Natalie Wall, MD
@nataliemwall
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Surgery, because medicine didn't have enough thoracotomies | Perpetually debating which side of the diaphragm I prefer | Surgery resident @VCUGenSurgRes
Richmond, VA
Joined October 2014
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Snuck away to Paris with my best friend, came home with a fiancée 🥲
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“Okay but when will the doctor be in?”
“I am your doctor, sir.”
“No but the doctor doctor not the nurse doctor.”
*checks badge*
“Yep. Still me.”
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Very elderly female patient on rounds recently: “So you’re going to school to become a nurse, then?”
Me: “A doctor, actually!”
Her: *takes my hand in hers, eyes light up* “Women didn’t do that in my day. You go, girl.”
#SheForShe
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Now I know some of you may be thinking “wow she owns a swimsuit, how unprofessional”, but all I’m thinking is “wow look at my sternocleidomastoids”.
#MedBikini
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It's 12:45am and I just officially finished medical school. Woah.
Well, that was fun!
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Today my 14 year-old sister told me she wants to be a cardiothroacic surgeon (or a fashion designer) when she grows up.
And then drew me this.
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Anyone else have those days where you get home from work and can’t muster the energy to walk inside so you sit in your car for 30 minutes? Asking for me.
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One of the ortho chiefs at my medical school had these clogs and I thought she was a total badass.
So I bought some in hopes they’d help me channel that same badass lady-boss surgery persona ⚡️
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I said the word “vagina” (in respectful conversation regarding what rotation I am on) and a stranger gave me a disgusted glare.
Vagina 👏🏻 is 👏🏻 not 👏🏻 a 👏🏻 profane 👏🏻 word. It’s an anatomical part of the female body.
</rant>
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Grocery shopping this evening on my way home from work, wearing my hospital jacket, when a stranger walked up to me.
“Are you a doctor?”
“Yes, why?” I replied.
“Thank you for what you do.” And he walked away.
🥺
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Blood and guts? No problem. Unclogging the shower drain? Absolutely not.
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The hierarchy of medicine, according to OR sterility:
Student - merely looks at OR, immediately yelled at for contaminating it.
Resident - can hover 8” from table while unscrubbed without issue.
Attending - can essentially lick the sterile field and all is well.
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I’M MOVING TO RICHMOND!
Matched general surgery at Virginia Commonwealth! So so so excited (and will be co-interns with my classmate/good friend, how crazy is that?!?)!
#MedTwitterMatchDay
#DistanceMatch
#GenSurgMatch2020
#MatchingAtADistance
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Ironically, I found myself once again sharing the OR with this gentleman a couple of years later. Except this time with the privilege of asking for a 10-blade and proceeding to open the chest.
He had no idea who I was. But I certainly remembered him.
Words matter.
Anesthesioloist: "What specialty are you interested in?"
Me: "CT or trauma surg"
*6 out of the 7 docs in the OR start laughing*
"Riiiiiight," he says.
Can't wait for the day when I no longer have to defend my aspirations to a room full of strangers.
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I did a photo-series of my classmates* doing normal-everyday-things in their grad regalia on what would otherwise be a very memorable day. Congratulations, doctors! (images in thread)
*social distancing was maintained, and a mask was worn if inside
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You don’t need your organs when you die. But someone might need them in order to have a(nother) shot at life.
Donate.
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PLZ JUST IMAGINE THE AUDIBLE SWOONING I DID OVER THIS LITTLE GUY.
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Scrub tech: “Wow Dr. X lets you do more than other students in the OR.”
Me: “He’s great to operate with, I’ve been scrubbing with him for a few years.”
Tech: “Pays to be a young female sometimes, I guess.”
Me: “I think you mean it pays to be competent and prepared..”
I earned a grade of ‘honors’ in a particularly tough rotation in medical school where most people earned ‘high pass’ or ‘pass’.
“Must be nice to have boobs” said a male classmate.
@womenMDinanesth
@WomenSurgeons
@physicianwomen
@MedWomenWriters
@PROWDWomen
@AMWADoctors
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I didn’t know it was possible to be overwhelmed by how much I’ve learned over these last 4 years while simultaneously being terrified by how much I still don’t know. Thank you to those who provided me a safe place to make mistakes, and subsequently allotted me the space to grow.
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I was called “doctor” by patients a few times today and..wow, that’s wild.
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The sad truth is that, as a medical student, I have seen more gun violence victims in a single night than some overseas physicians have seen in an entire career.
#ThisIsAmerica
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I just got my call schedule. Two thoughts:
1) WHO LET ME BE A DOCTOR?!?!
2) Oh shit.
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Tonight was the second (and then third) time my attending has offered to go see a consult for me so I could stay in the OR and keep operating.
