“The Women’s Health rotation allowed me to focus on specific issues including contraception and dysfunctional uterine bleeding. It is a great opportunity to work one-on-one with GYN physicians concerning gynecologic issues often seen in general internal medicine. I was able to spend valuable time at an eating disorders clinic.”
Karyn Ofa, D.O.
The women's health rotation is a unique opportunity for internal medicine residents to become more expert in providing health care to women. The rotation combines working with preceptors from many disciplines, plus developing a research project. Venues include:
A gynecology office
An eating disorders clinic
A naturopathic clinic with a special focus on women's health
A breast clinic
An endocrinology clinic specializing in osteoporosis
Radiation oncology with an emphasis on breast cancer/GYN cancer treatment
Genetics clinic
Radiology, specializing in mammograms and GYN procedures
Domestic violence education
During the rotation, residents work with several gynecologists to gain a broader perspective on general gynecology topics and to learn procedures. Residents are also asked to focus on learning critical appraisal skills and on topic content. To use these skills, residents present at a bi-monthly Women's Health Journal Club. Furthermore, residents also participate in working on a continuous quality improvement project involving the care of women at the PACE clinic. These projects have included looking at whether obtaining thin-prep Pap smears would be cost-effective for the clinic and evaluating how well providers at our clinic follow current Pap smear frequency guidelines. Our current project involves osteoporosis-screening rates.
“Doing the Women’s Health Advanced Focus really helped me gain extra skills and knowledge. During my second year, I spent a half day each week all year with a group of ob/gyn’s. This was a fabulous experience – like having a mini-fellowship in the middle of residency. It was a great credential and helped me get both a Women’s Health and Endocrinology Fellowship. ” Christy Risinger, M.D.
