Obstetrics & Gynecology Clerkship

The Phase 2 Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship provides clinical opportunities for the provision of comprehensive women’s health care, including medical care and counseling services for female patients. The rotation focuses on both common obstetrical conditions and gynecological problems. Knowledge of serious, less common conditions is also required.

There are two clinical rotation sites, Prentice Women’s Hospital (Northwestern Medicine) and the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. Some learning activities at each site are scheduled, including Morbidity & Mortality, Grand Rounds, Sign-Out Rounds and a variety of educational conferences. Daily clinical activities are scheduled for the duration of the six-week clerkship. At times, there is flexibility for each student to select their specific clinical experiences. This is done in coordination with their assigned resident team on Labor and Delivery, Gynecologic Surgery (General Gynecology, Gynecologic Oncology, Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery) and in the outpatient clinics. It is the student's responsibility to identify and pursue learning which complements assigned clinical activities and leads to fulfillment of the course objectives. Students are expected to actively maintain their online clerkship log which includes assessment and evaluation of patients with a variety of common obstetric and gynecologic diagnoses and specific clinical/procedural skills (e.g., speculum examination, suturing, assisting in vaginal and cesarean deliveries). Students will achieve the majority of these objectives through actual patient encounters, and will have access to alternate learning experiences if needed. Students are responsible for obtaining knowledge about each of the assigned topics, as these are high yield for the NBME Subject Examination and the end of rotation Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology strives to train all Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine students to become self-directed, independent learners who take specific women’s health concerns into consideration no matter the clinical situation.

Tools

Clean white coat
ID badge
Stethoscope

Books

Beckmann, Charles R. B. Obstetrics and Gynecology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002.

A good reference text for third-year students. Readable and doable during the rotation.

Gabbe, Steven G. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier, 2017.

An excellent reference for obstetric information. Current, concise and readable, but not within the time frame of the rotation.

Gibbs, Ronald S., Beth Y. Karlan, and Arthur F. Haney. Danforth's Obstetrics & Gynecology. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health, 2012.

Recommended for students. Clear, concise and authoritative. Well worth the money if one wants a textbook for more than six weeks.

Novak, Emil, Jonathan S. Berek, Paula A. Hillard, and Eli Y. Adashi. Novak's Gynecology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002.

Profusely illustrated with a very strong leaning toward Pathology.

Williams, J. Whitridge, Jack A. Pritchard, Paul C. MacDonald, and Norman F. Gant. Williams Obstetrics. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 2001.

This is the acknowledged standard reference for the specialty but too much for any student to get through during the time allotted.

Wylen, Michele, and Mark I. Evans. Obstetrics and Gynecology: Pretest Self-assessment and Review. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Features 500 board-type multiple choice questions with answers, explanations and current references.

Beck, William W. Obstetrics and Gynecology. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.

Outline for independent study. Board type questions for exam review; annotated answers to clarify materials.

Hacker, Neville F., Joseph C. Gambone, and Calvin J. Hobel. Hacker & Moore's Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier, 2016.

Rock, John A., Howard W. Jones, and Te Linde Richard W. Te Linde's Operative Gynecology. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008.

A very good illustrated reference book for gynecologic surgery procedures.

Lentz, Gretchen M. Comprehensive Gynecology. Philadelphia: Mosby Elsevier, 2013.

A great comprehensive gynecology text.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the daily expectations for a M3 on this clerkship?

This varies by which service you are on during the rotation as well as which clerkship site you are assigned to (Prentice vs. Stroger)

Labor and Delivery Days

Postpartum rounds (see average two to three patients), write note in Powerchart. Teaching Sessions. Attend morning sign-out. Divide patients with your fellow classmates. Follow patients on L&D (nullips and multips, priority should be PAC/Winfield Moody (WM) patients at Prentice). Write H&Ps, intrapartum notes (every four hours in latent labor and every one to two hours in active labor). Participate in vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections. Write delivery notes. Attend evening sign out to the night team (ideally students should present their patients).

Labor and Delivery Night Float

Attend evening sign-out. Divide patients with your fellow classmates. Follow patients on L&D (nullips and multips, priority should be PAC/Winfield Moody (WM) patients at Prentice). Write H&Ps, intrapartum notes (every four hours in latent labor and every one to two hours in active labor). Participate in vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections. Write delivery notes.

