September of 2024
May of 2024
October of 2023
August of 2022
I didn’t think I would enjoy my rotation at the children’s hospital this much. I’ve never considered myself too much of a baby person… but it’s hard to resist the charm of big eyes, disproportionally tiny necks, round pink bellies and perfect ultrasound conditions.
July of 2022
Dear internists and surgeons of the world,
I post here today on behalf of all radiologists with following plea: if you’re going to request an emergency ultrasound to rule out splenomegaly (especially after 5pm), PLEASE first make sure the patient has a spleen.
Analogically, same applies to other diagnoses, such as appendicitis and cholecystitis.
I’m not a full specialist yet and I have much, much more to learn. But I’m pretty sure in order for an organ to be inflamed/enlarged or otherwise pathological, it has to be present in the patient.
Thank you.
April of 2022
It was cute to get a recognition card from the Verwaltung appreciating the work we do as diagnosticians. Unfortunatelly, their word choice wasn’t: “we are the oil to the machinery”. Not even the machinery itself. Thank you so much.
December of 2021
“Liebe KollegInnen,
ich erlebe meine letzten Tage in unserer Abteilung mit gemischten Gefühlen — Vorfreude über einen neuen Lebensabschnitt nach einer ganzen Freiburg-Dekade, sowie etwas Melancholie, da ich ein tolles Team mit lustigen, engagierten und herzlichen MitarbeiterInnen verlassen werde.
Vielen Dank an alle für die Unterstützung, die zahlreichen lustigen Momente und die beste berufliche Begleitung während dieser zwei ansonsten etwas dunkleren Pandemiejahre. Auch dank euch/Ihnen habe ich meine Freude an der Radiologie entdeckt und bestätigt, die mich lebenslang begleiten wird.
Als Abschiedsgeschenk habe ich ein kleines Bild gemalt.
Ich werde euch/Sie vermissen!
Frohes Neues Jahr, alles Gute und hoffentlich bis bald”
November of 2019
“Liebe Kollegen,
ich möchte mich bei euch/Sie allen für die herausfordernde und lehrreiche, aber auch lustige und schöne Zeit in der Klinik für Augenheilkunde bedanken.
Es war eine Freude und eine absolute Ehre, ein Teil dieses tollen Teams sein zu dürfen und derart Vorbilder zu haben; sowohl im medizinischen als auch im menschlichen Sinne.
Ich habe viel gelernt; nicht nur fachliches, sondern auch was Arbeitsethik, Umgang mit Kollegen, Mitarbeitern und Patienten und allgemeine Reife, Verantwortungsübernahme und Selbstmanagement angeht.
Ich werde sehr gute Erinnerungen der Zusammenarbeit mit euch/Ihnen mitnehmen und euch/Sie SEHR vermissen.
Anbei ein kleines Abschiedsgeschenk! :-)
Herzliche Grüße und alles Beste,
Marta
PS.: Ich bin ja nicht weit weg. Für zukünftige Fragen bzgl. Bildgebung oder bei wichtigen gastroenterologischen Casino-Konsile werde ich sehr gerne verfügbar sein.”
February of 2021
Third illustration so far for the Forum of Junge Radiologie of the German Radiological Society.
November of 2020
Chest
How I felt going home after working 12 days straight to rest for ONE day just before going back in for a whole week of night shifts…
June of 2019
Illustrations for a friend’s doctoral dissertation. Even drawing these is fun.
May of 2019
Let's just say I'm glad I can let out my cynical outbursts through art (and through colleague bantering). The good part: most experiences that push you to the edge of your patience and temper end up becoming the funniest anecdotes once the heat has dissipated.
Disclaimer I: I picked the name "Müller" randomly, since it's just the most common surname in Germany at the moment. The character is completely made up. Absolutely no specific personal references intended!!
Disclaimer II: Of course, these individuals make a (very annoying) minority. And the pleasure derived from the interactions with normal patients makes up for the bad stuff.
January of 2019
Original caption:
"Now that it’s 100%(!) official I can finally talk (and draw!) about it. And to commemorate the occasion, remake of what has become probably the most meaningful, iconic illustration of mine so far. “We did want you, it was a shame we weren’t able to offer you a position then. I’d like to hire you as soon as possible”. My soon to be new boss, big fish in the field, looking down at the original drawing this one is based on —thank you gift after my PJ— personally printed out in his hand, next to the rest of my application, chuckling. “I showed this to the board, they all immediately knew who you were” (Jesús, I knew being cheesy af had to be good for something). Probably one of the proudest memories of my life, if not the proudest.
