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Shirlywhirl, M.D.
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2021-09-13

No comic this week because I was too busy living! Had an awesome weekend that kicked off with my little sis @starshields coming to visit for a day and a half that we packed tight with shenanigans. Topped it off with an amazing afternoon enjoying high tea/ exploring the city with the wonderful @shrutipatel. My copyedits are due on Wednesday… and I still gotta be a fellow come Monday… but umm no ragrets amirite? 😅 (and yes, y’all are the reason I feel comfy wearing the hat now.)

📸: @shrutipatel 👗: @ofuure (when y’all gonna sponser me abeg)

#ootd #ankarastyles #wic #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #premed #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md

Sep 13, 2021 2021-09-13T00:00:00-05:00

2021-09-06

Today was (is, lol, my watch doesn’t end until 7am babyyyyy) my first day on CCU ( Cardiac intensive care unit) call. As the CCU fellow on call, I respond to all the cardiovascular emergencies in the hospital, and preside over the patients currently admitted to the CCU. Since I completed my residency at Uchicago, I’m already familiar with how things run, which is a distinct advantage. Also, I chose to stay at UCMC because I knew that I would be training in a supportive culture- my senior fellows and attendings are a text/ call/ page away! (One of my co fellows, Martin, even sent me a Grubhub gift card because I’m working the holiday… which is so darn sweet 🥲.)

Any of you find yourself in a new supervisory role, looking around for an “adultier adult?”

#cardiology #fellowship #wic #residency #intern #inpatient #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md 1#medstudent #nurse #physician #webcomic #comic

Sep 6, 2021 2021-09-06T00:00:00-05:00

2021-08-28

Being raised in academic medicine has taught me to devalue my free time. I’ve spent the last several months unlearning! When I say I’m “busy,” sometimes I mean I’m busy detoxing, resting, and recharging- and that’s valid too. 🥰

#cardiology #selfcare #recharging #fellowship #wic #residency #intern #inpatient #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician #webcomic #comic

Aug 28, 2021 2021-08-28T00:00:00-05:00

2021-08-22

Self care during medical training has always been tough for me. I do a great job at taking care of myself in spurts - cooking in bulk because the cafeteria food in the hospital is ironically unhealthy and expensive, exercising consistently. But inevitably, usually in the winter, taking care of myself starts causing burn out. It’s hard to come home after a 12-16 hour day and spend an hour cooking before bed, or forty five minutes exercising. Pretty frequently around the hospital, you may hear me proclaim that I might just “let my body take the L during fellowship.”

I’ve found my workarounds, though- I make taking care of myself as convenient as possible. Last winter, we bought an elliptical which, despite the content of this comic, I actually do use (I get on it when I realize I’m just mucking around on my phone. It was $600, so not cheap and doable for everyone, but I can get on it wearing whatever I have on at the moment and get off it when I please.) I took up jogging because it’s an efficient, fully body form of exercise, and only takes about half an hour. I use my instant pot to make beans, and delegate chopping veggies etc to bae to speed up the cooking process.

What do y’all do to balance a demanding schedule with being good to your body?

Also, my healthcare creative/ entrepreneur of the week is @prettydocscrubcaps! My locs are thick, prone to dryness, and voluminous, so the hospital’s bonnets + standard scrub caps were not really cutting it. She is an anesthesiology resident, and she and her mom, also a healthcare worker, started this venture as a way to help provide more fun scrub caps for everyone, but specifically natural hair! These bonnets are satin lined, they have buttons to hook your mask to, and they’re roomy enough that my hair fits!

#supportsmallbusiness #gifts #blackbusinesses #selfcare #healthyliving #cardiology #fellowship #wic #residency #intern #inpatient #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician #webcomic #comic

Aug 22, 2021 2021-08-22T00:00:00-05:00

2021-08-15

Interventional Cardiologists - are y’all okay? How’s your blood pressure? All I’m saying is that having your cortisol be at an all time high multiple times a week can’t be good for you.

For real though, second week of Cath has been a ride! I’ve learned a lot of techniques, got to float Swan, inject contrast, and more!

#interventionalcardiology #cardiology #fellowship #wic #residency #intern #inpatient #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician #webcomic #comic #ic #cardiotwitter

Aug 15, 2021 2021-08-15T00:00:00-05:00

2021-08-12

Aight y’all, it’s August, which means that it’s #supportblackbusiness month. (Also Support Black Business every month.) I’m going to be doing a thing approximately once every two weeks where I buy a product from either BIPOC creatives, creatives who are healthcare workers, or both! It’s almost like a reverse influencer thing, because I’m effectively paying to promote something 😂 so y’all know it’s legit.

