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.
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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.”
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