How have you been supporting your OWN mental health as a pediatric oncology health care provider, through out this pandemic? Part 2/2

In late April 2021, we informally discussed within our social media group how we were coping with COVID-19 and what resources we had available to us to support our mental health. We realized this could be great testimonies to share on the blog and a good conversation starter. Please get in touch with us if you want to tell us your OWN story!

Pia Delano, physiotherapist from Santiago, Chile - May 2021

"In Chile we were in full lockdown for more than 5 months when the pandemic struck. While we had to keep on treating our patients via online, the stress of coming up with new ideas to keep them engaged, the fear of getting COVID and the lack of social interactions and activities outside work took a toll on our mental health which was not prevented. The result was that at the end of the year we had  burnout, people resigning and poor teamwork which hit our team negatively. Right now we are all participating to make a better working emotional place and to keep on being able to work with pediatric oncology patients."

Ajay Gupta, pediatric oncologist from Buffalo, USA - May 2021

"At my institution, the mental health resources that we have access to are circulated in email format with the weekly and monthly coronavirus updates. They offer links to support as put together by social workers and there is a team of physicians, psychologists, and social workers who are available to talk with staff. They also offer links to local mental health counselors, the NCCN toolkit for oncology healthcare professionals, CDC resources, and local hotlines. I actually did not realize all of this until the topic came up in discussion with the SIOP YI! Personally, we saw a decrease in patient volume with COVID and no patient deaths, so I actually did not suffer any mental health consequences from working during the pandemic. Indeed, work kept me sane and I felt grateful to be able to stick to my normal routine, plus a new mask!"

 

Sarah Cohen-Gogo, pediatric oncologist from Toronto, Canada - June 2021

"The past 15 months have definitely been challenging. Being a full-time pediatric oncology fellow but also the mother to three young children, I have had to be creative and supportive to my family, my patients, my colleagues... and finally to myself. I work at the Hospital for Sick Children and many mental health support opportunities are available to me. We have very frequent and supportive communication from our CEO and our Physician Lead for Wellness. As a health care provider, I have access to a free account for yoga/fitness through the DownDog app and as a resident of Ontario, have free access to a therapy tool called MindBeacon . I have decided to accept any offered opportunity to get a mental or physical "breather"... and keep fingers crossed for best days to come!"