That stuff doesn’t go unnoticed, my friends ❤️
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(Transporting patient I operated on to PACU)
Nurse, instinctively turning to male med student: “So you’ll put in orders for me?”
Me: “No, but I will.” 👋🏻
#ILookLikeASurgeon
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You know those periods of time we learned about in grade school and ignorantly thought “wow this is so horrible; how did people allow this to happen..”?
We’re living in one.
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The thing I’m looking forward to most as a resident: sending med students home.
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Got locked in my first stairwell of residency today. I’ve been initiated.
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Day 1 of vacation:
- Woke up at 7am in sheer panic thinking I slept through rounds
- Ate Halloween candy for breakfast
- Realized I haven’t done laundry in a month
- Unpacked some boxes from moving *4 months ago*
- Chart-lurked my patients from home
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New scrub cap. Channeling my inner RBG and forcing my way into the spaces I want to thrive within.
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My first-author manuscript was accepted for publication in
@jpedsurg
this AM 🎉 What a great way to finish the final 2 weeks of med school.
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I..did it. I applied for general surgery residency.
Starring at the ERAS "submit application" button having a total meltdown.
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Tomorrow is July 1, and I don’t think there’s a word to adequately describe the amount of terror and anxiety collectively felt by interns around the country right now.
So, uh..YOLO *gulps*
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Driving to work when I notice a person laying face down in the middle of oncoming traffic. Safely park my car and get out.
Man on phone with 9-11: “..oh good, there’s a nurse here.”
Me: “Trust me, you’d be much better off if I *was* a nurse..”
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Interviewer: “If medicine wasn’t an option, what would you be doing with your life?”
Me:
Where do I see myself in ten years?
- Living in Bali, with my dogs. (credit unknown)
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THANK YOU FOR THE UNSOLICITED OPINION ON MY BODY. AS A DOCTOR I ASSURE YOU MY WEIGHT IS PERFECTLY HEALTHY AND APPROPRIATE FOR MY HEIGHT.
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Alright. I'm just going to say it. The ole "keep reading and furthering your understanding" feedback is the academic equivalent of texting "k".
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Made a thing.
First time drawing on a tablet. Obviously this is what gets created.
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Anesthesioloist: "What specialty are you interested in?"
Me: "CT or trauma surg"
*6 out of the 7 docs in the OR start laughing*
"Riiiiiight," he says.
Can't wait for the day when I no longer have to defend my aspirations to a room full of strangers.
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Meet Hank.
Hank enjoys watching HGTV and has mini razors in lieu of teeth.
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I survived my first call with no in-house senior/attending, and holy shit let’s talk about having an elevated baseline anxiety..
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TW: suicide
A few weeks ago I received the devastating news that my ex-husband died by suicide. We weren’t enemies, we simply grew apart. Needless to say, it’s an indescribable and unanticipated emptiness. (1/x)
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Prepping abdomens has made me ridiculously self-conscious about umbilical hygiene in the event I ever unexpectedly end up on the OR table.
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Got an interview at the surgical program that trained my dad 😌
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Hey hey, white coat day.
(also, celebrating 5 more days until we’re done with our SECOND month of intern year!)
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Heading to the airport and had the paralyzing realization that from hereon out if they ever ask if there’s a doctor on board, *technically*..
😳
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Want to know what I was doing at this age? Playing on a playground. Why? Because I DIDN'T HAVE TO PROTEST MY OWN DAMNED RIGHT TO LIVE.
This little girl is among the
#BlackLivesMattter
protesters in
#Merrick
. More at
#LIHerald
tonight.
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I don’t wanna brag BUT last week I was in an all female cardiac surgery case.
(First time I’ve ever been part of an all-woman surgical team)
I’ve been on an all male attending/resident/med student team for the last month. NEED 👏🏻 FEMALE 👏🏻 ENERGY
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I just acquired (read: stole) an incredible gel pen and I have a feeling this is going to be the high point of today’s trauma call.
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The number of nasty tweets I’ve seen directed at “new interns” or “the hospital in July” is disheartening.
Everyone has had a first day/month/year at some point. To pretend you’re above your own experiences is merely hubris. Build up, don’t tear down. We are better than that.
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Posting some old favorites to break-up the twitter timeline doom. Feel free to share any photos you’ve taken that make you happy below!
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The cashier just looked at my groceries (aka an abundance of snacks a 6 year-old would eat) and asked if I had kids at home.
Reader, I panic-lied out of pure embarrassment AND SAID YES 🤦🏼♀️
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Dear yet another stranger giving unsolicited advice about how I should consider a specialty outside of surgery as to "have time to be a good mother",
Go to hell.
