From the President’s Desk

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The time for courage

Emily E. Volk, MD

February 2022—We pathologists tend to share traits common among physicians: We are often type A overachievers, driven by perfectionism, our own unrealistic expectations, and a deep fear of failure. Normally, these characteristics help us to achieve our goals, in life and in caring for patients.

But these are not normal times. In the COVID-19 pandemic, it is almost impossible to feel like we’re doing a good job. Like so many of you, I am working significantly long­er hours than usual. At the end of each day I am often left with a sense of despondency that there’s not enough time to get everything done, or to do it all as well as I would like.

To get through this crisis, we have to let go of our perfectionism and embrace doing what we can. We need to accept that if we’re doing what we can, it’s enough. Even if our individual efforts seem inadequate in dealing with this pandemic nightmare, the collective effort is adequate.

Each day in my hospital I feel like I’m taking a bath in COVID-19. But I go home, rest up, and do it again the next day. I imagine that most of you share that experience, so here’s what I would ask you to remember: There is bravery in that. There is courage in going back to work, day after day. We need to recognize that and honor it in each other and in ourselves.

Dr. Volk

For me, the ideas of medicine and courage—in acknowledging the fear and doing the thing anyway—have always been closely tied. I was so certain about my career in health care that I enrolled in a six-year combined bachelor’s and medical program at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. My earliest clinical experience began when I was just 20. The program recognized the challenges of starting so young, and partnered junior students with more senior students. I am still in touch with my senior partner, a woman named Dana Thompson, MD, who is now a pediatric ENT at Northwestern.