Education

Program Director's Message

Errol R. Norwitz, M.D., Ph.D. Professor, Yale University School of Medicine Director, Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency Program Co–Director, Division of Maternal–Fetal Medicine Director, Maternal–Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences Yale–New Haven Hospital 333 Cedar Street, LCI 800 New Haven, CT 06520–8063 Tel: (203) 785–4004 Fax: (203) 785–6885 errol.norwitz@yale.edu

Welcome to our website. The goal of the Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency Program at Yale is to train leaders in women’s health, whether it be in academic subspecialties, community practice, research, education, international health, or even government health policy. We value teamwork, intellectual curiosity, compassion, and academic excellence. We want to train OB/GYN physicians who take pride in the quality of their work and who are committed to being health care advocates for the generations of women we serve.

Mission

The mission of the Yale–New Haven Hospital OB/GYN Residency Program is to provide a structured educational environment in which didactic teaching is integrated with graduated clinical responsibilities that promote intellectual growth and increasing autonomy in the operating room, delivery room, inpatient, or outpatient OB/GYN settings. Our residency program trains physician leaders who provide innovative, compassionate, and comprehensive health care for women by:

• Addressing the biopsychosocial needs of a diverse patient population
• Collaborating across clinical disciplines within and outside of OB/GYN
• Evaluating the medical literature and applying an evidence–based approach to clinical management with a view to providing the best possible care to all of our patients

Introducing the Residency Program

The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine offers a 4–year ACGME–accredited postgraduate residency training program based at Yale–New Haven Hospital (YNHH). There are currently 25 residents in the program, including six categorical resident positions per year and a one–year preliminary PGY–1 position. The program remains extremely competitive, and the number of applications as well as the quality of the applicants has been increasing year by year. We continue to attract and recruit some of the top students from medical schools around the country. During the 2008 residency recruitment season, for example, we received over 400 applications and interviewed approximately 75 candidates, all of whom had a track record for academic excellence, public service, and a passion for women’s health care.

Although we prize intellectual and academic achievement, the primary goal of the residency training at Yale is to produce excellent clinicians and surgeons in the field of Obstetrics & Gynecology with an outstanding fund of clinical knowledge, a sound theoretic base, and expert surgical skills to serve the community at large. We believe that sound clinical skills are critical to superior performance in the postgraduate years, regardless of whether one remains in an academic medical center or enters private practice. All three OB/GYN Subspecialty Fellowships (Maternal–Fetal Medicine, Gynecologic Oncology, and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility) are offered in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale. Exposure to these subspecialty training programs promotes the academic aspirations of graduates without diminishing the clinical training of the residents.

Specialized techniques are either covered in specific rotations (such as OB/GYN ultrasound or Urogynecology) or are integrated into core clinical rotations (for example, learning about antenatal fetal surveillance during Obstetrics, or colposcopy and chemotherapy during Gynecologic Oncology). We also have a Family Planning rotation run in collaboration with Planned Parenthood® of Connecticut to provide residents with the latest training in reproductive options for women. The residency program also includes rotations dealing with anesthesiology, breast disease, primary care, geriatric medicine, human sexuality, and menopause.

Residents are involved in the care of all patients at YNHH. As part of their learning experience, residents are expected to teach each other and to supervise and teach Yale medical students. Moreover, the full–time Medical School Faculty and Attending Physicians depend on the residents to provide excellent care for their patients and, in return, teach and share in the clinical experience.

The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale is comprised of five clinical Sections: Maternal–Fetal Medicine, Gynecologic Oncology, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, Urogynecology, and Family Planning. The Department also has a Section of Reproductive Sciences, which focuses primarily on basic science and translational research. The hospital–based outpatient Women’s Center offers general obstetric and gynecologic care as well as subspecialty services using a continuity care model. Additional ambulatory experience is provided through rotations at the University faculty subspecialty practices, at Temple Surgical Center, and at the Planned Parenthood® of Connecticut facility in New Haven. The 22,000 annual patient encounters within our hospital, including over 4,500 deliveries and nearly 1,300 major gynecologic cases, offer a wealth of patient care opportunities for OB/GYN residents, medical students, and subspecialty fellows.

In addition to an active University clinical faculty of full–time professors, associate professors, and assistant professors, there is an equal number of full–time bench scientists as well as clinical and research fellows who are available to the residents for collaboration on research projects. Subspecialty fellows serve as junior members of the faculty, and they do not compete with residents for clinical cases. There are also over 70 community–based faculty members who admit their patients to YNHH, and who are closely integrated with the University staff. Indeed, the OB/GYN services integrate patients from both community– and university–based practices to give the residents exposure to a wide spectrum of patient care issues and diverse patient populations. Community and University faculty attend integrated teaching rounds and conferences, and enjoy a harmonious relationship centered on their shared responsibility for house staff education and training.

Finally, one afternoon each week is dedicated to the didactic education of the OB/GYN residents, and all residents are excused from clinical responsibilities during that time. In addition to core lectures by University faculty on clinical problems in OB/GYN, we have numerous invited lecturers from other clinical departments with which we collaborate on a daily basis and ambulatory care lectures given primarily by community–based faculty members. CREOG reviews, professionalism seminars, animal laboratories to teach surgical technique, and meetings with the OB/GYN Program Director and Chair are conducted on a regular basis. Resident feedback and input is greatly appreciated with a view to continuously improve the quality of our educational program and training experience.

We appreciate your interest in the OB/GYN Residency Program at Yale. I look forward to reviewing your application and meeting you in person!