Dr Daniel Wilson (Dan) is a Rural Generalist trainee with ACRRM and Board Director  at Rural Doctors Association Victoria (RDAV). Dan is passionate about improving the delivery of healthcare for rural Australians, currently working in the Grampians region with interest areas of chronic disease, medical education, Women’s Health and LGBTIQ+ sexual health. We caught up with Dan to see how he is coping with the impact that COVID-19 is having on the frontline…

How has COVID-19 impacted you and how has it made you a stronger Rural Generalist?
Like many other doctors, COVID-19 has impacted the way we work. For many outside of fever clinics, respiratory clinics and major metropolitan centres, doctors have witnessed a massive downturn in patient numbers. This rings particularly true in regional and rural Emergency Department and Urgent Care Centres across the country. This downturn in activity is in a huge part due to a swift Federal and State response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and community engagement with social lockdown procedures.

Has COVID-19 made me a stronger Rural Generalist? Hard to say. I think COVID-19 has made me a much more engaged and well equipped RG-in-training. As a consequence of COVID-19, I have been privy to additional airway skills training, emergency response training and management, disaster planning and management, and of course, PPE up skilling.

How has the pandemic changed the way you work in a team environment and lean on your colleagues for support?
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected communities in various ways. As an RG-in-training, I’ve seen fear and anxiety among myself and colleagues. This fear, an appropriately so, contributes to fatigue, burnout and possibly toward clinical errors. Working in a team environment, whether in the community or in a large health centre, has been pivotal for health care professionals getting through. As peers and colleagues, we have shared lived experiences — knowledge of the real difficulties and traumas we face each day. Some of us can’t take that home. As such, we share with our peers and colleagues, and confide in them. This camaraderie between health care mates has gotten us through.

What initiatives did you/your workplace put into place to manage the well-being of the staff, and what was most effective for you?
I work across three workplaces, but all three rural work places implemented similar changes for management of staff well-being:

• Transparency: Executive made clear current local situation, current local response, and possible future directions
• Communication: Frequent communication from daily to weekly updates for staff allow health care workers to be abreast of most up-to-date clinical information
• Support: Direction to stress and fatigue-management strategies.
• Flexibility: My employers have been upfront in that flexible working arrangements must be possible during COVID-19. This flexibility must be a two-way street, flexibility on behalf of the employer and flexibility on behalf of the employee.

How have you taken care of your own personal well being outside of work during this time?
Taking care of my own personal well-being means taking care of the essentials: feeling safe, feeling connected, living well. To get through this period of less physical connectedness, it has been paramount to make efforts with those most valuable to myself to be connected digitally. This has occurred through online catch-ups or telephone calls. It’s also been important to maintain a sense of normality in my daily schedule of meals, physical activity and hobbies (like gardening, for me).

What advice would you give for junior doctors during times of crisis?
You’re not alone. If you’re a Junior Doctor during this time and feeling isolated, victimised, vulnerable, unsupported, or any feeling of less valued; reach out for help. There are endless avenues of support from your local Medical Education Officer, Registrars, Clinical Supervisors, Doctors Helpline, Training College and more. Don’t stay alone, and become connected. Get the support you need.

What is the key takeaway from your experiences on the front line during a pandemic that you will take through the rest of your career (professionally or personally)?

• Be kind.
• Take time.
• Be careful and judicious.
• Keep connected.