Frequently Asked Questions

How many fellows do you match annually?: We match two fellows each year through NRMP.

Do fellows get support for research?: Our fellows have access to divisional research funds, two internal departmental grant mechanisms, a biostatistician, and support staff for research recruitment.

Do your fellows take call? Can they moonlight?: Fellows take 4-5 of the 10-12 hour call shifts (day or night) per month as generalist ob/gyn faculty, within the 80-hour work rules, and are paid for this work. Fellows are allowed to moonlight in addition to this, but only outside of clinical assignments, and must adhere to work hours.

Are fellows allowed to take their general oral boards?: Our fellows are allowed and strongly encouraged to take their oral boards in the first or second year.

What is the pass rate for the written boards?: 100% of our fellows have passed the written boards, and more than 90% are fully board certified within 2 - 3 years of graduation.

Are there departmental databases available for research?: There are several clinical databases available, including a large ultrasound database, a birth certificate database for the entire Upstate region (spanning from Buffalo to Albany), and the Upstate collaborative NICU database.

Are fellows able to train in CVS?: Yes, fellows can train in CVS. Non-continuing passes are required, and completed with our family planning division prior to participating in continuing passes.

Do fellows have division funds for travel and presentations?: Yes, they have division funds for travel and presentations.

Does your program do fetal surgery?: We do fetal transfusions (PUBS) and shunts but do not offer open fetal surgery or laser. We do not have separate fetal surgery or fetal procedure fellows. All fetal procedures are done by the MFM faculty and fellows.

Who does the cesarean hysterectomies at URMC?: For most planned cases, the MFM fellows and faculty are the primary team. Oncology may be involved if bladder or bowel involvement is suspected. For emergent cases, on-call MFM faculty, fellows, generalist, and oncology attendings may all be called to participate depending on availability and complexity.

Are master’s degrees available during training?: Yes, a variety of master’s and PhD programs can be obtained during the fellowship through the graduate schools at the University of Rochester. Coursework is encouraged even if the fellow is not planning for an advanced degree.

Does your program support J1 or H1B visa applications?: No, our program does not support J1 or H1B visa applications.

Does the fellowship do any simulation?: Our fellows participate in team-based simulation and procedural simulation for general obstetrical, ultrasound-guided, and MFM procedures annually.

How does your fellowship help teach and pursue quality and safety?

All of our fellows participate in unit-based safety teams that work to improve care using PDSA methods. Second-year fellows are part of the Antepartum Unit team, while third-year fellows are part of the Labor and Delivery team.
All fellows rotate through the QA and M&M meetings, including preparing and reviewing cases, and a fellow is assigned to each RCA team. We have a full-time safety nurse who coordinates these with our departmental quality officer.
Fellows complete Team Stepps and Crucial Conversations training to help improve their understanding of team-based communication.
All faculty and fellows complete GNOSIS assessments and training on common areas targeted as high-risk in obstetrics, such as fetal monitoring.

Do fellows have input into the program?: All fellows participate in an annual program evaluation with the fellowship director, and the third-year fellows serve as the fellow representatives on the Program Evaluation Committee.

Will I get enough ultrasound exposure?

Fellows rotate through ultrasound every third week in their first year and during their MFM clinical time in the third year. First-year fellows spend time directly with sonographers in their first year, learning hands-on scanning techniques.
There is a dedicated obstetrical sonographer on L&D each day, and the L&D fellow is encouraged to scan with them as well. Fellows, once proficient, complete their own ultrasounds on call for review and feedback from MFM faculty. Fellows also have access to an on-call sonographer 24/7 for additional assistance.
Bi-weekly ultrasound-based conferences allow fellows and faculty to review images and cases from throughout the system, assuring that all team members benefit from a review of images and case materials. Fellows are given the opportunity to attend national ultrasound courses.