Beth Israel Medical Center's Ob/Gyn Residency Program


Arnold Friedman, MD	Laura MacIsaac, MD, MPH	John Koullos, MD
Chairman	Program Residency Director	Associate Program
		Residency Director

The faculty and staff of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Medical Center welcome your interest in our residency training program. The goal of our department is to train physicians who can function as both primary care physicians and general obstetricians-gynecologists for women. We have designed a residency program that we hope will maximize the potential of each resident and will prepare them for general practice or to enter subspecialty fellowship programs.

Beth Israel's residency program is flexible enough to meet the ever-changing nature of our specialty. As University Hospital and Manhattan Campus for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, we are able to combine the benefits of a major academic/research center with the intimacy of a community hospital. The program provides a strong base in general obstetrics and gynecology as well as significant experience in the subspecialty fields of gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology, pelvic surgery, and family planning. Residents graduating from our program are competitive applicants to Obstetric and Gynecology subspecialty fellowships as well as into the private or faculty practice groups.

During 2006, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology performed 3,517 deliveries and approximately 1,732 operative gynecologic procedures. There were 37,391 private visits, with 30% performed in the department's continuity clinic. The Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology is rapidly expanding and the department has active divisions in subspecialty areas. Residents are trained in all techniques currently in widespread use by generalists in the field. These include major laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgery, obstetrical and gynecologic ultrasound, urogynecology and pelvic floor surgery and a newly established family planning division.

The goal of the residency program is to train obstetrician-gynecologists who are capable of providing care to women of all ages and in all situations. Graduates will be experienced in managing a broad range of preventive health issues, including family planning, cancer screenings and geriatric care, family planning as well as a diverse number of health concerns such as depression, HIV infection, and hypertension. At the same time, residents will obtain skills in the specialized problems of pregnancy and of reproductive medicine and surgery. Approximately 80 percent have gone on to practice general obstetrics and gynecology, while the remainder has taken subspecialty fellowships or advanced degrees.

The obstetrics and gynecology residency training program offers a comprehensive curriculum, emphasizing outpatient and inpatient experience, formal teaching, research opportunities and self-learning activities.

The key to the resident's outpatient experience is the continuity clinic, located in Beth Israel's Phillips Ambulatory Care Center (PACC). PACC houses a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgicenter as well as the majority of the Medical Center's outpatient offices. Each resident spends 10 percent of his or her time (one full day or two half days a week) in continuity clinics. During the first year of the residency program, each resident is assigned a panel of patients. New patients are added to the panel as needed, and every effort is made to provide continuity of care for patients in the panel. Residents see patients for both routine and high-risk obstetrical care, general medical problems and gynecologic concerns, as well as ongoing preventative care. In addition, residents see patients with infertility problems, complicated menopause, urogynecologic issues and all aspects of family planning. Residents attend all of their continuity sessions except when they are rotating through the surgical intensive care unit during their second year and during the night float rotations throughout the four years.

Patients from the continuity clinics provide a significant portion of the resident's inpatient experience in labor and delivery and in the operating room. Many of the obstetric and gynecologic admissions are the private patients of the numerous voluntary physicians in the department. As a result, residents are exposed to a large, demographically varied group of patients and participate in the management of a broad, well-balanced spectrum of conditions in obstetrics and gynecology.

Each year of residency is divided into 10 five week blocks. Residents rotate through various services as follows:

First-year residents spend six months on obstetrics (four day blocks and two night blocks). Four months are devoted to gynecology. One block is shared in both the neonatal intensive care unit and the ultrasound unit. Another block is spent in the surgical intensive care unit. During the rotations in obstetrics and gynecology, emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of diagnosis and management.

Introduction to operative obstetrics is under the guidance of the attending staff. All house officers participate in surgery, inpatient care and outpatient management and receive instruction in endocrinology, genetics, infertility, family planning, cancer detection and treatment, newborn management, ultrasound and anesthesiology.

PGY-1
Rotations	Duration	Director
OB Days	20 Weeks	Stein/Rothenberg
NICU/US	5 Weeks	Stein
Gynecology	10 Weeks	Friedman/Wang
SICU	5 Weeks	MacMillen
Nights	10 Weeks	Faculty

Second-year residents spend ten weeks (two 5 week blocks) on gynecology. Two blocks are spent in obstetrics (days) two each on days and nights. Residents are assigned for one block each to maternal-fetal medicine and reproductive endocrinology and infertility and two blocks to family planning. During the clinic rotation residents spend two days a week in continuity clinic, one day a week in colposcopy clinic, one day a week performing outpatient surgery in the surgicenter, and the fifth day in an outpatient reproductive endocrinology setting.

