Medical Student Education 

in

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Junior Year Clerkship

 The School of Medicine medical student curriculum specifies a six week obstetrics and gynecology clinical clerkship in the junior year. Primary clinical sites used for this clerkship include the University of Colorado  Hospital and Denver Health Medical Center. Additional sites have been identified through the AHEC program. Approximately 125 students participate in this per year. 

The Blackboard website includes all schedules, handouts, orientation information, forms, etc.  Students are referred to the APGO (Associate of Professor in Gynecology and Obstetrics) website for objectives in the clerkship.  The textbook currently used is Obstetrics and Gynecology, 4th edition, Beckmann/Ling, et al.  Students are encouraged to do additional in-depth reading in other texts and journals.

Student orientation is held with all students on the first day of the rotation.  The morning is spent at the Fitzsimons complex with the Student Coordinator Orientation, pelvic/breast exam instruction and an attending physician instruction on how to take a history and physical.  All students spend the afternoon at the 9th and Colorado campus for an introduction from the Student Director and a couple of core subject lectures.  Students assigned to the University Hospital site stay after the lectures to be oriented to the Department, especially the Labor and Delivery floor.  Denver Health Medical Center students have their orientation to that facility the second day of the rotation, as well as a day of lectures.  AHEC students travel to their chosen sites.

Students are included in the Monday morning resident education time, attending Grand Rounds and a core lecture.  They then attend lectures specifically designed for the students and meet with the Clerkship Director to discuss their past week on the service.

The students assigned to the University Hospital site spend their time on a different service each week for the six-week rotation.  Everyone has Gynecology Days, Obstetric Days, Obstetric Nights, Clinic A (OB), Clinic B (GYN) and each student has a choice of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility or Gynecologic Oncology.  This way everyone is exposed to a bit of everything.  It has been a very well received concept.

The student evaluation is based on clinical performance and performance on a standard National Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology of examination. The average score of the University of Colorado medical students is consistently above the national average. 

For more information on the Junior Clerkship, please contact the Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical Student Clerkship Director, Dr. Lorraine Dugoff, at: Lorraine.Dugoff@UCHSC.edu. 

Fourth Year Electives

In addition to the third year clerkship, several fourth year electives are offered by various departmental divisions. Fourth year electives are identified in Table 1. Most electives fill rapidly, both with CU students and with out-of-state students. Elective courses may provide an opportunity for one-on-one teaching between faculty and medical students. 

In the Maternal Fetal Medicine course, students are required to do a short literature review on a topic of choice. In other courses students may participate in research projects that have been submitted to national conferences. Counseling is provided to students who seek to pursue their medical career in obstetrics and gynecology, and assistance is provided for structuring the fourth year, as well as with reviewing and selecting possible residency programs. 

For more information on Senior Electives, please contact the Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical Student Clerkship Director, Dr. Lorraine Dugoff, at: Lorraine.Dugoff@UCHSC.edu. 

Table 1. Senior Electives

Course Number                    Title                   Site 

8000 General Obstetrics Denver General Hospital 

8001 General Gynecology Denver General Hospital 

8002 Directed studies in Ob/Gyn University Hospital Denver General Hospital 

8004 High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine Denver General Hospital 

8005 Gynecologic Oncology University Hospital 

8009 Gynecologic Procedures University Hospital 

8100 Course work away in Denver 

8200 Course work away in Colorado 

8300 Course work away outside Colorado 

8400 Course work away outside U.S. 

8600 Research in Ob/gyn