Bulletin
Physician Advocacy Since 1873
SEPT/OCT 2020 VOLUME 50, NO. 5
Editors: Maureen Padden, M.D. | Erica Huffman, Executive Director www.escambiacms.org
President’s Message Wow! I can't believe it is already mid-September. Time just refuses to slow down and seems to go faster the older I get. I know I have talked about the many challenges we face today trying to practice medicine, but I can't examine what it is like being a resident or medical student trying to learn the art of medicine during a pandemic. I have had conversations with some of our residents and medical students at our Escambia County Medical Society meetings and have been fascinated by some of the challenges they face today trying to complete their clinical rotations and get experience in the various specialties of medicine. I asked one of our "star" medical student's, Maurice Inkel, to describe what it is like trying to be a medical professional in training in the year 2020. I hope you will enjoy his perspective and thoughts as much as I have. I hope to see everyone at our next Escambia Count Medical Society function celebrating Halloween at the Wahoo stadium on October 29, 2020.
Do you remember what it was like to go to the movies? What about the pleasure of having dinner with family or a group of friends? And, how about that reassuring feeling of a face-toface appointment with your family physician? Without a doubt this pandemic has affected each of us in any number of ways. As a medical student it has seemed an eternity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Zoom has become all too comfortable for me and my peers. Our 3rd and 4th year education, as we all know, is built on our ability to integrate into the physical practice of medicine within the community. Each patient interaction and hands-on experience builds our mental rolodex for our future careers as physicians. However, when the pandemic took hold, medical students quickly became endangered species at most every hospital. The cancellation of rotations put finishing 3rd year on hold and postponed scheduled board exams until undetermined dates and locations. My USMLE STEP 2 was postponed four months with the closest available location being Gainesville, FL over five hours away. As my test date approached, other students shared stories of scheduling exams only to find out they had been cancelled within a couple weeks or even days of their date due to Prometric’s test center being over-booked. They of course were left scrambling for a testing center. I considered myself lucky to test on my rescheduled date even if I was wearing my mask for eight hours.
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Contents Page 4 - President’s Letter Ctd. Page 6 - Medical/Legal Page 10 - Foundation Page 15 - Community
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