items from white coat
Category: Health Magazine, Mental Health

Title:What’s in my white coat? with Tara Kelly (M’08, R’12)

Author: Interviewed by Chelsea Burwell (G'16)
Date Published: April 26, 2019

Tara Kelly (M’08, R’12) is an obstetrician and gynecologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and assistant professor at the School of Medicine.

tara kelly

  1. Naturally, I keep a pen on me, especially when I’m seeing patients in the clinic to update their charts and jot down any notes during the exam. On an average, I see about 25-30 patients a day. Getting to know and talk with my patients is something I really love; my field is lucky because we can focus on problems and how to fix them, but also sustain meaningful, long-term relationships with those in our care.
  2. I typically pack light, but I definitely have my phone with me. I have plenty of pictures of my daughter on there that I look at during the day for inspiration. I use apps like a digital pregnancy wheel to track and update patients’ due dates, and a pap smear screening guideline.
  3. Being in circulated air spaces, I keep lip balm on me at all times. Low-glam, but necessary.
  4. Probably the most medical thing I have is my doppler, which I use to listen to babies’ heartbeats during the routine obstetric care. It’s one of the more favorite moments of prenatal appointments for expecting moms.
  5. I have measuring tape with me to measure the fundus of the patient’s uterus. This helps us keep track of the baby’s growth rates throughout the pregnancy.
  6. My days are pretty varied—which I like—and I’m often on call for surgery or labor and delivery, if I’m not in clinics seeing patients. I keep a hair tie close by for when I have to scrub in and get to the operating room.

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