Inpatient General Gynecology

Round on patients you operating on the previous day(s); write postoperative notes in Powerchart. Review pelvic anatomy and H&P prior to all surgical cases. Scrub into your assigned surgeries. Write the operative note. Present an educational topic during morning rounds. See consultations in the ED (schedule permitting).

Inpatient Gynecologic Oncology

Round on patients you operating on the previous day(s); write postoperative notes in Powerchart. Review pelvic anatomy and H&P prior to all surgical cases. Scrub into your assigned surgeries. Write the operative note. Attend gyne-oncology clinic as instructed. See consultations in the ED (schedule permitting).

Inpatient Urogynecology

Round on patients you operating on the previous day(s); write postoperative notes in Powerchart. Review pelvic anatomy and H&P prior to all surgical cases. Scrub into your assigned surgeries. Write the operative note. Attend urogynecology clinic as instructed. See consultations in the ED (schedule permitting).

Outpatient Clinics

Varies by clinic. Review eMerg to determine if there is any required reading.

What is the typical schedule (number of days worked/hours per day) for this clerkship?

Please note these are approximate times and may vary by assigned clerkship site and service. Your senior resident on service will set clear expectations when you rotate with us.

Inpatient L&D: Monday through Thursday, approximately 5:45 a.m. (Postpartum Rounds) to 6:45 p.m. (end of evening patient signout)
Gen Gynecology: Monday through Thursday, approximately 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gynecologic Oncology: Monday through Thursday, approximately 5:30/6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Urogynecology: Monday through Thursday, approximately 5:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Night Float (three nights): 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Outpatient Clinics: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fridays: Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) 7 to 8 a.m., Grand Rounds 8 to 9 a.m., Didactics: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (varies). NO clinical responsibilities on Fridays.

What is pre-rounding? Rounding? Note writing expectations for this particular clerkship?

Pre-rounding refers to assessing and evaluating patients prior to formal teaching rounds with the team. While on Labor and Delivery days you will postpartum round on an assigned floor with your designated resident. Together, you will select two to three patients for you to see that morning. You will be expected to write a note in their charts as well. While rotating on general gynecology/urogynecology/gynecologic oncology, students are expected to round on any patient they operated on until the patient leaves the hospital or the student rotates off service. You DO NOT round on Fridays (protected academic/didactic time) and you do not round on the weekends.

Ideally, you will evaluate the patient before the resident and write a note. This way, you will receive feedback and develop your ability to independently create assessments and plans.

Sample notes are provided in the purple book given out during Intro to Phase 2.

You are always expected to read about your patients ahead of time (PAC clinic, GYN OR cases, review Prenatal Records on Labor and Delivery).

What does “Call” mean on this particular clerkship?

One weekend call day- either a Saturday (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or Sunday (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), spent on Labor and Delivery (NO postpartum rounding for students on the weekend).
Three nights of scheduled night float- no other overnight call
No home call

What do I do if I have a question about my clerkship grade?

If you have a question about your clerkships grade you should discuss this directly with the clerkship director.

What do I do if I have experienced or witnessed Student Mistreatment during this clerkship?

If you have experienced or witnessed student mistreatment, there are many avenues to report this. You can discuss this with the clerkships director, mentor, any of the deans or Lisa Rone, MD, the ombudsperson.

What do I do if I feel burnt out or overwhelmed during this clerkship?

If you feel burnt out or overwhelmed during a clerkship there are a number of people you can speak with. The clerkship director, your mentor or anyone in the dean’s office are available to talk. CAPS can also be extremely helpful in this situation. You can contact CAPS at 847-491-2151.

Who do I contact if I am sick or have a personal appointment?

If you know of an appointment prior to the clerkship, please contact the clerkship director and clerkship coordinator so we can make every effort to accommodate this with your assigned schedule or assist you in finding a better day/time so as to minimize any distractions from your clinical responsibilities.

For illness, please email the clerkship director and clerkship coordinator. You should web page your senior resident (if on an inpatient service) and your fellow classmates to arrange for coverage of any cases you may have been assigned.

If you are ill for two or more days, you must receive written clearance from Student Health Services or your doctor prior to returning to work.

Any required equipment?

Clean white coat, ID badge and stethoscope.

Policies and Procedures

View all policies.

For Faculty & Residents

Contacts

Weronika Armstrong
Director
312-666-3494

Jamillah Collins
Coordinator
Prentice 5-2166
312-472-4672