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 Christopher Bannwarth, PA(ASCP)CM
AAPA member since 2000
“Greetings from San Antonio! Like most across the nation, our city has adopted a Stay Home, Work Safe Order, which has been in effect for some time now. We get daily updates from our mayor, which include any changes to those orders, the latest of which includes that all people are required to wear a face covering when in public, with a few exceptions. The hospital where I work also requires us to wear a mask at all times, except in our case, when we are grossing. There are only a few select open entrances into the hospital now, where upon entering, our temperature is also taken. No visitors are allowed. Only essential surgeries are allowed at this time, which has significantly reduced our daily grossing volume. However, just last Friday our governor announced that elective surgeries will be able to resume next week. Another new addition to my hospital is an overhead speaker alert ‘Transport Team in Progress’, which warns those in the hospital that a COVID-19 patient is being transported out of the ER to a hospital room, and to steer clear of the area until completed. There are many changes happening to help keep us all safe and healthy.
But more noticeable to me in our hospital are the things that are not happening. The halls are usually bustling with employees, patients, and physicians who routinely greet each other with a beaming smile and promote a warm sense of community. Our CEO even makes it a point to visit each department to observe the daily routine and get to know the faces of those who help to keep the hospital running, often on a first name basis with most of them. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the hallways are virtually empty, the cafeteria is quiet, and I have to imagine the smile behind the mask of the person I am greeting in the hallway. Most of the usual things that create that sense of community cannot happen right now. For now, I’ll wash my hands often, as I always have done, and hope to soon see the warm, pearly white smiles of everyone as we pass by.
To help stay healthy and sane at home, my wife and I have a home gym, thankfully, as all the public gyms are closed. We also have the best medicine for any illness – a fluffy golden retriever, Molly, who will melt your heart and make you smile as soon as you walk through the door at the end of a long day. I count my blessings and am thankful to have a great job and to be a part of such an essential profession. Stay safe and be well!“
We want to hear from you! During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community! How is COVID-19 affecting your work? What tips and tricks have you found useful? How are you using this time to promote pathologists’ assistants? Send us a summary describing your “new normal”, along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here). Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along. Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.
Would you like to be featured in ASCP BOC’s new campaign? As a tie in with Lab Week, the ASCP BOC is seeking to honor the heroic efforts of laboratory professionals from around the world who are engaged in the fight against COVID-19. They are asking for pictures, stories, and/or videos that can be shared on their social media channels throughout this crisis. Click here to learn more; submit your story to [email protected].
Submission guidelines: There are no strict submission guidelines or criteria (submissions can be about anything people are doing to combat COVID-19). But some examples of what you could send are: how laboratory workers are keeping themselves safe, how they are encouraging good hygiene and hand washing, how they are using humor to relieve stress, how they are raising awareness of the medical laboratory profession in the midst of this pandemic, etc.
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