First on my docket: @debbies_darling. I found Heather’s work due to the amazing badge reels she’s done for multiple healthcare workers, and I was instantly entranced! I’ve worked with polymer clay before, so I know firsthand that it’s tough to master, and she has it down pat! I got these pet portraits for my friends who are obsessed with their kitties, and they loved them. Everything in her shop is reasonably priced (I would say UNDER priced, given the cost of her materials and the skill/ time that goes into each piece.) Check out her page and give sis some business!

#supportsmallbusiness #gifts #blackbusinesses #polymerclay #polymerart #catsofinstagram

Aug 12, 2021 2021-08-12T00:00:00-05:00

2021-08-07

All jokes aside, my one week on Cath has been a fascinating experience. The Cath lab is where percutaneous (meaning through the skin, but functionally through blood vessels ) procedures take place, and include valve replacements, thrombectomies (removal of blood clots), pericardiocenteses (removal of Fluid from the sac around the heart) and, yes coronary and peripheral angiography (where we look for blockages in the arteries around the heart and in the limbs and/or intervene on them to restore blood flow.) It really is a field that is on the cutting edge of new technology, and it’s amazing to me how quickly the Interventional Cardiologists I’m training under adopt and perfect new approaches!

(But for real though. The only made up name is monster truck.)

#interventionalcardiology #bostonscientitic #cardiology #fellowship #wic #residency #intern #inpatient #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician #webcomic #comic

Aug 7, 2021 2021-08-07T00:00:00-05:00

2021-07-31

This comic, like most of my comics, is based on an experience I had recently. A Black patient received an unexpected and dire diagnosis and reacted in a way that was uncomfortable, but in the end, not harmful or even entirely unreasonable, to the care team. One of the nurses called security on them, stating that they were being “disruptive” to other patients. I was shocked by the willingness and swiftness by which this patient’s behavior was criminalized, with neither regard for their condition nor recognition that honestly patients reaming their healthcare teams is just another Tuesday (for better or worse.) I don’t like being the subject of that any more than the next person, and I will always advocate for HCWs feeling safe at work. But I couldn’t help but feel that this patient was being swiftly punished for having one of many fairly normal reactions to fear.

I always say that being Black in America is to be never given the benefit of the doubt. I think about how this patient had no reason to fully trust the medical team with their body outside of blind faith, and how their coping mechanism, adaptable or not, was not considered in that context. Instead, they were retraumatized, watched, searched, and put in their place. And I think that was wrong. We need to do better. If we are going to have standards for patient behavior, they need to be evenly applied. See my story for more insights!

#fellowship #cardiologyfellowship #wic #residency #intern #inpatient #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician #webcomic #comics

Jul 31, 2021 2021-07-31T00:00:00-05:00

2021-07-26

It is a Sunday. “Sundays are for the plants.” Today, @kcharmer reminded me of one of Ebi’s (@ebi_eats @nurselifern signature pieces of wisdom. On Sundays, he watered his plants, meaning that he gave of himself to others to help and nourish them (through laughter, by listening, by caring) and acknowledged those who watered him in turn. It’s strange to mourn him, because we only chatted a few times, but in a way, Ebi felt like he could have been my cousin. He was full of light and talent. He was funny, he pushed the envelope on “professionalism” and created a safe space for others to (sometimes over)share. He should have gotten a TV show some day. So many of us were invested in him, and magically, he was invested in so many.

So today, in honor of Ebi, I hope you are watering your plants, and watering your souls, and watering the souls of others. Because, the way I see it, in the end, all we have is each other.

Rest In Peace, cuz. #ebi #nurselifern #nurse #nursing #medicine #healthcareheroes

Jul 26, 2021 2021-07-26T00:00:00-05:00

2021-07-17

First rotation of fellowship done! I spent the last two-ish weeks familiarizing myself with Echos on our “junior imaging” rotation. As part of this, I had to learn how to obtain the images myself, which means that I basically followed the Cardiac Sonographers around like a baby duckling for a week.

First off- mad respect for the skills required to obtain a good echo. I used to order these willy nilly as a resident, and it was eye opening to see just how much training and skill went into actually doing it! These guys made it look easy (it is not lol.) (also the point of care ultrasounds I was getting as a resident were basura lol.) Secondly- they really let me derail them from their work and were so patient with me for the length of my rotation, and I’m so so grateful (also to the patients who let me practice!) Happy to say that my images are not half bad now!

Now… off to consults 🥲

#sonographer #cardiacsonographer #ultrasound #ultrasoundtech #cardiacimaging #echo #echocardiogram #fellowship #cardiologyfellowship #wic #residency #intern #inpatient #doctor #womeninmedicine #blackdoctors #graphicmedicine #premed #internalmedicine #medschool #medicine #medicalschool #medlife #md #medstudent #nurse #physician #webcomic #comic

Jul 17, 2021 2021-07-17T00:00:00-05:00