I work at a corporate office for a hospital system, never onsite at a hospital.
There is a staffing crisis now due to COVID and they are saying that they will need to pull people from corporate to do things like patient admissions, food services, laundry, etc.
Being a type 1 diabetic, i’m not sure what to do!? My endo in the past said he would write me a note so that I didn’t have to work at a field hospital.
Should I get him to write me a note saying I can’t work at a hosptial period, since that isn’t my normal job and i’m high risk?
I would do whatever I had to do to keep myself out of danger. I think it is great that your doctor will write you a note. Our lives are threatened enough by our disease.
If you feel that you must help out, then ask to do something that won’t put you in danger.
I think your doctor is correct. If you’ve been vaccinated your COVID risk is very low, and lower than the risk of getting into a car accident on the way to work. The risk is never zero.
I feel the same as MBW and Tim12. We are all in this together and need to unselfishly look at the greater good. Zero risk does not exist in life. Some of us are more risk tolerant than others so even though I would pitch in and help out, I would not fault, condemn or disrespect anyone that does not share my opinion. In the end, you need to do what you feel is best as you need to live with your conscience moving forward.
Here is an easier to understand explanation of the studies findings:
“A new study published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Sept. 1 finds vaccination not only reduces the risk of infection and severe symptoms, but significantly cuts the odds of experiencing long-term effects if you’re one of the few who experience a breakthrough infection.”
However, this data is from the UK which used a different dosing regimen (and includes Astra Zeneca). It has data by age, but I’m not sure if I completely understand all of it - the link is there for you though. It is also based on a limited time frame before vaccines started waning among certain groups (according to CDC, FDA, Israel, etc).
What would the hospital administrator’s position be if you accepted the temporary work assignment and then changed your mind once you started working?
What I would worry about is whether the hospital is sufficiently mitigating the risk with a good supply of personal protective equipment, providing an environment that encouraged social distancing, and aggressively enforced those policies. I would also add that the workspace provides reasonable ventilation.
Would you as a worker be expected to enforce the public’s compliance with any of these measures or do they employ security to do that?
If the hospital’s Covid-19 mitigation policies looked good to me and I was able to unilaterally change my mind and be permitted to return to my usual job location and duties, I would be willing to take that risk.
We are all in this together but you’re dealing with a large corporate concern who may not reciprocate your loyalty if events turn against you.
What type of personal protective equipment would they provide? Are hospital personnel required to be vaccinated, or do you anticipate working alongside people who are not vaccinated?
This in particular could include directly interacting with people who have COVID-19 but may not be aware they have it.
Multiple studies have shown much lower risk of hospitalization if you’re vaccinated. The study I linked earlier showed a 50% reduction in risk of long covid if you’re vaccinated. The odds posted are not broken down by age or comorbidity. Recent headlines show a 10%-30% risk of COVID symptoms months after infection, so maybe a 5-15% risk of symptoms after a breakthrough infection?
If I lived in a state with a high vaccination rate, then I’d be willing to assume the roles you described temporarily to help out. Under that scenario, I assume the hospital would be overwhelmed because people delayed treatment during the pandemic and are now dealing with those consequences. I would want to help people like that.
Alternatively, I would not be willing to assume those temporary roles in an area with low vaccination rates and high hospitalization rates of unvaccinated people. I would not be willing to put myself in a situation where an infection risk is extremely high due to other people being unwilling to do their part to help their community (and themselves).
Yeah, my empathy and motivation to help fellow humans drops when those people have deliberately impaired the greater social good with their stubborn refusal to do their part. I’ve read several accounts of ICU staff emotional burn-out that’s been provoked by this very issue.
I’m also type 1 and have been working in the hospital throughout the pandemic, patient-facing. I have had no issues wearing masks and staying healthy. I work with kids, so not all of the kids wear masks (and parents often don’t wear them correctly). I’ve been fine. I bet you will be, too.
I think that hospitals are safer places than most. The mask rules are usually very strongly enforced. Most of the staff is vaccinated depending on the state you are in.
Covid patients are not kept in the same place as the rest of the population.
I work in a company that has similar rules. Every person is vaccinated if they come in to work.
Everyone has temperature check every time you enter the campus.
