Program Overview

The residency consists of four years of intensive clinical training in general obstetrics and gynecology, including formal training in all five recognized subspecialties: gynecologic oncology, maternal fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology & infertility, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery and family planning. Additionally residents receive training minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and pediatric and adolescent gynecology.

Program Aims

The program aims to:

1. Promote the highest quality health care delivery using evidence-based practice to diverse women across the life span
2. Develop leaders in obstetrics and gynecology
3. Provide balanced education in obstetrics and gynecology with ample exposure to every sub-specialty

Aim 1: Promote the highest quality health care delivery using evidence-based practice to diverse women across the life span

This aim is the cornerstone of the program. Our goal is to teach our residents to respectfully care for a very ethnically and socioeconomically diverse group of women. Likewise this diversity provides ample opportunity to learn about a wide array of disease processes on both ends of the acuity spectrum and learn about health disparities and promote justice. We also have a unique group of experienced and dedicated physician-educators who strive daily to teach evidence-based care not just at the bedside but beyond. Board rounds, tumor board, and journal clubs occur regularly with this focus in mind (even through the pandemic). In addition, we have protected teaching time on Wednesday afternoon that aims to teach evidence based care through didactics, M&M and Grand Rounds. A department wide effort successfully protected this time for residents. As fiercely as we desire our residents to learn, we similarly expect them to teach.

It is important for all applicants to understand our commitment to Culture and Justice.

A deliberate and concerted effort has been made to improve the diversity of our residency program. Initially we educated our faculty and residents to the value and importance of a diverse training program, both for us and our patients. We invited a guest speakers to to teach us more about the importance diversity in medical education, understanding our implicit biases, and advocacy. With an understanding that recruitment alone is insufficient we support the recently formed the OBGYN URM Group which includes our underrepresented minority (URM) faculty, fellows and residents. This group sponsored by our department now meets quarterly. They have also created a document that summarizes URM resources at UC San Diego. The program director has recently secured funding to advance these efforts. The Department has likewise increased its attention to recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty. The department has increased its commitment to mentoring and now hosts annual faculty development and mentoring retreats and has created a mentor network for our junior faculty. A senior resident was selected as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion lead and represents their peers on the Resident Leadership Council. The residency program has incorporated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in its "Betterment Sessions" during didactics throughout the year Departmental plans are now being operationalized to sustain a new group entitled the Culture and Justice Quorum. This collaboration of departmental faculty, trainees and staff will move us forward.

Aim 2: Develop leaders in obstetrics and gynecology

The program focuses recruitment on candidates with potential to attain future leadership roles in obstetrics and gynecology. Leadership positions can be in a variety of settings. We recruit residents interested in sub-specialty fellowships, academic medicine, research, administration and patient advocacy. To this end, we provide opportunities and support for residents to perform and present research, improve their teaching, and participate in global health and advocacy electives, resident reporter programs and ACOG leadership roles.

We expanded the leadership opportunities for our senior residents in 2020, creating a Resident Leadership Council with leads in administration, education, diversity, equity & inclusion, community engagement, quality improvement & patient safety, advocacy & health policy, and wellness. This new structure is providing a venue for these resident leaders to create and grow.

Aim 3: Provide balanced education in obstetrics and gynecology with ample exposure to every sub-specialty

We continually reassess the clinical curriculum for the best available opportunities for our learners. This year we created three new rotations: midwifery, a senior REI-Jeopardy rotation and a combined OBGYN Chief experience. Our residents learn from our midwives to provide collaborative care from day one. With California's only In-hospital Birth Center, our residents learn the process of physiologic birth and non-pharmacologic labor support. As they progress in their training they provide consultative services to our midwife colleagues. Integral to our program is this respectful, interdisciplinary model of training and care.

Our program is designed to teach the breadth and depth of obstetrics and gynecology, while changing to meet the needs of the learners.

About our services

Outpatient Service

Resident continuity clinics are scheduled every day of the week, Monday through Friday, with the exception of Wednesday afternoon, which is reserved for didactic conferences. Departmental clinics include additional specialty clinics in high-risk obstetrics, diabetic obstetrics, ultrasound, oncology, reproductive endocrinology-infertility, urogynecology, complex contraception, menopause, vulvar health, pediatric and adolescent gynecology and colposcopy. Residents on the various services are routinely assigned to these specialty clinics and play an integral role in the care and management of the patients.

Inpatient Services

The obstetric service at the UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla consists of a labor and delivery unit which currently has 8 LDR rooms, a 6-room triage area, 3 operating rooms and a recovery room. The postpartum floor has 32 beds, and there is a high risk antepartum unit as well. The entire labor and delivery suite (including the antepartum rooms) has centralized fetal monitoring and electronic patient care documentation. There is 24-hour, full-time anesthesia coverage to the obstetrical service and full-time coverage by maternal fetal medicine, as well as in- and outpatient lactation services. In addition, there is a birth center where low risk midwifery births take place.

On the gynecology and gynecologic oncology services, are followed at the La Jolla Campus, where state-of-the-art operative and medical care is provided on an in- or outpatient basis. On both services, the faculty preside at teaching rounds and provide consultative interaction throughout the day. Nearly all surgical cases are performed by the resident staff, under faculty supervision

Our Hillcrest Campus is home to an 8 bed labor and delivery unit and our residents provide care to patients under the supervision of our hospitalists. In addition to obstetric care, our team provides gynecologic services including ED, trauma, intra-operative and floor consults and gynecologic surgery.