"Death is our greeter"

Doctors, nurses and technicians usually face “second-hand trauma,” where they absorb the trauma of gunshot victims and other patients they treat, said Debbie Minsky-Kelly, a social work professor at Carthage College in Wisconsin who teaches trauma. With the coronavirus, they’re also absorbing “first-hand trauma,” as they risk infection and witness colleagues get sick and even die, she said.

Unchecked, the trauma could resurface down the road, when caseloads lighten and they have time to think about their experience, Minsky-Kelly said.

“What are going to be the triggers for doctors and nurses for future PTSD?” she said. “The person performing my surgery could suddenly be having a flashback in the middle of my procedure.”