Masks are work all the time even if at your desk.
So there has been no transmission for more than a year, a few have picked it up at personal venues. No one has come to work with symptoms.
I would go to work at the hospital unless they want you to work with actively I’ll patients with covid. But I would say that to anyone not just diabetics.
I am one that thinks if you need to protect yourself because of special circumstances, if you can, you do. Sure in some cases the benefits outweigh the risks. Would I give CPR to someone that dropped in front of me, yes. Would I show up at a hospital if I didn’t have to, no.
Because I am not a skinny person and I have type 1, tons of allergies, don’t do well at all with steroids and I am older. I try to keep myself out of any situation that I am exposed to people that might have covid. Yes I am vaccinated, but I also know there are breakthrough cases and 17% of our cases hospitalized, once poster child state, are in people vaccinated. Sure they usually survive, they are in there a shorter time, but I don’t want to be there in the first place.
So I would stay away from a hospital. I have in fact put off some noncritical tests that are at our hospital just because for my peace of mind too many vaccinated people that might unknowingly be carriers are there.
But there are a lot of factors to consider, general health, age, financial decisions. Will you still have a job if you say no? Can your interactions with people be limited to say checking in people to the hospital that have already pretested negative. A lot of the hospitals require that now.
My vaccinated brother in law went in for a critical procedure, he pretested negative and stayed home the days before. He had to stay home to recover for 2 weeks and about 7-10 days after the procedure he came down with breakthrough covid. Then about 7-10 days after that his wife got it too. The hospital was really careful the whole time he was there because it was a heart issue. He was definitely pretty sick, but not seriously sick, his wife had an extremely mild case.
Again, another study citing the risk factors but nobody talking about what to do about the epidemic of obesity, heart disease, etc. for the general public. Of course the over 40 group has higher incidence of those risk factors in this study because the entire population does. Instead, lets give Free donuts and cash to get vaccinated instead of healthy alternatives to promote long term health beyond this pandemic. It’s so infuriating when the evidence is clear that health needs to be a priority in addressing this problem. The public health system has failed us!
I would, personally, feel OK (not spectacular) at a field hospital at this point in time if vaccinated.
I’m sorry that you are in this position and if you feel ‘at risk,’ then I would advise you to consider not doing it or getting the note from a Doc.
It all comes down to your own personal risk assessment and I would not advise anyone to do something that made them feel afraid or under undue stress. High daily stress associated with merely going to work is not going to be good for you. Beyond that, you will see people who are very sick and you really need to be ‘at your best,’ to deal with that emotionally. Otherwise, the experience could take a real toll on you and your family. Prolonged stress manifests in people in some unexpected and pretty terrible ways, independent of covid exposure.
If I accepted a roll like this, I would get the booster and seasonal flu shot ASAP. I would also get a pneumonia vacc.
This could be a fascinating roll for you if you have never worked in a hospital before. it might be very meaningful work that pushes your understanding of your own experience with illness. You should do this type of work because you want to, not because someone is forcing you to. If you are afraid and being forced to perform this roll, you won’t do a good job. It will be bad for you and for others. You protect others & yourself by establishing healthy boundaries regarding what you feel comfortable with. You are the only one who can judge that. It takes guts to tell your team that you don’t feel comfortable performing a specific roll. That’s ok to do.
Christoph, you’re in a tough spot having to deal with this. If you can’t afford to be out of work, you may just have to do it. At the same time, I would let your management know about your deep concerns for your own safety. Perhaps they could accommodate by not assigning you to a position that has you interfacing with folks that are already, or possibly, sick from COVID, if that’s possible. The note from your physician is a good idea. You want to put all this on record that you’ve given them your concerns regarding your pre-existing medical conditions that put you at greater risk if you’re exposed to COVID. And, of course, you would try to make your concerns known in a way that is not combative. For good or bad, your employer is in control of this situation. There are now news stories of hospitals firing medical staff for not getting vaccinated, so it looks like they can send you where they want. There are numerous court challenges regarding this but who knows whether the legal challenges will be successful. Hopefully, your hospital will make accommodations to relieve some of your stress and keep you a little safer during these trying times. Please keep us posted, though.
Thanks
