VOLUME 30, ISSUE 1

During the storm, our department at UTMB had protocols in place so I knew I would be picked to serve the community for however long it was deemed necessary. Even so, it was not easy to prepare myself for what was to come. I was given the morning prior to predicted landfall to secure my belongings at home and pack my bags for, at the very least, a week of being confined to the hospital to provide patient care.

Challenge 1: The Initial days of work…

Due to the impending storm and predicted damage, the obstetricians notified all of their expecting mothers to seek shelter within the hospital (especially if they were planning on delivering within the next week!) That was a lot of mothers! The first 2-3 days on the L&D ward were a constant barrage of epidurals as inductions proceeded. By the time the emergency status was lifted a week later, 95 deliveries and 4 sets of twins were delivered. By no means did I work the L&D ward for an entire week but, as a group of seven residents, we were challenged with duties to manage responsibilities in the labor and delivery suite, main operating rooms, and the surgical ICU. Another notable achievement (that another resident participated in): an emergent CABG was performed as the storm raged on. As a team, an open line of communication had to be maintained to manage our limited resources. We rotated residents and snuck in naps as situations permitted. As residents in this day and age, we are often sheltered from extremes of duty hours; but this was an extenuating circumstance that I was proud to be a part of. For an endeavor such as this, I had to do my best to block out negative thoughts and concerns of my own home and focus on providing for the needs of our community.