Shirliejean Raven Arnold, MSN, APRN, FNP-C | Bixby, OK

Shirliejean Raven Arnold is a Family Nurse Practitioner with a special focus on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Originally from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, she found her way to Tulsa through both education and opportunity, and is proud to call Axis her professional home.

Shirliejean brings a deeply personal understanding to her work—she lives with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and POTS herself. This lived experience, paired with extensive clinical training, allows her to offer care that is both highly informed and profoundly empathetic. She was drawn to Axis by the presence of Dr. Chorley, a respected leader in EDS care, and by the supportive, collaborative environment she hopes to remain part of for many years.

Her educational background is uniquely diverse. She earned a BA in Anthropology from the University of Maine in 2002, followed by an MS in Forensic Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2005. She later pursued nursing, completing her BSN at the University of Tulsa in 2012 and her MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Oklahoma in 2019.

Shirliejean’s path into medicine was guided by a simple but powerful goal: to lessen people’s suffering. While she believes no provider can “fix” everything, she is committed to doing everything possible to help patients feel better, supported, and understood.

Outside of the clinic, Shirliejean enjoys knitting, window shopping, reading, and spending time with her young daughter. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 25 years and shares her home with their 11-year-old daughter and a rescue Jack Russell Terrier. She dearly misses Maine, where much of her family still lives—and her love of the color purple is immediately obvious to anyone who meets her.

Patients can expect a visit with Shirliejean to be anything but ordinary. Her approach is deeply compassionate, highly attentive, and grounded in genuine care. Above all, she wants patients to know this: she cares, and she will always do everything she can to help.