covid-19 pandemic has provided some of the most extreme examples of health-care professionals stretching their roles and risking their lives to care for their patients. Normally, a mask is discarded after every patient encounter; now, we are given one mask to use for an entire week."
"In some ways, it feels as if we are now being asked to walk into a burning building," she added. "I trust myself to be careful and stay safe, but I am in a position I would have found unimaginable a month ago. Now, when our lives depend on it, the president is not pulling out all the stops to bring us proper personal protective equipment and ventilators for our patients."
"I am not a seamstress, but this week I found myself sewing my own mask," she concluded.
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