Frequently Asked Questions

Our gyn oncology, MIGS and generalist faculty at both SMH and HH perform Robotic surgery. Our Robotic surgery volume is at the 86 percentile for Ob/Gyn residencies nationally. Our residents graduate ready to do robotic cases in their own practices.

Family planning volume is a strength of our residency. Residents who participate are trained and ready to perform first and second trimester medical & surgical abortions independently when they graduate. This is a skill that allows them to take care of not only patients needing terminations for social/economic indications, but also for those with fetal loss, pre-viable PPROM, bleeding placenta previas and more.

All of our residents graduate comfortable with both forceps and vacuum assisted vaginal deliveries.

In addition to simulation training to be excellent gyn surgeons, all residents receive training specifically geared toward passing the FLS exam. We have dedicated time for our MIGs curriculum during the ambulatory rotations. Residents receive hands on and didactic training using the same trainers and instruments used during the FLS exam. We also purchase year-long access and test vouchers for our residents to use during their R3 year.

Residents are given administrative time throughout their residency that they use to work on their scholarly activities. Our research curriculum runs longitudinally over the entire 4 years of residency. While there is no dedicated research block, residents who are involved in lots of research or multiple projects can choose to use part of all of their elective to supplement their administrative time.

We actively encourage residents to get engaged in advocacy events. Our residents and MFM fellows have a long tradition of being involved in ACOG district II leadership and advocacy training events. Faculty and residents participate in ACOG and Planned Parenthood Advocacy Days in Albany yearly. We consistently have residents, fellows and faculty participate in the Congressional Leadership Conference in DC.

You will have learners with you during most of your clinical activities – which the majority of these being medical students. This provides you the opportunity to teach them what you know in all types of settings. Some of this will be more formal during down time on rotations, but most of it will occur in the operating room, delivery room or when evaluating patients. While most residents are more natural teachers than they think, we do have group sessions on teaching and giving feedback during lecture times and we provide opportunities for our residents to practice “formal teaching” such as lectures, grand rounds, peer-to-peer teaching, etc. We expect our faculty to act as role models for teaching on the fly during clinical care so that our residents learn to offer those small moments of teaching that are so valuable to those following in their footsteps. Residents also practice giving constructive feedback, a crucial part of being an effective teacher, through completion of evaluations of faculty, peers, and students as well as through direct feedback during supervision of junior residents and students.

Miner Digital Library, the University of Rochester medical library located at the University of Rochester Medical Center, provides robust electronic resources for the medical community. Residents have full access to these resources, which include: Pub Med, Ovid, Up to Date, Micromedix, Reprotox, Te Lindes, Williams, Harrison’s and many more! Residents also have free access to bibliographic software including RefWorks and EndNote. Training for these and other resources is available in online tutorials or live sessions with library reference staff. Institutional Zoom is now available to all and has become an integral part of our clinical and educational experience.

While we have no dedicated global health site that our residents rotate to, we do have residents complete global health electives tailored to their interests and will work with you to help create an elective. In addition, our research faculty are involved in global health projects around the world, and residents are encouraged to join these research teams. We are limited by GME policy of not being able to send residents to countries that have travel advisories.

We have an open door policy in our education office and very available. Quarterly resident assemblies are held where resident concerns or suggestions are discussed. We have an Education Specialist who will work with you one on one to create study or learning plans. In addition, we have a Residency Support Committee to help maximize your success during your training.