UW Obstetrics & Gynecology Clerkship: Assignments

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Required Assignments

Here is a brief description of the learning activities you are expected to complete during the Clerkship.

Reading

Required topics: Gynecology | Obstetrics

Reading is an essential complement to your clerkship learning experience. This will enable you to accomplish many of the behaviors listed above, and also prepare for the final examinations. You are responsible for learning about each of the content areas in Gynecology and Obstetrics listed in this section. In order to get an "honors" in the clerkship, students will need to learn about every topic listed under the textbook section. Students may read about the topic from any source.

The recommended primary text is Blueprints Obstetrics and Gynecology 5th Edition 2009, Callahan TL, Caughey AB (shop). In addition, we suggest that you learn about Contraception from Guide to Managing Contraception 2005-2007 (Hatcher, et al), which will be given to all students at orientation. Although the Blueprints text is an excellent basic resource, I strongly encourage you to supplement your knowledge with other more in-depth reading from Gabbe's Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies and Stenchever's Comprehensive Gynecology.

Note:

please print and read the required Contraception Reading/Lecture Guide and answer all questions before the lecture.

Seattle area students who plan to rent the Blueprints textbook (non-WWAMI site students only), should have $10.00 in cash, check, or money order, payable to the SEATTLE GYN SOCIETY on the morning of Orientation. Students are responsible for returning all rented books to the Education Office BEFORE the start of exams on the last day of the clerkship.

The basic texts are furnished at WWAMI sites at no cost. In addition, other reference books are available at each site. Students who take the basic OB/GYN clerkship for credit at a non-University of Washington affiliated institution are responsible for obtaining their own textbooks. Occasionally, some required texts may be available for rental from the Seattle GYN Society (the Blueprints text is available for a $10 fee).

All students are responsible for using provided books with care and consideration. All books MUST be returned to their proper location BEFORE leaving the site, including materials personally loaned to you by faculty at the site. Failure to return books is considered non professional behavior and results in an Incomplete for the course until missing books are returned or replaced. Grades will also be reported as Incomplete if students leave outstanding bills (phone, etc) at the site without making payment arrangements with the appropriate site person.

For students who prefer to purchase the books, the following are the recommended texts:

Basic Texts

Comprehensive Gynecology 4th Edition: 2002; Stenchever, et al
ISBN: 032301402X (shop)
Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies 4th Edition: 2001, Gabbe et al
ISBN: 0443065721 (shop)
Guide to Managing Contraception 2005-2007, Hatcher et al
ISBN: 0963887572 (shop)

Supplementary Texts; Recommended for Reference (most are available at all sites)

Atlas of Pelvic Surgery, 3rd ed. Wheeless, 1997.
Breast Feeding, 6th ed. Ruth Lawrence, 2005.
Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology & Infertility, Speroff, Fritz, 2004.
Clinical Gynecologic Oncology, 6th ed. DiSaia, Creasman, 2002.
Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation, 7th ed. Ziggs, Freeman, Yaffe, 2005.
Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 4th ed. Hacker, et al, 2004.
Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring, 3rd ed., Garite, 7th ed. Nageotte, 2003.
Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 5th ed. Creasy, Resnik, Iams, 2004.
Medical Complications during Pregnancy, 6th ed. Burrow, Duffy, Copel, 2004.
Novak's Gynecology, 13 ed. Berek, 2002.
Lange Q&A Obstetrics & Gynecology Review, 8th ed. Vontver, et al. 2006.
Te Linde's Operative Gynecology, 9th ed. Rock, Jervis III, 2003.
Urogynecology, Lentz, 1999.
Williams Obstetrics, 22nd ed, Cunningham, MacDonald, Gant, 2005.

Reading is essential if you wish to do well on the written Final Exam

Patient Encounters

Students must have active patient involvement in each category OR complete a corresponding APGO uWise quiz as an alternative:

Condition or Disease	Alternative Experience: corresponding APGO uWise quiz
Abnormal Pap Smear	Unit 1 – Quiz #3
Abnormal Uterine Bleeding	Unit 4 – Quiz #45
Cesarean Section Delivery	Unit 2 – Quiz #32
Complicated OB (Diabetes, preterm labor, premature membrane rupture, Hypertensive disorders, 3rd trimester bleeding, etc)	Choose one quiz: Unit 2 – Quiz # 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 31
Contraception	Unit 3 – Quiz #33
1st Trimester Bleeding	Choose one quiz: Unit 2 – Quiz # 15, 16 Unit 3 – Quiz #34
Intrapartum Care of Laboring Patient	Unit 2 – Quiz #11
Menopausal Symptoms	Unit 4 – Quiz #47
Pelvic Mass	Choose one quiz: Unit 5 – Quiz # 53, 54, 55
Pelvic Pain	Choose one quiz: Unit 3 – Quiz #38, 39 Unit 4 – Quiz #46, 49
Postpartum care	Choose one quiz: Unit 2 – Quiz # 13, 14
Prenatal care	Choose one quiz: Unit 2 – Quiz # 9, 10
Vaginal Delivery	Unit 2 – Quiz #32
Vaginitis or Gynecologic Infection	Choose one quiz: Unit 3 – Quiz #35, 36

Students will document these patient encounters using the Catalyst on-line log. Students should use the LCME Patient Encounter Form to keep a weekly tally before entering the data on the Catalyst on-line log.

If the student has not been actively involved with a patient in each of the above categories by the end of the 5th week of the clerkship, the student must fulfill an acceptable alternative experience by completing the corresponding APGO quiz using uWise.

Once completed, the student must:

submit the quiz
print the Submission Confirmation
present that confirmation document to the clerkship coordinator by final day of clerkship:
Click on uWise Online now and follow the directions. You will be asked to enter a User ID and Password specific to the University of Washington. Please obtain these from the Clerkship Administrator, Jamie Vickerman.

