Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship

The Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship is a five-week clinical rotation during the major clinical year of study. Our goal is to provide students with (a) a world-class educational experience in obstetrics and gynecology that is aligned with our department’s mission and the university’s core educational program objectives, and (b) the skills to educate others, advocate for patients, and engage in scientific inquiry.

Students are assigned to one of two sites: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital or Stamford Hospital. Both sites offer the benefits of a major teaching center with outstanding house officers and superb faculty, many of whom are leading experts in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. During the clerkship, students will participate in the care of patients spanning various components of the obstetrics and gynecology specialty, including inpatient obstetrics, benign gynecology, gynecologic oncology, and ambulatory general and specialty clinics. A full day each week is dedicated to formal didactic sessions including lectures, simulations, and case study seminars.

By the end of this clerkship, students should be able to demonstrate professional competency in the basic  knowledge, skills, and attitudes of an effective clinician providing care in our specialty. The general learning objectives for the clerkship are:

  • Acquire knowledge of routine obstetric and gynecologic care from reproductive years through menopause, and of normal and abnormal reproductive function.   
  • Reinforce skills for taking a reproductive health history and performing trauma-informed physical and pelvic examinations.  
  • Participate in the pre-, intra- and post-operative care of patients having gynecologic surgical procedures.  
  • Hone patient communication skills.     
  • Hone clinical reasoning skills and communication with members of the medical team in various clinical settings.  
  • Increase awareness of disparities in obstetrics and gynecology, including maternal morbidity/mortality and access to care, and the efforts to address these.  
  • Develop the ability to form differential diagnoses and treatment/management plans for common obstetric and gynecologic conditions, and consider these in the evaluation of undifferentiated complaints.  
  • Collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines to optimize patient care.

Obstetrics and gynecology is an extremely rewarding and diverse field of medicine. As a student on this rotation, you will have the privilege of sharing in some of the most intimate aspects of patients' lives: the birth of a child, the vulnerability of undergoing surgery, and pelvic examinations, to name a few. You will be exposed to extensive and unique experiences in both clinical practice and academic research and will hopefully gain new insight into this exciting and challenging specialty.

Said S. Saab, MD, MEd
Director, Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology