I had my OB-GYN rotation at Queens Hospital Center. This was a very intense yet overall rewarding rotation as I got to be a part of something so incredible, the miracle of life! In these rotation I was able to work with residents, attendings, NPs, and PAs, and learned something different from each person. I also was able to see all parts of the OB-GYN as we did one week of nights, one week of labor and delivery floor, one week of GYN surgeries, and 2 weeks of clinic. The hours were very difficult, and were at times worse then that of my surgery rotation, as my commute was longer, but I did learn a great deal when I was here.  

I was able to work with students of different backgrounds, such as PA, NP and medical students and everyone was very friendly and willing to help out. I felt that especially for these long hours, it was very importance ot have someone there to talk to. Overall, I though the PAs were the most easy to get along with and most willing to teach.  

For the rotation itself, in the labor and delivery floor we were able to assist in vaginal deliveries, do magnesium checks, follow up with mothers, update labs, as well as help check how far the mother is progressing. We were also able to scrub in and assist in C-sections. In the GYN week we were able to scrub in numerous procedures such as hysterectomies, D&Cs, hysteroscopes, laparoscopic procedures etc. Here we were also able to pre-round with the patients in the morning and present them to the Doctors, follow the patient for the entirety of their visit, in order to keep a continuity of care. Clinic, was definitely one of my favorite weeks as I got to work with all the incredible PAs. I was able to help out with new OB visits, continuous care, GYN visits, post-partum visits, antepartum care, and wound checks. During my week of nights, we also had numerous ER consults that we went into. Here I got to see SABs, ectopic, Bartholin’s cysts, and wound care. Overall, every floor and area taught me something different and gave me a well rounded experience.  

Some of the procedures I was able to do included being able to deliver a baby, which was by far one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. The PA let me take the lead and guided me with her hands throughout the birth. I also was able to take cord blood samples and examine the placenta. I was able to scrub and help out in the C-Sections, as well as other GYN surgeries that I scrubbed for. In clinic, I was also able to do all the speculum exams, pap smears, GC swabs, clinical breast exams, fetal dopplers, and checked for fundal heights.  

One of the most interesting cases we had was this patient we saw in one of my night sifts. She was in the ED for sharp abdominal pain, and OB was consulted. As per her physical exam and ultrasound we had ectopic as our top differential. We rushed her to the OR, and while we had the laparoscopic camera inside, we saw that there was actually no ectopic, but an ovarian torsion instead. I thought this case was so interesting as we got to see how even if something looks so obvious, we can never rule out everything until we definitively see it.  

Something I wish I was able to do more of however, was practice my history taking with these patients. The only time I was able to take a “progress” history was when I would pre-round during my GYN week, where I would also do a focused exam. However, a lot of these patients are established patients who would come in for routine follow-ups and did not need a thorough history done.  

Overall this was a great rotation. It taught how to be patient with these women and encourage them in their most painful hour. It also was such an incredible feeling to be helping with such a beautiful thing such as child birth. The joy in these women’s faces when they would see their babies for the first time, is something that I will carry with me.