Clinics or Physician's Offices

You will be assigned to work in specific clinics or offices. Participating clinical faculty have reserved time to teach you. All assigned clinics are required. Prolonged and/or unexcused absence from the clerkship may require remedial make-up time or repetition of the clerkship.

In your office experience you will probably initially observe patient care, and as your skill and rapport increase, you will probably take a more active part. For your own protection, all chart notes must be signed by a physician involved with the case.

Inpatient or Outpatient Workups

The workups consist of complete histories and physicals, detailed write-ups which may be incorporated into the patient's chart. All workups will be reviewed by the physicians involved in the case and some will be re-examined for the specific purpose of providing you with feedback. Obtain preceptor feedback early so you can steadily improve. All workups or other notes in charts must be signed by a physician. You must do a total of 4 workups during the 6-week clerkship.

Sample workups are available in PDF format.

Pelvic Exams, Breast Exams, Deliveries, Workups, and other Patient Experiences

While no specific number of clinical experiences is required, it is expected that you will have opportunities for a wide variety of clinical experiences by participating at different levels of involvement from observer to primary doer. Each site will differ in number of deliveries, pelvics, and workups available to medical students. Past experience has shown that students who demonstrate interest by being available and prepared to perform at appropriate skill and knowledge levels get to do more. Key words are "BE AVAILABLE and BE READY".

Dr. Amies-Oelschlager's Skills Lab in knot-typing and other Ob/Gyn procedures

Mini-CEx (Clinical Examination Skill)

An observed performance of a skill on which you receive specific feedback is required in each of the basic clerkships. The Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship has chosen the performance of the pelvic and breast exams, including patient communication, professional attitude, and actual performance of the examination, to be our required mini-CEx. Following are forms to be used for its evaluation and feedback. You should expect to have observed pelvic and breast examinations with the required feedback at least once during your clerkship, preferably occurring after the mid-point, and preferably more than one time so that you can judge your progress in this important physical examination skill. The CEx forms must be turned in to the clerkship coordinator, Jamie Vickerman, by the last day of the clerkship (final grades will be held until received).

Online videos are available of both the breast examination and a culturally sensitive breast and pelvic exam .

CEx forms may be downloaded as PDF files, here.

Faculty/Student Interaction

Lectures, Rounds, Group Discussion, One-On-One Meetings, Other Didactic Sessions

Each site will have its own schedule of the above activities. The schedule should be reviewed with you early in the clerkship. In the event that circumstances do not allow for this review, the student is responsible for finding out about the schedule. Students are responsible for making appointments for regular meetings with their preceptors. During your meetings with the faculty, a number of topics will be discussed and specific patient workups will be reviewed. This activity may be carried out differently at each site, but the aim of the department is to provide one hour of student/faculty interaction per week. Meeting with your preceptors for discussion and review of workups is your responsibility. Your preceptor should review a minimum of one of your workups each week. Contact your assigned preceptor early in the first week to arrange for weekly meetings and review of your patient workups. workups should be reviewed each week.

Do not wait until the last week of the clerkship to have your workups reviewed!

You should also discuss the content material in OB/GYN with your designated faculty member (preceptor). The means of discussing this material may be via a case on the wards, assigned reading, or cases brought in by the faculty member or student. Feedback on your performance from preceptors and others at the clerkship site is important. We also strongly suggest that you informally request such feedback during the clerkship. Before leaving the site you should feel free to request your main preceptor(s) to review your evaluation with you. This evaluation includes your grades on the oral presentation, workups, and the student performance evaluation form.

Mid-Rotation Evaluation

A mid-rotation evaluation (completed by reviewing Faculty/Resident) is required for final grade release. This Student Competency Assessment card will be distributed at orientation and is also available for download in PDF format in the FORMS section of this website. It is the responsibility of the student to submit this to the central OB/GYN Education office by the conclusion of the rotation.

Presentations

You are expected to prepare an oral presentation not to exceed 20 minutes on an Ob/Gyn topic of your choice.Ten minutes are allowed for questions following each 20-minute presentation. All students at each site are expected to be present and to participate in the question period.

To receive a passing grade you are required to submit a written one-page outline or abstract and a bibliography to the faculty presentation reviewers; you must also use at least three different journals as references. Presentation grade is automatic FAIL until these requirements are met. You will need to limit the scope of the topic you present so you can cover it in detail in 20 minutes. For example, do not try to cover the entire field of female genital cancers, but rather restrict your topic to one aspect of it such as epidemiology of vulvar in situ carcinoma.

Examples of typical presentation topics:

Antepartum management of high-risk pregnancy
Diabetes and pregnancy
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Diagnosis and treatment of breast disease

An actual example of a former student's presentation may be found in the Online Lectures section of this website.

Clerkship Evaluation (Required)

To improve the basic OB/GYN clerkship, we need your assistance. A student rating form for the clerkship experience and a rating form for faculty teaching effectiveness are to be frankly and thoughtfully completed and turned into the final exam monitor on the last day of the clerkship.

Research Paper: Seattle GYN Society Award (optional)

Each year the Seattle Gynecological Society presents a cash award to the medical student who submits the best research paper on an OB/GYN topic. The individual who is awarded this prize will be invited to present the paper at a meeting of the Seattle GYN Society (usually the third week in May). Deadline for submission of papers for this award is March 1. Students are encouraged to apply during their third year so that this award can appear on residency applications. Contact vmendira [at] u [dot] washington.edu?subject=Inquiry regarding Seattle GYN Society Award (Vicki Mendiratta, MD for additional details.

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