Erene Stergiopoulos

Third-year psychiatry resident, University of Toronto

“In a single day last March, everything switched to virtual. Suddenly I was scheduling appointments over email and faxing prescriptions rather than handing them out. For the first time, patients needed to get creative finding places where they could speak to me privately, especially when their families were home. There were times, over video, where I could see another person in the room during an appointment. In a few instances, I allowed people to come into the hospital and speak to me in person if they didn’t have a space at home where they felt safe.

“Virtual care turns my job into an administrative nightmare, and it feels like twice the work. The number of no-shows is also drastically reduced, which makes for a denser day. Now I’m writing notes, referrals, accommodation letters and prescriptions after hours. I’m regularly working 12-hour days, but I’m learning how to make things more manageable. I’m scheduling more breaks and fewer appointments when I can. It’s a work in progress.”

“The great thing about virtual care is how it has removed barriers for many patients. For people who work during the day, it’s easier to have a 20-minute video chat rather than a commute to and from a hospital. And I’ve gotten to meet so many of my patients’ pets over video in the last 16 months!”