Features
Viva Voce and the Virus: Interviews with the Very New 2020 was a year like no other in living memory. Next to a pandemic, only war brings such a wholesale dislocation and reorganisation of our social and economic life—and so it was with the COVID-19 assault on the human population. Indeed, the impact of the current global health crisis has been psychologically more profound than any military battle because the enemy moves invisibly and tirelessly among us with no regard for the accepted rules of engagement in a deadly conflict. The College membership as a whole has played a valuable role in coping with the crisis and helping to maintain the healthcare system under less-than-ideal field conditions. Yet, as with war, it is unsurprising to note that, in the defence of a nation's (or nations') health from a novel threat, the disruption to normality tends to fall heavily on those who arrive at the front just as the first wave hits. So it was for our trainees and recent graduates last year and today.
Dr Michael Chan
The completion of final examinations and the contemplation of what lies beyond them are challenging enough in business-as-usual circumstances, let alone on the cusp of, or in the midst of, the pandemic. This uncomfortable thought led Inside News to ask six of the newly-arrived cohort at the start or in the early phase of their careers to tell us of their recent experiences.
“The completion of final examinations and the contemplation of what lies beyond them are challenging enough in business-as-usual circumstances, let alone on the cusp of, or in the midst of, the pandemic.”
As could be expected, the responses were mostly the stuff of bad dreams or, if not truly nightmarish, unsettling enough to induce a serious loss of sleep. Yet, despite the pain, the persistent sentiment among the interviewees was positive or at least self-deprecating—about the impact of the crisis on self and family, their workplaces, and on their future careers. As one was adamant to remind us, “my experiences with COVID are minor compared to the death of a loved one due to the infection.” Nonetheless, disruptions to both training and work were widespread. Sally Ayesa, a clinical radiologist in Gosford, completed her second year of nuclear medicine advanced training in 2020. “I had planned to pick up some casual radiology work in 2020 but the plans fell through.” With the pandemic, patients were getting fewer scans and, with a downturn in demand, a private practice appointment and two locum positions she had been offered at public hospitals failed to result in any work. “It was a frustrating and uncertain time in my career,” she recalled. However, one of the hospitals kept in touch with “open and honest communication” and eventually got her on board. “I ultimately decided to settle long-term at the hospital that had offered me the best support through the times of uncertainty,” she said. Cara Odenthal completed a hybrid fellowship in abdominal and pelvic imaging in Brisbane last year and now works for a large private radiology clinic and two breast clinics in the public and not-for profit sectors. During her fellowship, she experienced a significant drop-off in caseload and ability to attend multidisciplinary team meetings, conferences and courses, as the pandemic took hold. But the setback had its compensations, she recalls. continued over... Volume 17 No 3 I June 2021
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