Keeping our colleagues informed during the COVID-19 crisis is of high importance. Caring for our people is a core part of our culture. It involves our leaders caring about colleagues. It also means colleagues caring for each other and for patients, and everyone in the organization caring about our purpose as surgicalists. We are change agents, re-engineering care for clinicians, patients, and our hospital partners. Read the message below from our CEO and Founder, Dr. Mit Desai to our colleagues.
Taking Care of Yourself
During this time of COVID-19 you may find yourself working extended hours to help cover emergent surgeries. Before long, we’ll get back to more predictable routines. In the meantime, please take care of yourself.
What does it mean to “take care of yourself?” As I was reflecting over these past few weeks, I thought about my pre-surgicalist life. Starting with surgical residency, I spent endless hours training to become a general surgeon. Upon completing residency, I worked even harder to build my reputation and my practice. That was the way of life for me, as well as most of my general surgery peers. Rarely did I hear anyone suggesting I should take care of myself (that is, aside from for my wife and parents). Deep inside I knew I had to find a new path forward that would allow me to take better care of myself, those I loved, and my patients. The desire to create a more harmonious life for myself and fellow surgeons was the driver to start the The Surgicalist Group.
We have achieved a more balanced life as Surgicalists, but there are rare situations that jolt us out of harmony, whether it’s the COVID-19 pandemic or other natural disasters. Nature will take its course and we will get on other side of this pandemic. In the meantime, let’s make sure we focus on taking care of ourselves so we can be there for others when they need us the most. Start by going back to the basics with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Given today’s reality, we may need to reframe our world and get our basic physiological and safety needs met. Make it a priority to eat well, sleep, practice good hygiene measures (yes, more handwashing), and exercise daily. It seems simple but without those fundamentals we cannot operate at our highest. It’s also important to check in with others around you and ensure they have their basic needs met. Then, go out of your way to help others feel appreciated. Give them a sense of belonging.
Thank you.
I want to extend a special message to our business colleagues who work in our offices (and now temporarily at home, making a kitchen table or the corner of a bedroom the new workspace). These are unprecedented times and I appreciate your ingenuity and grit to keep our operations flowing.
As we start another week of life in the time of COVID-19, I want to thank each of you for showing up every day and doing what you were called to do. Whether you are in the operating room or an arm’s length away, supporting our surgeons, we are collectively taking care of patients and each other.
In gratitude for all you do,
Mit Desai, MD
CEO & Founder
