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Fords on the Frontlines: Sydney Hyder '13 Internal Medicine Resident at Penn Medicine

Fords on the Frontlines: Sydney Hyder '13 Internal Medicine Resident at Penn Medicine
Posted: May 29, 2020

The Haverford athletic community is doing its part to contribute to the battle against COVID-19. This summer, we are checking in with those who are making a difference on the frontlines. 

Sydney Hyder '13 (Field Hockey) 
 Internal Medicine Resident Physician, Hospital of the University of Pennyslvania  

 

 1. Can you briefly share your story? What is your current role and day-to-day responsibilities during this crisis? 
  After Haverford, I attended medical school in New Jersey and returned to Philadelphia for residency. I am currently in my last month of my internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and in less than a month I will move out to Chicago to start my pulmonary/critical care fellowship! As a medicine resident, we are the primary providers for almost all the COVID-19 patients in the hospital - whether they are on the floors or in the intensive care units. our day-to-day responsibilities include making and enacting the medical plan for the day, admitting patients to the hospital, and being the person at bedside if the patient gets sicker and needs a higher level of care. 

 
A major aspect of my job now in caring for these patients during the COVID-19 pandemic is providing emotional support for both your patient and their families. To limit risk to patients, their families, and staff, the hospital is limiting visitors and patients' families most days can only see or hear their loved ones through the phone. It's been a rewarding yet challenging part of my job to provide as much reassurance and understanding as possible while still providing medical guidance as guidelines and rules change daily to weekly. 
 
2. Are there any lessons from your time as a student-athlete at Haverford that you have carried into your current work situation?  If so, what are those lessons?
My passion is intensive care medicine, which involves patients getting sick quickly and the need to make quick decisions that can change a patient's trajectory. I look back at my time at Haverford being a student athlete and I know that there was a direct correlation in my passion and the traits I learned on the field. On the field, I was a field hockey goalie, a role that taught me to have clear, direct communication skills, confidence in my decision making, and an ability to see two steps ahead in an evolving play. Just as I needed to stay calm, cool, and collected on the field as I prepared for a shot, I must maintain my cool at the bedside even when patients are becoming sicker and the stakes are high. Especially in time of COVID where so much is evolving and evolving quickly, maintaining an even keel is more important than ever. 
 
3. What advice do you give people to stay healthy and safe during this time?
Hygiene! Hygiene! Hygiene! It's definitely scary trying to figure out what is safe practice, especially when recommendations change daily. We know that hand-washing, mask-wearing, and social distancing really does decrease transmission rates, so we cannot stress that enough! 
 
4. Now for a fun one ... What was your favorite athletic moment at Haverford? 
Really, it was anytime I was in cage and we scored. I loved the rush of running up the field to slap sticks with my defenders before we recouped for the next play. I don't think you get that feeling anywhere else.
Scoreboard
  • Sat, 10/28 | Field Hockey vs. #21 Swarthmore L, 3-2 (Final) RC | BX
  • Wed, 10/25 | Field Hockey vs. Muhlenberg L, 4-2 (Final) RC | BX
  • Sat, 10/21 | Field Hockey at McDaniel W, 1-0 (Final) RC | BX
  • Wed, 10/18 | Field Hockey vs. #25 Ursinus L, 3-1 (Final) RC | BX
  • Sat, 10/14 | Field Hockey at #25 Franklin & Marshall L, 4-0 (Final) RC | BX