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Shirlywhirl, M.D.
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2022-12-07

What is this? Am I actually doing some education for once?

For my non medical folks: warfarin/coumadin is a type of blood thinner that requires careful titration and regular monitoring. It is generally more cumbersome to take than other blood thinners such as DOACs/NOACs (meds such as apixaban, rivaroxaban), as patients who are on it have to be careful to eat the same amount of leafy greens and have to have very regular visits to monitor its levels. There are several reasons why clinicians may still choose warfarin/coumadin as the go to blood thinner in patients. 1- The levels of the drug, known as the INR, can be monitored and titrated closely by adjusting the dose, 2- it has been around for longer and thus has been studied in more conditions, 3- there are some populations in which DOACs/NOACs may not be as effective or even be dangerous (e.g. very overweight or underweight people).

The list provided in this video is not exhaustive! If you want to read more, check out the review article in my bio.

Oh, and… Real Hot Girl Sh*t. 😜 #clinicalpearls #medstudyguide #megantheestallion #tunedinfreestyle #hcws #physicians #residency #cardiology #fellowship #wic #intern #internship #meded #doctor #clinicalrotations #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #medicine #medicalschool #md #medstudent #physician #webcomic #nurse #nursing #advancedpractice #physicianassistant #clerkships #nursepractitioner

Dec 7 2022-12-07T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-30

👚 👖: @fabletics #moveinfabletics #myfabletics #fableticspartner

My first two years of med school, I was SKRONG af. I mean, there’s a video of me crushing CJ in an arm wrestling contest. Since then, however, I’ve really fallen off my fitness journey. Being a medical trainee means having inconsistent hours, and, given my additional responsibilities, am always budgeting my time…and I recently realized that I’ve been consistently deprioritizing my body at every turn.

I’m trying to change that. I changed gyms to one that I could easily drive to. I’ve been wearing workout clothes under my scrubs. I got a personal trainer. All of this has cost a pretty penny, but it’s been worth it. I’ve been even forcing myself to go during difficult rotations, like the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. (I’ve had to sacrifice sleep to make this work, so feel pretty crummy right now, but I’m determined not to lose these gains.)

I’m also trying very hard to detach my desire to exercise from the potential aesthetic results, and instead prioritize my health. Check out Life Simple’s 7 (link in story) for the AHA’s health markers for improving cardiovascular health! I ain’t never gonna make the BMI goal (have always been thicker than a snicker), but the other 6 I’m going to pursue to my best ability. We only have one body, and I’ve been trashing mine some (stares HARD at medicine for disrupting my sleep and ability to eat healthy for the last freaking decade)!

#healthcareworkers #hcws #physicians #residency #cardiology #fellowship #wic #intern #internship #meded #doctor #clinicalrotations #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #medicine #medicalschool #md #medstudent #physician #webcomic #nurse

Nov 30 2022-11-30T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-29

Thank you to all who donated to bring Psychiatry girl to life! I’ve been wanting to do this one for a while, so was excited to give it a whirl.

Thank you @docblerdyviolinist (Fam-Psych resident) for the description: “Psychiatry girl is laid back and one who will keep all your secrets. She can deescalate any patient with words. Her medications don’t always cure but what she lacks in specific treatments, she makes up for in creativity. Therapy, ECT, TMS, psychedelics just to name a few. She is the consult you place when nobody else knows what’s going on. Mostly, psych girl prides herself as being the greatest patient advocate in medicine!”

#magicalgirl #anime #manga #medicalmagicalgirl #psychiatry #psych #psychiatrists #resident #residency #intern #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #premedmotivation #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician

Nov 29 2022-11-29T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-26

#magicalgirl #anime #manga #medicalmagicalgirl #psychiatry #psych #psychiatrists #resident #residency #intern #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #premedmotivation #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician

Nov 26 2022-11-26T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-17

I CAN FINALLY ANNOUNCE THIS! I will be a regular contributor at Well+Being at @washingtonpost , where I’ll be hopefully providing insight into the medical industrial complex and sparking discussion about how best to navigate it. AND I’LL BE DOING IT WITH COMICS!

Very grateful to @taraparkerpope for giving me this voice!

#washingtonpost #opinionpiece #hcws #physicians #residency #cardiology #fellowship #wic #intern #internship #meded #doctor #clinicalrotations #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #medicine #medicalschool #md #medstudent #physician #webcomic #nurse #nursing #advancedpractice #physicianassistant #clerkships #nursepractitioner

Nov 17 2022-11-17T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-11

Disclaimer: this doesn’t represent anyone in my program and is a commentary on culture, don’t @ me.