Respectfully yours,
Natalie
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I slept in, ate a meal sitting at a table, AND exercised for the first time in 3 weeks, what sort of a luxury day is this?!?
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Last 24 hour call of intern year is OVER. Goodbyeeeeeee floor pager!
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Hotel front desk: “What brings you here?”
Me: “I’m interviewing!”
H: “To be a..?”
Me: *gulps* “To be a doctor.”
Well that was certainly the most bizarre thing I’ve ever said aloud.
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Patient: "You'd look a lot prettier without glasses."
Me: "Well I can totally take them off, if you'd prefer I sew your arm back together without being able to see."
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Any other females out there feel conflicted with wanting to stop and help someone broken down on the side of the road but also wanting to..not get murdered?
😒
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When you’re so cold you need 3 jackets but also need that iced covfefe..
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1) My interview season is officially complete.
2) I know where I’d like to end up.
3) I could have purchased a car with the amount I spent on travel.
😬
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Husband is snoring so loud that I’m torn between sleeping on the couch vs suffocating him with a pillow.
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In a perpetual state of flux between “holy ****, they’re actually paying me to do this?!?” and “holy ****, I don’t get paid enough to do this”.
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As a resident on nights sometimes (seemingly) left to fend for myself/my patients while the chief is preoccupied with chief things can I JUST SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE THE PHARMACISTS.
They deserve a raise for single-handedly fielding my endless calls all evening.
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I was today-years-old when I realized the deep femoral artery and profunda femoris were THE SAME F’KN THING.
I need a minute..
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I think about the fact that I’ll be a doctor in 5 months from now and oscillate between total excitement and complete-freaking-terror.
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Highest level of flattery is when the surgical attending tells you they think you should go into their specialty.
The end.
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Officially done with my first rotation of intern year 🎉
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My first interviewer this morning was a female cardiac surgeon ✊🏻
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Surgery life: you’re in a female surgery resident group text named “Bitches Give Stitches 🩹🩸”, only to have the circulator nurse read said name aloud when your phone alerts go off mid-case.
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OH HEY, ANOTHER BANDAID SELFIE!
(Can you tell we’re all excited about getting vaccinated?)
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*grabbing a morning coffee before heading into the hospital*
Barista: “Have a good day, crack some chests!”
Me, starting 4 weeks of medicine: 😭😭😭
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“Ladies and gentleman is there a nurse or a doctor on board?”
Well good thing this is a pre-graduation trip, and not a post-graduation trip.
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This photo about sums up how I feel about having ONE 24 hour call left of intern year!
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Just relieved I didn’t become a trauma 1 the same day I became a doctor.
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Figured this scrub cap was a good reason to confess I’ve been cheating on cardiac with transplant surgery 😅
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His + hers. So maybe one of us is better at holidays than the other..
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On a different note, my favorite coffeeshop just changed their WiFi password to “mybodymychoice”.
♥️
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Ah, yes. Here we go. A bit early for such presumptuous tweets but ‘tis the season.
God help us for advancing to the next stages in our training as *checks records*..everyone in healthcare also once did.
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Life can be going to total shit and I go operate and somehow everything feels better.
Very grateful to have a job I truly love.
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@choo_ek
I’m a MED STUDENT.
I love NOTHING.
I have NOTHING.
If you don’t like it, YOU’LL PROBABLY TELL ME ABOUT IT ON MY EVALS.
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Snuck into a cardiac case today and it turns out the heart is still the best organ in the body! Who knew!
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Ok I think I’m ready to figure out what program I’ll be calling home for the next 5-7 years 🤞🏼
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When you spend enough of your free time hanging out with the transplant team so they include you in their jacket order 🥰
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Just spoke to a class of (mostly) freshman interested in applying to med school.
It’s always humbling to meet people who want to be where you currently are. I spend so much time thinking about where I want to go, I often forget to stop and realize just how far I’ve come.
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I’m exhausted. Everything (including my hair follicles) aches. I’ve fallen asleep both sitting and standing. Likely have prerenal azotemia. There are chunks of rectal tissue stuck in the treads of my OR shoes.
And I’m simultaneously so goddamn fulfilled.
#Surgery
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“Attention passengers, we should have about 60 empty seats on this flight so please spread out and get comfortable.”
Things you love to hear at the airport at 5 am.
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Just submitted my application for graduation to the registrar. Unreal. I'm going to be a doctor in less than 7 months 😮
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Getting a pedicure with my mom and she won’t stop telling every stranger within listening distance that I’m applying for surgery residency.
Homegirl bout to get her Christmas presents returned.
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Surprise! I passed Step 2 CS aka the-silliest-exam-of-all-time.
In all seriousness, it’s oddly a relief.
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