Gyn Onc 4th Year Elective

[as20gp]

Hello all!

Hope all is well. I'm doing a Gyn Onc away elective next month and I'm a little nervous. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best prepare for the rotation? I assume the learning curve will be steep but I'm just looking for materials or advice that will make this experience as smooth as possible. I was planning on getting tight on my pelvic anatomy (of course) but how about for the oncology stuff? what's good for someone at my level?

Thank you!

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[chrisisinnocent]

Know your staging: endometrial vs cervical vs ovarian.
Know the main treatments for the different cancers (what chemo goes for what cancer and which ones need radiation).
Know your anatomy.
I have found the new Williams Gyn text really good for a comprehensive review (and it has a good surgical atlas at the end).
Main thing to realize is that onc is generally considered the most brutal rotation at most programs so anything you can do to make your residents life easier will make you stand out. I don't mean get coffee and donuts for the residents or bring cupcakes from home but figure out what you can do to make the service run smoothly. Things like getting vitals in the morning, charting labs, hunting down a quick radiology read, help getting records from outside institutions etc. It may seem like scut work and it probably is but realistically onc is a busy service with really sick patients and a ton of daily stressors and annoyances. If you manage to help the team run better people will remember you as that hard working sub-I who will make a great intern next year.

 

[as20gp]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the advice.

 

[JenB]

I did a Gyn Onc elective a few months ago and would second all of the above. The only thing I would add is to know some epidemiology. I was definitely asked multiple times questions like - how many people get diagnosed with x cancer each year? how many die from it? Just have some round numbers in mind, and know the relative amounts of each (eg. endometrial is more common than ovarian is more common than cervical).

 

[Telencephalon]

Hey, Just completed a Gyn-Onc elective, I really liked Levine's Handbook for Principles and Practice of Gynecologic-Oncology. Its definitely not comprehensive but it won't break your budget, the paper back fits into a white coat and I even found a kindle version for my PDA which was great for any downtime.

Hope this helps

 

[HumbleMD]

Hey, Just completed a Gyn-Onc elective, I really liked Levine's Handbook for Principles and Practice of Gynecologic-Oncology. Its definitely not comprehensive but it won't break your budget, the paper back fits into a white coat and I even found a kindle version for my PDA which was great for any downtime.

Hope this helps

As well as everything everyone else has said regarding knowledge.

Pragmatically, treat it very much like your surgery electives - preround in the morning for vitals and preparing notes (but find out what's allowed at your hospital). For rounds, be prepared with lube and a syring to take out Foleys, and supplies for changing/packing wound dressings. Learn everyone's glove sizes to then pull them in the OR. Befriend the scrub nurses and help them get patients in and out.

 

[as20gp]

Thanks so much everyone...I'm definitely feeling a lot better about the elective. Time to study!

 

[GeauxIrish]

I also just finished a gyn/onc elective this past month, and I agree with all the advice others have given.

I would add: catch up on your sleep this month as it will be busy! While others may disagree, they're not going to expect you to know chemo regimens at this level so I wouldn't bother with that. Use your common sense - learn about your cases that day, know the pt's hx, etc. Learn while you go and have fun - it should be an awesome surgical experience. Unless you already have a PhD in something onc related, you won't be able to knock them on the floor with your crazy knowledge, but you can really shine by being a good team player, especially when it comes to doing scut work and helping the 3rd years out. Working well with the 3rd years is huge and very helpful to the residents. A possible suggestion to shine - if they have grand rounds or tumor board, offer to help out preparing and/or presenting a case you worked on in your last week or so when you know the lay of the land.

Good luck and enjoy!