To think about the disappointment I felt back in May... Sometimes “no” really means “try again later”. I didn’t think I’d end up starting an academic career after all... but man, I missed the uni. If you don't take chances for yourself, nobody else will! Goodbye to daily time consuming creepy train rides and to waking up at 4:30am (but also to the most amazing group of colleges I could have ever wished for. Friends. So loyal to keep their word and this secret. I’ve been so lucky ♥️ , the main reason why this is a bit hard as well)... and hello to most craved more frequent visits to the gym, hanging out with my friends during the week, access to more frequent lectures and a better international projection (even if that means missing lunch or eating off a tupper every once in a while). From here to, literally, ANYWHERE. 5 months in, second phase of my master plan running smoothly. It’ll be tough, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger... or at least a better funduscopist 👀 (Aaaand I’m also kind of looking forward to reading my name listed on their website).”
February of 2019
Original caption:
"Good b(e)ye
*The Bed Defenders - No Mercy for the Internists* (because they’re always stealing our beds). Around 10+ hours, Photoshop CS3, Wacom tablet
Here’s my goodbye gift for my fellow residents at the clinic where I’ve first worked as a doctor. It’s been hard keeping this a secret until the very last day, but it was definitely worth hearing them laugh and seeing the look on their faces.
I already know I will be keeping very fond memories of the past six months, to a great extent thanks to them. I don’t know what lies ahead of me, but if my new team at the university turns out to be even half as fun, reliable, responsible, selfless and hard-working, I know it’ll be very good.
Taking the first real steps in the medical field is a scary and at times extremely stressful experience. But being surrounded by colleagues like these on a daily basis makes the way seem so much less… steep.
For all the help, the patience, the support, the extra hours, the kind words, the complicity, the inspiration, the guitar playing and the good laughs… It’s been great.”
May of 2017
Original caption:
“After 6,5 years of Medical School, this is my first drawing as a doctor (M.D.), finally!
This is what it felt like to study for my final oral/practical examination a few days ago, the toughest and most stressful one so far, but also the last one. It's like by the time I was finally through with all subjects, I seemed to have forgotten all about the first one I studied (and so on). Here's to all frisch fertige Ärzte, Frühjahr 2017! Hello life, goodbye nightmares and lack of sleep.”
March of 2017
Original caption:
"I left a piece of my heart in Murcia but hopefully I'll be back soon to pick it up. If everything goes well, 3 more months to go and I'll finally be a doctor".
December of 2016
Original caption:
“Once again, it's time to appreciate and be thankful for all experiences and lessons provided by these past few months. Mixed feelings: guilt for sort of neglected friendships and hobbies due to exhaustion and lack of time, but also pride at all clinical skills performed and work accomplished during this time. With less than one week to set foot on southern Spanish ground for the first time in forever I'm, yet again, left in awe at how fast 4 months can fly by. And at all incredibly hard-working young men and women I've met that just leave me looking up to them with profound respect and admiration, trying to figure out what's bigger in them: their brains or their hearts, and how both can fit in them so harmonically. People that inspire me to draw cheesy stuff like this after a 2-month break.
I think I definitely want to become an ophthalmologist. 6,5 years of hardcore German medicine to end up coming to this conclusion. Si todas las tragedias fueran como esta.
Photoshop CS6, 5-6 hours.”
September of 2016
Original caption (German):
“Ende des ersten PJ-Tertials: 4 Monate Innere Medizin. 4 Monate, die ich zweifellos zu den schönsten meines bisherigen Studiums zähle. Ich habe noch nie so viele gutherzige, brillante, fleißige und aber auch bescheidene und lustige Menschen innerhalb so kurzer Zeit kennengelernt. So viele Vorbilder, die das repräsentieren, was ich auch werden möchte. Nach den ganzen Arztbriefen, Aufnahmen, Untersuchungen, Therapieplanungen, Blutentnahmen, Viggo-Legen, Sonos, Seminaren... Endlich fange ich an so ein bisschen das Gefühl zu haben, ich könnte es mir tatsächlich auch bald zutrauen, als Ärztin zu arbeiten. Wer weiß, vielleicht auch hier.”
April of 2016
June of 2016
Original caption:
“I'd been dreaming of doing an internship in Australia for a few years. I was bold enough to attach this to my official college application for a clinical elective placement in Adelaide. In the end, after countless emails and bureaucratic crap, I finally got one in Tasmania on my own instead. But due to a couple of reasons I can no longer do it. Just like this one, a few dreams of mine have been crashed lately... But then you just move on, adapt, and find yourself new ones. And have patience. As long as there's life, there's hope 🌄 -”