Name: Dr. Katie Haller-Metcalf
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Resume: OB/GYN Physician at Kaiser PermanenteÂ
Sport at USC: Women's Volleyball
What exactly do you do for Kaiser Permanente?
I am an OB/GYN physician so my scope of practice is to focus on comprehensive care for women including pregnancy. My job includes delivering babies, doing gynecological surgery such as hysterectomies and managing an office practice as well.Â
You were a two-time Academic All-American and the first woman at USC to earn the honor. How did your collegiate academics play a role in your pursuit of a medical career?
It really didn't affect where I am at now. Rather, my academics at USC got me into the USC Medical School so it gave me opportunities for a job after medical school and residency. It got my foot in the door so I could go to medical school and then eventually end up at Kaiser where I am now.Â
What advice do you have for college athletes or anyone aspiring to enter the medical field?
My number one advice would be to get an internship in your field of interest to see if it's really what you want to do. When I went to 'SC, I originally wanted to be a physical therapist. I had the opportunity to do an internship where I shadowed a PT in a hospital setting and realized that I didn't really want to continue the pursuit of that career. I realized that I was more interested in what the patients' problems were rather than the day-by-day physical therapy progress. This experience was life-changing because if I hadn't gone in and gotten my feet wet I wouldn't have realized that I was much more interested in the bigger picture for the patients. Luckily, I ended up with really good grades so I had the ability to shift my focus. My advice to anyone is just to get out there, get your feet wet and use contacts to make connections. You need to figure out if that's where your passion really is, and I think you do it via hands-on experiences.Â
Managing a pre-med degree and collegiate athletics is not an easy task. How did you do it all?
My coach Lisa Love understood the importance of academics, and there was another girl on the team who was an aerospace engineer so we were in the same boat. Practice started at 3:30 so I could get all my classes done beforehand. Rarely did I have a conflict, but if I did school always took precedent. The definite push was to get your degree and be a productive member of society. When we went to SC, we had to go to study hall and do a certain amount of hours. We also had academic advisors that followed the athletes and kept up with their schoolwork. Volleyball was very important to me, but I never felt like it was my number one priority. I remember I even took a final once when I was at a dinner for my All-American award my senior year with my assistant coach proctoring me. Also, the teachers were very good and understanding. I would walk up to my professors on the first day of class and explain to them that I was an athlete and would be missing class for games, and they were really willing to work with me to manage my workload. I never felt like there were any roadblocks.
Did you ever think that this is where you would be when you were at 'SC?
I never thought I would be here. My mom's a teacher and my dad's an accountant. I'm the only medical professional in my family. I honestly never thought that I was really that smart. It was a slow process to get where I am now, and there were a lot of twists and turns. I'm a hard worker so I just try to do my best and it continues to leave doors open for me. If I hadn't done well in school then it would have been a lot harder to make it in this profession. However, it is also all about connections. There were definitely professors who put their neck out for me and helped me get into medical school, but it wasn't like I couldn't handle medical school. Even though some people may have helped my chances to get in, I still had to put in the effort to succeed. It worked, I mean, I was top of my class in medical school.
So, what's next?
I will most likely stay here at Kaiser. It's a great place to balance work and family. So, I will just continue to take care of my patients and strive to be a good mom.Â
