Tips for Gyn-Onc elective?

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Hi all,

I will be starting a Gyn Onc elective in a couple of days. Although the regular Gyn service at my home institution is pretty laid back, I've heard that the Gyn-Onc service here is notoriously tough. My time on the service will be incredibly short (~ 2-2.5 weeks) and I'd like to make a great impression while I am there . I'll have 2 days free before I start and was planning on reviewing some material before hand. I was thinking about reviewing some anatomy and a few of the most common procedures, but really don't know where to begin.

Is there a reference that you guys recommend to review the anatomy? Is there a source that reviews that anatomy as seen by laparoscopy? What are the top 5-6 procedures done on this service?

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

I imagine that on an onc rotation, you will be seeing a lot of laparotomies. Sometimes these can be straightforward, like a hysterectomy for an early endometrial CA. Sometimes you open the abdomen and it's a straight up mess (think big ovarian CA cases). If you review pelvic anatomy, arterial supplies, venous/lymphatic drainage in your anatomy atlas of choice, that will help. Attendings at my program also love to ask students questions like the risk factors for cervical cancer, which age groups get which kinds of ovarian cancer, etc.

If you're at a place where they do a lot of robotic cases, the most helpful thing is pushups (gotta have a strong upper body to really push in hard on the uterus).

www.atlasofpelvicsurgery.com is a good reference for surgery. This way you can have a rough idea what's happening during the case. I always looked at the OR schedule the night prior and focused my studies on those upcoming cases. Know anatomy front and back. Good luck.

what about for an MFM elective?

Originally Posted by Miss Alyssa

what about for an MFM elective?

Less surgical anatomy (little to none), more book learnin'. If you're like me and only used Case Files/Blueprints for the clerkship, you'll want a resource that goes into a little more depth. Beckman seems to be a popular choice around these parts.

Helpful topics to read about- Physiologic changes of pregnancy, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, diabetes management, preterm labor, PPROM. I'd be impressed with an MS4 who showed up with a reasonable grasp of those.

Originally Posted by TriviaTime

Less surgical anatomy (little to none), more book learnin'. If you're like me and only used Case Files/Blueprints for the clerkship, you'll want a resource that goes into a little more depth. Beckman seems to be a popular choice around these parts.

Helpful topics to read about- Physiologic changes of pregnancy, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, diabetes management, preterm labor, PPROM. I'd be impressed with an MS4 who showed up with a reasonable grasp of those.

Thank you!