Is something wrong with OB-GYN?

[Venonat]

I'm a second year with many third year friends. To a man, I have never heard anybody say anything positive about OB-GYN. They complain about their rotation to anyone who will listen. They say the staff possess nasty temperaments and the specialty is comprised of repeating a small number of procedures ad nauseam.

In particular, why does everyone seem to hate OB/GYN?

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[operaman]

I think OB departments suffer from a confluence of unfortunate realities, the result being that most students have a lackluster experience on the rotation. Some are lucky and have good ones, but this does seem to be exception. Reasons for this:

1) Residents at most programs are terribly overworked and junior residents seem to have more responsibility than their counterparts in other fields.
2) Junior OB residents are supervised by senior OB residents, and there is definitely an "eat your young" mentality at play
3) Academic OB depts are often under-funded; well-heeled patients with insurance do not give birth at academic centers if they can help it.
4) Under funding = fewer midlevels = more scut for residents = more scut for students.
5) The anatomy and requisite exams/procdures are ALL invasive and can create awkward situations for students or simply leave students out in the hallway twiddling their thumbs

 

[zeppelinpage4]

I've only heard good things about it from third years at my school, N=2 of course. So, I'm sure some people do fine with it, and it can vary depending on where you are and who you're working with.

 

[SierraMist14]

I've only heard good things about it from third years at my school, N=2 of course. So, I'm sure some people do fine with it, and it can vary depending on where you are and who you're working with.

Same here. Almost everyone I talk to at my school seems to love it.

 

[@JackShephard]

In particular, why does everyone seem to hate OB/GYN?

It's the people.

It's always the people.

Yes, there are some exceptions...

 

[saudades]

I had a great experience on OB, but I understand it can be quite variable. First, it takes a certain type of person to like that setting (which could be said about any specialty, I suppose) but I've always liked women's health issues. I also rotated at a great outpatient practice with awesome doctors; and the hospital did not have OB residents, just family med residents on their OB rotation. I only had overnight call about once a week as well. So, cop out answer, I think it depends on who you are and where you are. And FYI for the DoctorofDelight, 6 out of the 8 attendings at the practice were men.

 

[@JackShephard]

I'm afraid to ask this but could it be at all possible because of the amount of women in that specialty?

No. There are other specialties/subspecialties that have mostly women that are completely different. It's the people.

 

[saudades]

Edit to my above post, the only nasty people I encountered were the scrub techs (my attending even apologized for them), but I don't think that's necessarily reflective of OB or even surgery in general. Just specific people. Additionally, a lot of my male classmates found that they were just standing around in the hallway a lot during outpatient hours because patients didn't want another (essentially unnecessary) male in the room during the exam. As a girl this rarely happened to me so I probably got more experience with GYN than they did.

 

[eablackwell]

I really enjoyed my OB/GYN rotation, and strongly considered applying in the field. However, it really depends on where you do your rotation. I was able to deliver several babies with only a midwife standing behind me to help if I needed it, or guide me if I wasn't doing it correctly. I cut cords, drew up cord blood, and was 1st assist in several procedures. However, even at my school I know of people who rotated at places where they were never allowed to help with a vaginal delivery and had very little hands-on experience. Perhaps it's due to legal issues, an unwillingness to engage on the part of the student, or likely some combination thereof. Also...some people just don't like dealing with genitals.

As many have said, OB residents are worked like dogs, many times longer hours than surgery, and yet have nowhere near the clout in a hospital environment as surgeons (I imagine this depends on where you're at, but it is generally what I've heard from residents/attendings in the field).

 

[BestDoctorEver]

I'm afraid to ask this but could it be at all possible because of the amount of women in that specialty?

Maybe! As someone who used to be a nurse (male), I certainly don't want to be in any specialty dominated by female. That experience definitely left a bad impression about profession or workplace dominated by female... I might be wrong (emphasis here), but I still remember the constant backstabbing, bickering, cliques and 'I am better than you mentality'... That was at every place that I worked.

I know as OBGYN, you might choose not to work in a 'group' so to speak, but you still have to go thru that 4-year residency...

 

[DermViser]

I'm a second year with many third year friends. To a man, I have never heard anybody say anything positive about OB-GYN. They complain about their rotation to anyone who will listen. They say the staff possess nasty temperaments and the specialty is comprised of repeating a small number of procedures ad nauseam.

In particular, why does everyone seem to hate OB/GYN?

Have you seen the harpies that infest OB-Gyn? Do you actually think it would be like that if all OB-Gyn residents were male?

 

[brosef]

My obgyn rotation was fun, the nurses were nice to me and so were the attendings. I got my highest scores in 3rd year in obgyn. But... this was only one rotation and even my co-ms3s at the time had a miserable rotation.

 

[DarknightX]

OB GYN falls somewhere between the 6th and 7th circles of hell.

 

[Wordead]

Maybe! As someone who used to be a nurse (male), I certainly don't want to be in any specialty dominated by female. That experience definitely left a bad impression about profession or workplace dominated by female... I might be wrong (emphasis here), but I still remember the constant backstabbing, bickering, clicks and 'I am better than you mentality'... That was at every place that I worked.

I know as OBGYN, you might choose not to work in a 'group' so to speak, but you still have to go thru that 4-year residency...

You realize peds is female dominated and probably the happiest rotation on earth.

 

[DermViser]

You realize peds is female dominated and probably the happiest rotation on earth.

