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Quick question here: does anyone know if it's possible to be certified as just an Obstetrician but not a gynecologist or vice versa? Are all residencies out there combined OB/GYN?
OB or GYN?
- Thread starter Perrotfish
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As far as I know, all residencies are combined OB/gyn.
If you want to do only OB, your best bet is to do a family medicine residency (3 years) and then do a fellowship sub-specializing in OB. I think that there are quite a few med students who love OB but aren't sold on gyn surgery, and therefore choose to go this route.
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Wouldn't another option be to do an Ob/Gyn residency then subspecialize in maternal-fetal medicine, since that's all high-risk obstetrics? If I go Ob/Gyn, I'm making eyes at REI or MFM if I decide to subspecialize.
To the OP, to answer the "vice versa" part of your question, a lot of Ob/Gyns filter out the Ob side of their practice. Some do this for the hours, or for a drastic reduction in malpractice rates (which I think is often the case in my area), or for other reasons, but they do it.
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You will still have to endure a residency which is 50% gyn. A lot of people who really don't like surgery or the OR probably wouldn't enjoy that aspect of it.
Furthermore, ob/gyn subspecialties are QUITE competitive nowadays - I think only about 50% of applicants actually manage to get a fellowship in MFM or REI. (I can't speak to urogyn or gyn onc.) MFM, in particular, is getting very competitive. The advice that I have been given is not to do OB/gyn if I'm only interested in doing a subspecialty. Generally speaking, what I've heard is if you would be absolutely miserable being a general ob/gyn, then don't do it - because that's what you might end up as (worst case scenario).
P.S. Not to mention that some people just don't like doing "only" high risk obstetrics. I loved OB, but I wasn't crazy about MFM. So I wouldn't necessarily equate obstetrics with MFM.
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As far as I know, all residency programs are combined Ob/gyn.
Regarding the second issue, doing Ob only...my STRONG advice is if you want to do Obstetrics, do an OB/gyn residency. Sure, 50% of your training is gyn, but that is fine. You will find that in an FP residency, even with lots of Ob, far LESS than 50% of your training will be in OB. Additionally, many areas will be difficult to obtain hospital privleges for obstetrics as an FP. It would be very, very difficult to maintain an OB only practice as an FP.
No residency is going to be 100% things you enjoy. But, if you want to practice obstetrics in any other way than managing the occasional absolutely normal pregnancy and delivery in between your FP practice, do an obstetrics residency. You will find no shortage of job opportunities that are heavy on the OB or exclusive OB (ie laborist), as well as have an MFM subspecialty opportunity. Don't do FP unless you want to do FP.
Regarding the second issue, doing Ob only...my STRONG advice is if you want to do Obstetrics, do an OB/gyn residency. Sure, 50% of your training is gyn, but that is fine. You will find that in an FP residency, even with lots of Ob, far LESS than 50% of your training will be in OB. Additionally, many areas will be difficult to obtain hospital privleges for obstetrics as an FP. It would be very, very difficult to maintain an OB only practice as an FP.
No residency is going to be 100% things you enjoy. But, if you want to practice obstetrics in any other way than managing the occasional absolutely normal pregnancy and delivery in between your FP practice, do an obstetrics residency. You will find no shortage of job opportunities that are heavy on the OB or exclusive OB (ie laborist), as well as have an MFM subspecialty opportunity. Don't do FP unless you want to do FP.
