February 2012 Tip of the Month for Chief Residents Planning a Subspecialty Fellowship

Subspecialty fellows are permitted to select 20 patients from their Chief resident year for their off specialty case list. In other words, GYN Oncologists, REI and Urogynecologists will need an OB list and MFMs need a GYN list. Thus make sure to hold onto that residency log!

Refer to the ABOG Bulletin on how those 20 patients are selected. To be on the safe side, we recommend you collect at least 30, so you can strategically select the final 20 later. For those patients, keep a file of the following: for the GYN patients, collect the H&Ps, operative note, pathology report, and discharge summary. For the OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal form, delivery note, discharge summary, and postpartum note. Don’t worry about the office patients at all, as you may compile this only during your fellowship.

A word of caution -- right now you are at your peak for general OB/GYN knowledge. Believe it or not, two years from now, your knowledge base will regress to that of an intern. Yes, it’s true: if you don’t use it, you lose it. So those really cool, esoteric, bizarre, once-in-a career cases now will be a nightmare to defend later. Your greatest allies are your junior residents. If they can’t easily defend that case, then discard it and "go fish" for another.

You can do it...we can help.

Test Taking Technique

For many candidates, Oncology is a love/hate relationship. Commonly, many don't even have any oncology on their GYN case list, since most generalists refer the patient to the gyn oncologist upon the diagnosis or even suspicion of cancer. Nonetheless you will be held accountable for oncology on your oral exam.
As a resident, oncology is practically second nature for you. Make sure to choose some oncology cases for your case list if you will be using your chief log for your GYN case list. Just go with the bread and butter cancers, such as ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers. You’ll be glad you did, as it will be easier to retain or relearn these topics two or more years from now.

With you every step...

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