The second-year resident becomes adept at management of common obstetric problems and preoperative care and also learns basic operative skills. The intensive care rotations equip the house officer to manage all but the most difficult inpatient problems. Thus, the second-year resident develops the conceptual and technical skills necessary to manage inpatient pulmonary, cardiac and gastrointestinal illness. During the maternal-fetal medicine rotation, residents achieve the knowledge base and ultrasound skills needed to practice superior obstetrics. The second-year resident chooses a research project which is completed during the third year and fourth year and presented in the fourth year with a research prize.

PGY-2
Rotations	Duration	Director
OB Days	10 Weeks	Stein/Rothenberg
Gynecology	20 Weeks	Friedman/Wang
SICU	5 Weeks	MacMillen
Family Planning	5 Weeks	MacIsaac
Nights	10 Weeks	Faculty

The third-year resident spends three blocks in gynecology at Beth Israel. One block includes a major experience in urogynecology. There are two months on obstetrics (days) and two months on the night team, during which the resident has primary responsibility for gynecology but also participates in obstetric management. They spend another block on the reproductive endocrinology service and, two blocks on maternal fetal medicine. Third-year residents serve as consultants to Beth Israel's emergency medicine department.

By the end of the third year, residents are able to manage all outpatient problems not requiring specialty consultation. They also are able to perform all uncomplicated gynecologic and obstetric operations.

PGY-3
Rotations	Duration	Director
OB Days	10 Weeks	Stein/Rothenberg
MFM/USG	10 Weeks	Bernasko
Gynecology	10 Weeks	Friedman/Wang
Pelvic Floor	5 - 10 Weeks	Fantl, Friedman
REI	5 Weeks	Chang
Family Planning	5 Weeks	MacIsaac
Nights	10 Weeks	Faculty

The chief resident has the opportunity to integrate and consolidate his or her knowledge and skills. In the fourth year, there are two months of obstetrics, two months of night team, two blocks of gynecologic oncology and four blocks of gynecology. The obstetric chief resident also follows patients in the high-risk obstetric clinic. The chief resident assumes major responsibility for direction of the obstetrical and gynecological services, as well as for direction of his or her outpatient team. This resident, under the supervision of the faculty attending, has primary responsibility for the care of service patients. Responsibilities include substantial teaching of medical students and junior residents.

PGY-4
Rotations	Duration	Director
OB Days	10 Weeks	Stein/Rothenberg
Gynecology	10 Weeks	Friedman/Wang
Oncology	10 Weeks	Koulos
Pelvic Floor	10 Weeks	Fantl, Friedman
Nights	10 Weeks	Faculty

Each week, five hours are set aside for lectures and case conferences. The academic morning begins with Grand Rounds speakers invited from across the country. Weekly Departmental statistics are presented by the ob and gyn chief residents. Resident didactic time follows with two lectures given by local BIMC and AECOM faculty. Chairman's Rounds take place every Thursday morning before the O.R. begins. In addition, there are daily board rounds in obstetrics and daily floor rounds in gynecology. It is expected to pass the USMLE Step-2 to start second year of residency training and All residents take the annual CREOG in-service examination. Each resident is required to finish a research project before the completion of the residency training program and is expected to participate in the education of resident colleagues and medical students.

Third-year medical students from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine complete their basic rotation in Beth Israel's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Residents at all levels are expected to play a major role in their education. Various electives (sub internships) are offered for fourth-year medical students, including general obstetrics and gynecology, maternal and fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology accepts applications only through ERAS, the Electronic Residency Application Service sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Please note that paper applications are not accepted. Please include the following supporting materials with your ERAS application:

The Program is open to all U.S. Medical School graduates, Doctors of Osteopath (DO) and International Medical Graduates (IMG).

Interviews will be conducted on designated weekday mornings, by invitation, starting in mid- November through January. A rank list will be prepared and submitted to the National Residency Matching Program at the required time. All positions are filled through the Match.

To learn more about the requirements and procedures necessary to apply for Beth Israel Medical Center residency opportunities please click here. We accept applications from allopathic and osteopathic programs submitted through ERAS only. We have no absolute cut offs for grades or scores, but seek to fill our program with the highest quality students. The institution sponsors J-1 and H-1B visas. Inquiries concerning the philosophy, form or content of the program are welcome and should be forwarded to:

Simone Glover
Residency Coordinator
Beth Israel Medical Center
350 East 17th Street, Ste. 9BH23
New York, NY 10003
T: (212) 420-4548
F: (212) 420-2980 (Fax)
E-Mail: sglover@chpnet.org