God and Nature Summer 2020
It Takes a (medical) Village |
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By Michael J. Pyle, M.D.
A general surgeon by training, a dozen years ago I accepted an invitation to teach anatomy and physiology at Olivet Nazarene University. I continued to work part-time in surgery, covering weekend surgical calls once or twice each month at my Indianapolis west-suburban hospital.
As the COVID-19 pandemic mushroomed, the hospital response was incredible. Overnight our maintenance teams erected walls to partition the emergency department to segregate potential cases. New walls in the surgical recovery room created an additional 26 ICU beds with laminar airflow and sequestered PPE donning and doffing spaces. Employees took on new responsibilities dispensing PPE, providing specialized transportation, and so on.
A general surgeon by training, a dozen years ago I accepted an invitation to teach anatomy and physiology at Olivet Nazarene University. I continued to work part-time in surgery, covering weekend surgical calls once or twice each month at my Indianapolis west-suburban hospital.
As the COVID-19 pandemic mushroomed, the hospital response was incredible. Overnight our maintenance teams erected walls to partition the emergency department to segregate potential cases. New walls in the surgical recovery room created an additional 26 ICU beds with laminar airflow and sequestered PPE donning and doffing spaces. Employees took on new responsibilities dispensing PPE, providing specialized transportation, and so on.
Intensive Care Unit specialists led teams of hospitalists, nurses, and respiratory therapists—the front-line folks putting themselves at risk to care for the sickest of the sick. Community physicians who hadn’t set foot in the hospital for years signed up to deliver hospital care, filling the shoes of hospitalists as they were pulled into critical care assignments. Hospital administrators did a masterful job navigating a myriad of details to make everything happen in the blink of an eye.
As this effort was underway, my Olivet classes transitioned to online delivery, and a national appeal was made to retired and part-time medical professionals to assist in addressing the crisis. So, with the support of my Biology Department colleagues, I came off the sidelines.
In speaking to our front-line responders, I discovered that they were spending two-three hours a day calling families on top of already exhausting schedules. My offer to shoulder that responsibility was gladly accepted.
Each morning, after donning PPE, I rounded with the ICU team and then called our patients’ loved ones. Many of these patients were gravely ill, so those conversations were at times difficult. However, the calls were very deeply appreciated and, for me, very gratifying. Often the conversation turned to faith… and sometimes joy as I could tell families that their husbands, fathers, wives, or mothers had turned the corner toward healing.
Fortunately, after an intense two weeks, our first peak passed, to be followed by a second peak a week or so later (largely due to an outbreak among inmates in a nearby prison).
Things at this writing are much better but far from normal. Many people seem fearful to seek routine care even though the hospital is probably at least as safe as home. My role has ended for now, and it was a genuine privilege to serve the community and my team. I am extremely proud of their effort and sacrifice.
Mike Pyle came to full Christian surrender under the teaching of E. Stanley Jones. He trained as a general surgeon and served four years as a medical missionary to Swaziland early in his career. When that assignment ended in 1992, he accepted a call to associate pastor of Avon Parkside Church of the Nazarene while maintaining a busy practice. A dozen years ago, an invitation to teach biology undergraduates at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) proved a 'divine yes' moment. He continued to work on-call weekends as a surgeon and just completed five years as the Chair of Biology. In transition, Mike recently accepted appointment to Associate Dean of the Martin D. Walker School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at ONU.
As this effort was underway, my Olivet classes transitioned to online delivery, and a national appeal was made to retired and part-time medical professionals to assist in addressing the crisis. So, with the support of my Biology Department colleagues, I came off the sidelines.
In speaking to our front-line responders, I discovered that they were spending two-three hours a day calling families on top of already exhausting schedules. My offer to shoulder that responsibility was gladly accepted.
Each morning, after donning PPE, I rounded with the ICU team and then called our patients’ loved ones. Many of these patients were gravely ill, so those conversations were at times difficult. However, the calls were very deeply appreciated and, for me, very gratifying. Often the conversation turned to faith… and sometimes joy as I could tell families that their husbands, fathers, wives, or mothers had turned the corner toward healing.
Fortunately, after an intense two weeks, our first peak passed, to be followed by a second peak a week or so later (largely due to an outbreak among inmates in a nearby prison).
Things at this writing are much better but far from normal. Many people seem fearful to seek routine care even though the hospital is probably at least as safe as home. My role has ended for now, and it was a genuine privilege to serve the community and my team. I am extremely proud of their effort and sacrifice.
Mike Pyle came to full Christian surrender under the teaching of E. Stanley Jones. He trained as a general surgeon and served four years as a medical missionary to Swaziland early in his career. When that assignment ended in 1992, he accepted a call to associate pastor of Avon Parkside Church of the Nazarene while maintaining a busy practice. A dozen years ago, an invitation to teach biology undergraduates at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) proved a 'divine yes' moment. He continued to work on-call weekends as a surgeon and just completed five years as the Chair of Biology. In transition, Mike recently accepted appointment to Associate Dean of the Martin D. Walker School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at ONU.