ObGyn Clerkship

The Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship is a six-week, community-based clerkship where Board Certified OBGYN clinical faculty supervise students individually for at least 4 clinical days per week. Students work in ambulatory, inpatient and surgical settings that encompass the breadth of general Obstetric and Gynecologic care. At the same time, students are introduced to core content that defines the practice of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology. Through a variety of educational methods, comparable learning experiences and outcomes are achieved across diverse and geographically distant learning sites.

The OBGYN clerkship is most often the final opportunity for medical students to participate in the delivery of concentrated gender-specific care to women. It is not the purpose of the rotation to prepare students for an OBGYN residency, but rather to assure that graduates will be competent to initiate a level of care for women that routinely addresses their gender-specific needs`. Consequently, the clerkship curriculum is competency based using practice expectations for a new intern pursuing a primary care residency as the endpoint.

Under the close supervision of experienced faculty, students are expected to assume increasing responsibility in basic gynecologic and obstetric ambulatory care. Students are exposed to preoperative evaluation, the operating room, and postoperative care. Students are expected to fully participate in the prenatal, labor, delivery and post partum experiences of their assigned patients. Skills in developing a differential diagnosis are evaluated though a standard assignment. Screening for risk and communicating appropriate health information to patients and healthcare team members is stressed. Students take call. Students maintain electronic portfolios containing core clerkship assignments. Goal-setting and self-reflection are integral components of the e-portfolio. This includes a mid-rotation reflection assignment designed to facilitate feedback and professional growth.

Students participate in an integrated 12 week Pediatric-Obstetric lactation curriculum. Students receive weekly teaching, evaluation and feedback from the clerkship director. Through a series of core clerkship discussions, both counseling and presentation skills are developed. The required self study program combines assignments in a case-based format with readings and other activities that emphasize active engagement with the core content.

Students document and analyze their clinical experiences via the CDCS system. The OBGYN Blackboard site contains essential information and serves as a syllabus extension. Specific curricular themes are outlined in the attached set of competencies, themes and objectives at the end of this syllabus. All assignments are outlined in the Blackboard syllabus extension.

View the Course Syllabus