When we talk about a culture being “unwelcoming” to certain groups of ppl, it’s hard to explain why. Cardiology is male dominated (see my post on #womenincardiology #wic from 3/17/22). I was very unhappy in my 1st year of fellowship. This year has been better for a myriad of reasons, chief of them being 1) the 1st year class is 50% women, one of whom is my bestie, 2) my PD graciously moved some of my rotations to my 3rd year of fellowship to make the workload more feasible given my 15232470 careers & 3) my knowledge base is strong enough that I am no longer cowed by situations like the one in comic.

Do I think my colleagues are deliberately minimizing my contributions or not listening when I offer thoughts? No. Do I think that, in a male-dominated culture in which being loud and wrong is more valued than being right but open to discussion, they might not notice when they’re doing so? Yes. The other day, one of the new female fellows witnessed me in an interaction not unlike the one in this comic. After the room had cleared, she asked me how I could stand it, and just the fact that she had recognized what had just occurred, that I had someone to confirm that it wasn’t in my head, was a breath of fresh air.

The truth is, I’m used to it now. But I don’t think it doesn’t affect me. I’m not as “warm” as I once was, & am significantly less tolerant of perceived disrespect. I probably question myself more (bc how am I right if I’m not as certain in the answer?) Before going into cardiology, I used to lament the lack of “relatable” female mentors. The stereotype for women in cardiology seemed to be “intense,” meaning cold, harsh, & sensitive to questioning of their judgment. Now, I reflect on how so much of those traits may be defense mechanisms developed over a career of having their judgments ?ed, their gender-specific needs neglected, & their contributions diminished… but that’s just me though.

Nov 11 2022-11-11T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-10

I could make these FOREVER. Part 2 of: which medical specialties would make the best male leads in a romance / romcom! This time it’s Emergency Medicine 🚨 and Ob Gyn 🤰! Ngl I would definitely be guilty of trying to save the EM bad boy. Who should I do next?

#emergencymedicine #obgyn #healthcareworkers #hcws #physicians #residency #cardiology #fellowship #wic #intern #internship #meded #doctor #clinicalrotations #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #medicine #medicalschool #md #medstudent #physician #webcomic #nurse #nursing #advancedpractice #physicianassistant #clerkships #nursepractitioner

Nov 10 2022-11-10T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-07

Disclaimer: this is just for fun, yes it’s based on stereotypes, obligatory not all surgeons. That being said it’s going to be a long time until I can write a male lead who is a doctor bc I’ve been traumatized 😂🥴 still, they’re a very popular profession for male leads in contemporary love stories written or imagined by non doctors.

Which specialities should I cover next, and who do you think has 10/10 potential? #healthcareworkers #hcws #physicians #residency #cardiology #fellowship #wic #intern #internship #meded #doctor #clinicalrotations #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #medicine #medicalschool #md #medstudent #physician #webcomic #nurse #nursing #advancedpractice #physicianassistant #clerkships #nursepractitioner

Nov 7 2022-11-07T00:00:00-06:00

2022-11-03

I used to believe in the concept of “poor historians.” (“Poor historian” is a descriptor oft used in medical lingo that refers to patients who have difficulty providing info about their medical history in a concise/ accurate manner.) these days, however, I’ve had a shift in perspective. After all, I’ve spent most of my life undergoing training in order to become an expert in the human body, and only became somewhat fluent in medical-ese in the last few years. Expecting patients to be able to speak our language and seek out answers to our desired questions is a tall order.

Nowadays, when someone is unable to answer questions about their medical history, I ask myself a few questions. First- am I asking the question in a way that makes it easy for them to understand? What clues/ hints can i give them to help jog their memory? Second- where are they coming from? Is English their first language? What’s their literacy level or educational background? Have we been handing them a bunch of documents they can’t understand? Did anyone actually explain to them what happened during that procedure/ admission / clinic visit?

#poorhistorian #healthcareworkers #hcws #physicians #residency #cardiology #fellowship #wic #intern #internship #meded #doctor #clinicalrotations #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #medicine #medicalschool #md #medstudent #physician #webcomic #nurse #nursing #advancedpractice #physicianassistant #clerkships #nursepractitioner

Nov 3 2022-11-03T00:00:00-05:00

2022-11-02

I am so proud of this drawing which is why I’m gonna post it a million times. I haven’t drawn anything non shirlywhirl in months. Truly in forever. I normally draw my characters before I write them, so this felt like a reversal of my creative process, and it was making me batty. I tried looking for someone who looked like Mal (one of the MCs) & came up empty…. So I said screw it and tried my hand at realism for the first time in a while.

And y’all this man does not exist anywhere but in my head but he feels SO REAL now! Especially with the help of the @app_revive (which provided the eerie animation lol).

And yes, this is one of the visuals from @boburnham ‘s “White Woman’s Instagram.” The piece I referenced is via @likelihood_art , who I’m obsessed with. Will Smith is just there to help me with colors 😂

#bookstagram #booktok #exposure2024 #authorsofinstagram #malcolmwaters #oc

Nov 2 2022-11-02T00:00:00-05:00