Name
Aarushi Kalra, DO
Residency Program
Internal Medicine
Program Year
PGY-3
Medical School
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Home
Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA
About
Dr. Kalra earned her BS at Augusta University in Augusta, GA. After undergrad, she attended Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in Suwanee, GA. While attending PCOM, she lived at home, which she highly recommends because of the access to good food and an unwavering support system. Since being in medical school is very challenging, she says, the best thing for a person to have during this time is a good support system! Dr. Kalra enjoyed the osteopathic way of teaching due to its holistic approach. She states that she felt very well prepared for her residency coming out of PCOM. Dr. Kalra chose internal medicine because she compares it to a puzzle. She enjoys using all her skills to solve a problem and says that her job allows her to do this. She was also drawn to internal medicine because she could form lasting relationships with her patients while also keeping their hospital stays as short as possible.
Dr. Kalra lives near the hospital due to the short commute. On a normal day, Dr. Kalra wakes up at 5:30 am and gets ready to arrive at the hospital by 7 am. When she arrives, she begins to pre-chart on all her patients and pre-round. She normally has five patients. Dr. Kalra works alongside another PGY-1 resident under the supervision of a PGY-3 resident. During this time, she is able to see any new labs or notes from the night shift. At 7:30 am, the PGY-1s have a morning meeting where they focus on one patient and come up with a treatment plan. The residents are able to ask many questions and then apply their knowledge to their own patients. The morning meeting ends around 8 am, and Dr. Kalra has a few minutes to finish up her pre-chart and pre-rounds. Dr. Kalra normally begins her rounds around 8:15 – 8:30 am, though some days change depending on if she is rounding with the attending or not.
While rounding, Dr. Kalra checks in on her patients. She loves being able to talk to them and their family. After rounding, Dr. Kalra, her fellow intern, her PGY-3 supervisor and her attending discuss all the patients that they oversee and confirm a treatment course. At 12:00 pm, all the Internal Medicine residents have a one-hour conference every Monday through Friday. During this time, they learn about new hospital protocols, have guest lecturers and study for their board exams. During the noon conference, Dr. Kalra gets lunch, or she grabs it after. From 1:00 – 7:30 pm, Dr. Kalra continues to chart on her patients. During this time, she speaks to other specialists who are also on her patient care team and continues to monitor her patients’ progress. When she arrives home, she usually exercises or studies. Some nights, though, she and the other residents play sand volleyball.
In her free time, Dr. Kalra enjoys hanging out with friends, watching TV and trying new restaurants and breweries. Dr. Kalra’s favorite Gainesville restaurant is Taqueria Tsunami, which she highly recommends!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and where did you go to medical school?
My name is Aarushi Kalra (I also go by Aashi as my nickname), and I am an Internal Medicine PGY-2 resident at NGHS. A little about me – I was born in Nashville, Tennessee and lived there for about eight years, then moved to Johns Creek, Georgia, and have been in Georgia with my family since then. I went to Augusta University for a premed college track for four years and then ended up going to PCOM Georgia in Suwannee for med school. And now I’m here at NGHS.
You are a member of the House Staff and Well-being committee – can you share a little bit about that and what made you decide to get involved?
I joined the well-being committee about halfway through my intern year. During high school and college and even med school, I would always try to support my colleagues in wellness and mental health situations. I think during residency, I saw that this committee was very involved with helping those in need and really showed how it is very important to check up on others given how stressful this time can be. Wellness and ways to improve our program are things I am passionate about, so being a part of this group and attending meetings about how we can improve our residency and wellness together was definitely of my interest.
How do you maintain wellness here in residency?
As I mentioned before, I love to hang out with my coresidents and friends I made around Gainesville (especially the square) in my free time. We usually go try new restaurants, play board games and go watch movies at least once a week with our new Regal passes. I also like to stay active, so I play a lot of pickleball with my friends as well. I think the best thing that I do to maintain wellness is that I never take my work home in the sense that if notes or research have to be done, I get it done in the hospital during work hours. That way, I can take my mind off work-related things when I’m home. I also love visiting my family in Johns Creek and sometimes just chill by watching movies and TV shows.
You are active in participating in Wellness events here at GME; what do you love most about these events?
All the events hosted are so fun! They’re so creative and really incorporate what residents like to do. The best part is hanging out with other programs and getting to know about other residents outside of work!
You are approaching your last year of residency, so do you have any advice for those in their first year?
My advice would be to enjoy this residency process even though it may get hard! It’s definitely a learning curve in the beginning, but go in with a mindset to learn all that you can and be the best doctor for your patients. Sometimes it can be rough, but always reach out to your seniors or faculty if you ever need help! Don’t forget to focus on your well-being too because your mind always needs a break. Plus, we have a great committee that looks out for you so you’re never alone if you need a little push!