This is definitely one of the reasons I bailed after Medical school. Unvaccinated COVID patients are new, but that kind of decision making is not. Once I realized medicine was as much begging people to make good decisions as it was actually helping people, I just didn't think I could spend a lifetime doing that. Anecdotally, the few physician contacts I've kept are regularly posting about how much they are working. Which is impressive, because to them working 60+ hours a week is not considered too much.

> Not one doctor mentioned anything about quitting or being short-staffed

This likely comes down to self selection. You were in Idaho, I in Jackson. Also, relatively-rural Driggs versus denser Boise having different rates of spare hospital capacity as well as vaccination. (Or seeing a doctor at their office versus off duty.) Given Idaho was flirting with crisis standards of care, I think it’s objective to say they have a problem.

20 doctors/nurses in 2 weeks? I hope you were taking a survey or selling medical equipment, and you were not ill.

It did seem crazy at the time.

But not ill. Thanks for your concern.

One of the doctors was an ophthalmologist. Did the full vision test while at it. I was not driving - mostly doing uber to get around.

Made the mistake accepting the eye drops they often do for vision testing.

My phone was a complete blur after the drops.

Yes...I had a few more appts that day.

Trying to get around or even something as basic as calling was hard. Now imagine having to fill out online forms on mobile. Nightmare

In quiet desperation, i tried to turn on the accessibility settings on my android.

The phone suddenly started parroting loudly YOU ARE NOW USING ACCESSIBILITY SETTINGS PLEASE CONFIRM in the middle of a quiet waiting room.

The 3 hours that followed where the most vulnerable and humbling of my life.