Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program Curriculum

Shortcuts: 
PGY-1 | PGY-2 | PGY-3 | PGY-4 | Friday Morning Education | Wellness | 11th Hour Schedule

Our rotation is 12 blocks per year, typically with four weeks in each block. Our rotation schedule is created for six residents per year. Residents also have a half-day-a-week clinic schedule, except for night float and gynecology oncology. Weekend call is shared among the residents. 

Our rotations are spread out over Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) hospitals, Lehigh Valley Physician Group practices and other community health care organizations, including:

• Allentown Women’s Center
• Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest
• LVH–Muhlenberg
• LVH–17th Street
• LVH–Hazleton
• LVH–Pocono
• Valley Health Partners (VHP) Community Health Center – Center for Women’s Medicine
• Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG) OB-GYN offices
• LVPG Maternal Fetal Medicine
• LVPG Gynecologic Oncology
• LVPG Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (urogynecology)
• RMA Lehigh Valley in Allentown (www.rmanetwork.com)

Sample Block Schedule

PGY-1

Obstetrics

• Two blocks at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery
• One block at LVH–Muhlenberg Family Birth and Newborn Center

Gynecology

• Two blocks per year at all three Lehigh Valley-based LVHN hospital sites

Night float

• Two blocks at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery covering obstetrics
• Sunday night to Thursday night for five nights total per week

Maternal fetal medicine (MFM) ultrasound

• One block per year
• During this block, you will participate with MFM outpatient high-risk consults and begin practicing hands-on ultrasound skills and begin your ultrasound curriculum modules

Ambulatory

• One block per year
• The first-year ambulatory rotation includes experiences with the support systems available to LVHN patients
• VHP Center for Women’s Medicine
• LVPG Obstetrics and Gynecology offices

Primary care

• One block per year
• The primary care rotation is designed to assist the resident with studying for and taking the Step 3 exam
• Primary care focus across family planning clinic, family planning outpatient practices, endocrinology and multiple clinical outreach settings to increase exposure to the socioeconomic aspects of medicine

Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI)

• One block per year
• RMA Lehigh Valley in Allentown (rmanetwork.com)

Robot/ICU

• One block per year covering:
  • Two weeks per block covering intensive care unit at LVH–Muhlenberg to learn to care for critically ill patients
  • Two weeks per block learning robotics surgery with a focus on bedside skills and competence to prepare you for your gynecologic oncology rotations

PGY-2

Obstetrics

• Two blocks at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery
• Two blocks at LVH–Muhlenberg Family Birth and Newborn Center

Gynecology

• One block per year at all three Lehigh Valley-based LVHN hospital sites

Oncology

• Two blocks per year

Night float 

• One block during first half of year at LVH–Muhlenberg Family Birth and Newborn Center
  • Second year covers gynecology, gynecologic oncology, and perinatal unit at night
• One block during second half of year at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery
• Sunday night to Thursday night for five nights total per week

Ambulatory and clinic

• One block per year
• The first-year ambulatory and clinic rotation includes experiences with the support systems available to LVHN patients
• LVPG Obstetrics and Gynecology offices
• VHP Center for Women’s Medicine

Maternal fetal medicine

• One block per year
• Covers resident high-risk obstetrical clinic twice a week
• Ultrasound and high-risk consult experience at LVPG Maternal Fetal Medicine offices

Family planning

• The second-year gynecology resident during the second half of the year is dedicated to a family planning-focused curriculum and experience

Urogynecology

• One block per year

PGY-3

Obstetrics

• Two blocks at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery
• One block at LVH–Muhlenberg Family Birth and Newborn Center

Gynecology

• Three blocks per year at all three Lehigh Valley-based LVHN hospital sites

Night float 

• One block during first half of year at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery
  •  Third year covers gynecology, gynecologic oncology, and perinatal unit at night
• One block during second half of year at LVH–Muhlenberg Family Birth and Newborn Center
• Sunday night to Thursday night for five nights total per week

Reproductive endocrinology

• One block per year
• RMA Lehigh Valley in Allentown (rmanetwork.com)

Elective

• One block per year
• During this rotation, residents have focused on rural gynecology, additional educational goals or an away rotation at another institution

PGY-4

Obstetrics 

• Two blocks at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery 
• One block at LVH–Muhlenberg Family Birth and Newborn Center 

Gynecology 

• Three blocks per year at all three Lehigh Valley-based LVHN hospital sites

Gynecologic oncology 

• Two blocks per year

Night float

• Two blocks during first half of year at LVH–Cedar Crest labor and delivery
• Sunday night to Thursday night for five nights total per week

Urogynecology

• One block per year

Ambulatory 

• One block per year
• The ambulatory chief rotation is designed to mimic the outpatient experience in which most residents will work upon graduation
• Includes experience on gynecology ultrasound through LVPG OB-GYN offices and gynecology ultrasound at MFM
• Experience tailored toward resident goals with mix of specialty clinics including adolescent clinic, sexual health office practice (SHOP) and street medicine
• Opportunity for family-planning training

Continuity clinic 

• Residents have a half-day per week scheduled at their continuity clinic at VHP Center for Women’s Medicine 
• Resident continuity high-risk clinic is also at VHP Center for Women’s Medicine and staffed by LVPG Maternal Fetal Medicine
• Other clinics the residents have exposure to at VHP Center for Women’s Medicine are preoperative clinic and colposcopy clinic

Ryan program and family planning rotations

Our residency program has provided training in family planning for many years. We are proud to have achieved designation as a Ryan Residency Training Program site as of July 2023. Our Ryan program director is fellowship trained in complex family planning. The training is a dedicated family planning rotation for four weeks during the PGY-3 year. During the PGY-2 year, residents have a gynecology/family planning-focused rotation. While on these rotations, residents participate in a family planning-dedicated OR day and complex family planning ambulatory clinic. The residency program family planning curriculum also includes simulation, clinic education, journal club, lecture series and educational modules. We have partnered with a private local clinic to ensure comprehensive medical and surgical abortion training for our residents. In our training program, our goal is that residents will learn medical and surgical management of abortion and early pregnancy failure, management of complex contraception, and evidence-based practices related to reproductive health access. This program is partial-participation based, and residents are not required to perform pregnancy termination. Learn more at ryanprogram.org.

