Hi, im currently in highschool but I am very facinated with becimgin an OB/Gyn. I wnated tyo know if anyone knew what and OB/Gyn did during their residencies and what types of medical training did they recive in medical school tha differs from every other medical career????
This is a copy of an email that I generally send to local high school students who contact our residency program about how to become an OB/GYN doctor. It includes some things you didn't ask about--like what kinds of courses to take during college--but I hope it will answer your specific questions as well:
First, I want to congratulate you on thinking ahead and setting your goals, and I encourage you to continue focusing on academics as you complete high school and move on to college. For any medicine-related specialty, classes in biology, anatomy, chemistry and physiology would be very helpful to you in the long run, giving you a solid base for your medical school classes. Since you will be dealing with people as a doctor, classes in psychology and sociology would be good subjects to take also. Volunteer work in a hospital or other health care facility would give you valuable experience and help you determine whether this is really what you want to do in the future.
You will first earn a four-year degree (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science) in any area you like--it really doesn't matter. We have had residents with undergraduate majors in journalism, business, English literature, and education as well as biology and chemistry (although those are the most common). It is most important to choose a major that you will enjoy so you will do well in your classes and want to continue in school. However, if you choose a major that does not require a lot of science classes you will probably want to take some post-graduate science courses after you graduate to prepare you for medical school.
After you finish your Bachelor's degree, you will attend a medical school for four years. The first two years you primarily take courses that will give you the knowledge base to make good decisions once you start seeing patients. During your third year of medical school you will spend time with the doctors taking care of patients in many types of specialties including Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and OB/GYN. So far, everybody's medical school training is pretty much the same. During your last year of medical school you will decide which field of medicine you want to pursue and choose elective rotations that will give you a more in-depth experiences in that field. You will also apply to (and interview with) residency programs during the fall semester.
A residency in OB/GYN is four years long. As a resident you will see general gynecology patients and learn about health issues women face as they age. You'll learn how to perform procedures and surgery. You'll treat women who are having trouble getting pregnant as well as take care of pregnant women and deliver their babies. You'll also learn how to identify and care for patients with gyn cancers.
It really is a long process and a lot more complicated than I've outlined above--but this is the gyst of what makes up OBGYN training. I hope that your enthusiasm for medicine (and for OB/GYN in particular) continues.
