MS3- Picking An Ob Clinical Site

[medready2005]

Hello All,

I really don't think I am going into OB, as a result I chose it to be my first rotation of next year (MS3).

I just was interested in knowing what type of questions I should ask upperclassmen/staff in determining what clinical site to choose for my OB rotation.

Please realize that although I prob won't go into OB, I still want to learn as much as I can because I just love medicine that much.....

Thanks for the help!!!

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[MeowMix]

Depends what your goals are. Personally, I think every MS3 going into any field should learn to do a competent pelvic exam, evaluate someone who might be in labor, and deliver a baby with supervision.

So you need a site where the staff (and patients!) will let you examine patients; if you're a guy, this probably means a large community hospital, or working with a male practitioner. You need a site with plenty of low-risk deliveries and not too many other people (interns, residents, PA students, midwifery students) competing for deliveries. A site with midwives is also great because they can teach you a whole lot about normal labor, which Ob/Gyn interns/residents often don't have time to teach. At our school, some of the best sites are the rural and small-town rotations where you work 1:1 with your attending.

 

[medready2005]

Great Advice Thank You!!!!

I actually go to school in a large, urban community and I am considering doing my OB rotation at the University Hospital. Here's another question:

Do you think it is a good idea to contact the dept and ask to be placed with a team (resident, attendant) that have the reputation as being good teachers??

I really appreciate all the help!!!

 

[MichiMO]

In my experience, any department will say all of their residents are good teachers and going this far will probably just make you look a little over-eager/over-anxious.

Just a heads up though, not to sound like the cynical fourth year I am, given that you are doing your roation in July, when all of the new residents start, you may not have the best experience, just because all of your residents will be new at their current postion and all of the interns are going to be trying to master the same skills you want to learn. It is just a kinda crazy time of the year.

However, just having a good attitude, which it sounds like you definitly have, will carry you far.

As far as how much teaching you will get and what type of team you will be in, you will find by the end of the year, it is all a crap shoot.

 

[MichiMO]

Oh, and just a piece of advise, people take a lot more active role in teaching you if you put on the front that you are really considering that specialty as a field. Sometimes I thought I should have lied about that more often. For example, when I did my medicine rotation they all knew I was going OB and they basically just figured I wanted to do the bare minimum and get out of there (which may have been true given that I was seven months pregnant) but I was actually very eager to learn and it was difficult to convey that because they had a mind set that very little of what they were teaching would be of any use to me