The COVID-19 Army Experiences from the Deployment of Non-Hospitalist Physician Volunteers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The authors surveyed 183 physicians from various specialties who volunteered to work on inpatient wards early in the COVID-19 pandemic to understand factors that affected their readiness for patient surge. Respondents noted the need for orientations (particularly around electronic medical records), balancing the workload, providing updates on evolving policies, ensuring the teams feel valued and have necessary tools, clear roles, and clear workflow as variables that impacted their readiness.