Length of Clerkship: 6 weeks.
Call: Variable; Likely only on Night Float for Ob (See Below).
Lectures: All students attend lectures on Wednesday afternoons at Rush. (Subject to change for 07-08 Year)
Miniboard: Held on the last Friday of the rotation. Know bread & butter Ob topics well. Although there are many gynecologic malignancies, concentrate only on the most common (cervical, endometrial) as gyn oncology/pathology is not a major focus of the miniboard. Also, be prepared to answer a number of questions concerning incontinence and breast mass / discharge.
Pocket Contents: Pregnancy wheel (see if you can get one free from a drug rep or resident; there is also a pregnancy calculator program available for Palm Pilots). Also, the “little red book” by Gordon and Rydfors is good to have on hand for quick reference on the floor.
Helpful Hints: Like any rotation, the more you put in the more you get out. If you are interested in seeing a lot of deliveries, expect to be up all night while on night float. In general, the residents will not page you, so you must be proactive by staying up and helping out. If nothing is going on in L&D, head over to triage and learn how to use the ultrasound. Also have reading material with you while covering Labor and Delivery, as there can be a lot of downtime.
Abortion Training:
Abortions fall under the purview of obstetricians and gynecologists. You should learn about the various procedures and complications for the miniboard. If you are interested in seeing and participating in surgical dilation and curettage procedures, inquire at your site. At Rush, Dr. Pierce and Dr. Weitzner provide abortion services and are happy to teach students.
Locations
Ob/Gyne Suggested Reading:
Pocket Books
Obestertics Gynecology and Infertility, 5e (The little Red Book). ISBN0964546760: Thils little red pocket book is great for having on the floors. It has useful material for when the attendings or residents are pimping you as well as information on various procedures and treatments.
Textbooks
Blueprints in Obstetrics and Gynecology, ISBN: 1405103310. Basic, but enough to pass the miniboard and answer most pimp questions. Felt to be one of the strongest in the Blueprints series by most students who like this format.
Obstetrics and Gynecology, ISBN: 0781724805 by Beckman. This is the recommended text. Don’t be intimidated by the size. Most students find it easy to read and do manage to get through it during the clerkship. Alternatively, can be used as a reference and accompaniment to something shorter like Blueprints.
Ob/Gyn Recall, ISBN: 0683182145. Good for both floor and outpatient for getting those high-yield topics down.
Pre-Test, ISBN: 0071411399.