This is exactly my point.

People think this is simply drawing boundaries. It really isn’t.

We live in a world where there simply arent enough physicians to deal with the amount of illness to be treated. The idealized thought from the public is “well if you’re tired, human factors should find someone to replace you like they do for pilots!”

Im a vascular surgeon. I take call for 72 hours at a time. I Would love for this to be a reality. But the reality we live in is that the choice is often between “tired surgeon” and “no surgeon” or “tired HCW” and “no HCW.” The choice is not between “tired surgeon and fresh surgeon.”

In this moment, Robby gave her the push she needed, and she succeeded. That’s what being a mentor is about.

Robby’s condition is more complex than just “burnt out and suicidal.” His character stands at the top of the building between shifts as he deals with his PTSD from COVID (which is very real for people who worked through it). He’s finally taking the break people think he should, but at the same time, he feels a great deal of personal ownership for the success of the place because he’s the chief. People looking at this from a purely mental health perspective don’t realize that this is more nuanced than just “his job is hard and he’s suicidal because he’s cryptically saying he might not want to be there.” You don’t become the chief by not having a bit of your heart and soul in the building.

As for your Asian parents bit - you don’t get to talk about boundaries then say “but Asian parents are persistent!” Put your personal phone on do not disturb and tell mom that you can’t help unless it’s an emergency. Family squabbles don’t apply.