Robotic curriculum

During PGY-1, residents will focus on robotic modules, experience hands-on learning and prepare for robotic curriculum taught throughout four years and through all the surgical rotations, including gynecology, gynecologic oncology, urogynecology and fourth-year jeopardy. Check out robotic surgery at LVHN to learn more.

Research curriculum

Each resident is expected to present a research project at the end of the third year of training, which is a culmination of mentored work accomplished over the first three years of training.

Research committee goals and objectives: To demonstrate competency in research design and interpretation by developing a research question, designing a research study, writing a proposal, executing the study and presenting the study results in a grand rounds format during research day, usually the first Friday of June of the PGY-3 year.

The department of obstetrics and gynecology’s research committee is composed of members of both the general and subspecialist divisions within the department of obstetrics and gynecology. The research committee meets every four weeks and provides active mentorship and support for the resident research projects.

Friday Morning Education

Residents have protected time for education every Thursday from 2-6 p.m. and within departmental education meetings on Friday mornings.

Typical weekly schedule

7-8 department grand rounds

• Weekly department grand rounds
• Typically, the last Friday of the month is resident-led “Morbidity and Mortality” (M&M)

8-9 monthly department meetings

• Diversity and inclusion committee
  • Led by Nissa Gossom, CNM
  • Interested residents and faculty
  • The OB-GYN diversity and inclusion committee goals are:
    • To increase diversity of our residency by recruiting and retaining underrepresented residents and faculty members.
    • To provide mentorship and support for trainees from diverse backgrounds.
    • To stimulate discussion surrounding health care disparities and implicit bias within medicine and its effects on patients and health care clinicians.
    • To promote clinical research among diversity and inclusion topics regarding patient care and resident/faculty wellness.
    • To improve patient experiences for gender nonconforming and non-English-speaking patients in clinical spaces.
    • To give back to our communities through outreach and volunteering, as well as medical-student mentorship.
• Research committee
  • Led by Vice Chair of Research Joanne Quinones, MD
  • All residents and select faculty participate
  • All residents are required to present a research project for resident research day. See what our residents have done in the past
  • Review and assist residents and faculty through every aspect of their research projects
• Program director intern meeting
  • Monthly meeting that checks in on transition and intern-specific topics
• Quality and performance committees
  • Residents participate in our monthly department committees. Residents participate in a different committee each year to ensure involvement in several aspects of quality improvement and ensuring evidence-based practice of medicine
  • OB peer and quality review
    • Led by our Chair of Obstetrics, Travis Dayon, MD
    • Second-year residents
  • Multidisciplinary committee
    • Led by OB-GYN laborist Liany Diven, MD
    • Representatives from several disciplines discuss and form comprehensive plans for our high-risk obstetrical patients
    • Third-year residents
  • OB-GYN performance improvement committee
    • Led by Vice Chair of Quality and Maternal Fetal Medicine, Danielle Durie, MD
    • Fourth-year residents
    • Goal is creation, implementation, education and review of clinical practice guidelines for our department
    • Fourth-year residents are paired with a faculty member to write and review clinical practice guidelines

2-6 Thursday afternoon resident didactics, coordinated by our academic chief

• Monthly preop conference
  • Led by gynecology chief resident
• Journal club
  • Led by MFM, Danielle Durie, MD
• Resident simulation
  • Led by Vice Chair Education Kristin Friel, MD, and Director of OB Simulation Daniel Kraus, MD
  • Twice a year, we do a three-week series of simulation at our simulation center with team-based obstetrical simulation, office-based simulation with standardized patients, family planning simulation and hands-on gynecology simulation
• Traditional didactics led by our generalist and subspecialty faculty

11th hour

• An hour of education a week dedicated to topics that promote wellness and deal with the other aspects of medicine and life as a physician
  • Led by our wellness fourth-year chiefs and Reena Kanabar, MD

Wellness

• We have a designated faculty member, our 11th hour wellness faculty lead, and two wellness resident chiefs who create the wellness schedule
• During the 11th hour, we have had instructors visit to discuss nutrition, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, therapy options, financial planning and fatigue management. We have had periodic support-group time during this hour to discuss residents’ concerns and burnout. During this time, we also have created time for residents’ wellness and bonding with nature walks, dodgeball, gardening and game time. 
• Resident community outreach with the goal of a quarterly resident community outreach project
• Resident mentor families with each mentor family consisting of a resident from each class and faculty members who provide support. Resident mentor families host activities outside of work and participate in family mentor breakfasts

What does 11th hour schedule look like?

• Chief boot camp/resident family breakfast
• Get to know our interns
• Nature walk
• Program director meeting
• Mock orals for second-year/class lunch
• Letter to self
• Noble purpose exercise
• Nosh with a nutritionist
• Financial talk with Joy (student loans)
• Residency videos
• Resident retreat
• Program director meeting
• Obstetrics Sim No. 1
• Financial Q&A
• Obstetrics Sim No. 2
• Pet therapy (with Halloween costumes)
• Designated institutional officials check-in
• Obstetrics Sim No. 3
• Community outreach activity/gratitude reflection
• Financial lecture – retirement accounts
• Potluck
• Gingerbread houses