“It wasn’t a choice. It was a responsibility.”
DW Weekly talked to Rishi Chopra, MD, a second-year dermatology resident at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, about his experiences working on the front lines of one of three hospitals designated by Gov. Cuomo as COVID-only centers in New York.
“When I hung up my stethoscope almost a year ago, I never imagined that I would ever have to pick it up again. However, here we are. I am now working in a COVID-only unit,” Dr. Chopra said.
He recently reported that a typical day involves 12-hour shifts, working on a pediatrics unit that has been converted to an adult COVID unit due to the influx of patients. Alongside him are ophthalmologists, pediatricians, radiologists, and others.
“When our hospital asked for physician volunteers, it wasn’t a choice, it was a responsibility,” Dr. Chopra said. “To my profession, to my colleagues, but most importantly to my community. I was born and raised in New York, graduated from medical school at SUNY Stony Brook, and now live in Brooklyn. My heart is bleeding for this city.”
“We are seeing very critical patients,” he reported. “Almost all are infected with COVID or suspected to be infected. Most require supplemental oxygen. Several are on the cusp of being intubated.” Dr. Chopra added that the phones don’t stop ringing with understandably distraught family members calling for updates on their loved ones whom they cannot visit. He said that when a COVID patient deteriorates, its often fast and unexpected. Treatment algorithms are changing daily. “And the worst part is: people are dying alone.”
Dr. Chopra said that watching his dermatology co-residents and colleagues at other New York City and Long Island programs (Mount Sinai, Montefiore, Northwell, Stony Brook) step up and contribute during this crisis has been “one of the most heartwarming, humbling, and rewarding experiences in my life. We are grateful now more than ever for our year of internal medicine training.” He said that two months of his training was dedicated to working strictly in the intensive care unit and it has been an unexpected invaluable asset on the frontlines. “This pandemic has reinforced the importance of our well-rounded background in general medicine as it has enabled dermatologists to play a pivotal role in caring for COVID-19 patients.”
In addition, Dr. Chopra has also been active in obtaining PPE for his coworkers on the frontlines, confirming frequent news reports that many of the New York City hospitals have been short on supply. Calling on the help of his medical school classmates who are now residents all around the country, his team has been able to secure almost 4,000 n95 masks, 300 face shields, and 500 surgical gowns for intensive care units and emergency departments at seven different hospitals in New York City.
“Our hospital has done a phenomenal job at rising to the occasion to protect its residents and employees as well as, most importantly, caring for its patients,” Dr. Chopra said. “Through the thick of this, I am proud to be a dermatology resident at SUNY Downstate. Everybody from the administration to environmental services has stepped up. And our dermatology residency program has rose to the challenge. Our program director Dr. Sharon Glick and chair Dr. Ed Heilman have provided unyielding support.”
Dr. Chopra strongly encourages his peers in dermatology to get involved in any way they can. “Yes, we are specialists, but we are first and foremost physicians. We can make a huge difference. This has been traumatic, yes. But it has also been rewarding. To be a part of a collective effort for the country we love."
Are you on the front lines managing COVID-19 patients? Share your story with DWW. Email dweditor@aad.org.