Depends. Peds can be just as bad bc it's all females. I think what tampers it down somewhat is bc there are children around parents would never tolerate an OB-Gyn type resident seeing their child. You can bet parents are watching what residents do like a hawk.

For some reason when women are pissy, they have a habit of being very passive-aggressive thus ruining even the best of rotations.

 

[Señor S]

In my neck of the woods, it's supposedly the female students who get most of the abuse; the males are treated well. Trying to lure more guys into the field, maybe? God knows how scheduling works when 90% of your residents are 20-something women and somebody gets pregnant every other month.

 

[DermViser]

In my neck of the woods, it's supposedly the female students who get most of the abuse; the males are treated well. Trying to lure more guys into the field, maybe? God knows how scheduling works when 90% of your residents are 20-something women and somebody gets pregnant every other month.

Males might be treated better, not necessarily well. Has more to do with natural jealousy between women than anything else. There is a reason OB-Gyn has switched from an almost all male field to all women.

 

[DermViser]

I really enjoyed my OB/GYN rotation, and strongly considered applying in the field. However, it really depends on where you do your rotation. I was able to deliver several babies with only a midwife standing behind me to help if I needed it, or guide me if I wasn't doing it correctly. I cut cords, drew up cord blood, and was 1st assist in several procedures. However, even at my school I know of people who rotated at places where they were never allowed to help with a vaginal delivery and had very little hands-on experience. Perhaps it's due to legal issues, an unwillingness to engage on the part of the student, or likely some combination thereof. Also...some people just don't like dealing with genitals.

As many have said, OB residents are worked like dogs, many times longer hours than surgery, and yet have nowhere near the clout in a hospital environment as surgeons (I imagine this depends on where you're at, but it is generally what I've heard from residents/attendings in the field).

 

[BestDoctorEver]

You realize peds is female dominated and probably the happiest rotation on earth.

I did realize that... That was the reason I said I might be wrong. I understand that the dynamic in medicine might be different than nursing, but it was strange that in every place (at least 5) that I worked, the attitude among the female nurses was the same...(cliquish attitude, criticizing others constantly, trying to make others look bad in other to get them in trouble, I am better than you attitude etc...). It was childish stuff to TBH...

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Males might be treated better, not necessarily well. Has more to do with natural jealousy between women than anything else. There is a reason OB-Gyn has switched from an almost all male field to all women.

BINGO!... And they want you to take side most of the time.

 

[Psai]

Males might be treated better, not necessarily well. Has more to do with natural jealousy between women than anything else. There is a reason OB-Gyn has switched from an almost all male field to all women.

I did notice that most of the older attendings are male and most of the residents are female

 

[DermViser]

I did notice that most of the older attendings are male and most of the residents are female

It's too bad it's the female OB-Gyn residents that evaluate you.

Hence this:

 

[Kaustikos]

Depends. Peds can be just as bad bc it's all females. I think what tampers it down somewhat is bc there are children around parents would never tolerate an OB-Gyn type resident seeing their child. You can bet parents are watching what residents do like a hawk.

For some reason when women are pissy, they have a habit of being very passive-aggressive thus ruining even the best of rotations.

I dunno. Seems like peds are good people. Even when the women are at their bitchiest, they pale in comparison to an OB resident on her best day.
I agree that the rest of the staff was awesome for me, too (nurses, attending, etc). But the residents made it miserable. Even when I was liking Gyn onc.

 

[DermViser]

I dunno. Seems like peds are good people. Even when the women are at their bitchiest, they pale in comparison to an OB resident on her best day.
I agree that the rest of the staff was awesome for me, too (nurses, attending, etc). But the residents made it miserable. Even when I was liking Gyn onc.

Yes, like I said, it's bc parents won't tolerate those residents that act like the harpies on OB-Gyn touching their child. On OB-Gyn, pregnant women will tolerate it. Gyn is easier, of course, bc of hours, but unfortunately in OB-Gyn you have to do both.

 

[Kaustikos]

Yes, like I said, it's bc parents won't tolerate those residents that act like the harpies on OB-Gyn touching their child. On OB-Gyn, pregnant women will tolerate it. Gyn is easier, of course, bc of hours, but unfortunately in OB-Gyn you have to do both.

Yup. Agreed.

 

[Señor S]

Males might be treated better, not necessarily well. Has more to do with natural jealousy between women than anything else. There is a reason OB-Gyn has switched from an almost all male field to all women.

It's all relative I suppose. Agree with your second point. Always liked H.L. Mencken's definition of misogynist: "a man who hates women as much as women hate one-another."

 

[jw3600]

Maybe! As someone who used to be a nurse (male), I certainly don't want to be in any specialty dominated by female. That experience definitely left a bad impression about profession or workplace dominated by female... I might be wrong (emphasis here), but I still remember the constant backstabbing, bickering, clicks and 'I am better than you mentality'... That was at every place that I worked.

I know as OBGYN, you might choose not to work in a 'group' so to speak, but you still have to go thru that 4-year residency...

Cliques, BestSpellerEver.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Cliques, BestSpellerEver.

Lol... Let me guess. You are a female interested in OBGYN.

 

[jw3600]

Lol... Let me guess. You are a female interested in OBGYN.

Nope. Male with 0 exposure to OB. Just generally find you annoying.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Nope. Male with 0 exposure to OB. Just generally find you annoying.

Someone is finally paying attention to what I write in SDN! Good to know Mr. Nobel Laureate in spelling...