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Curriculum

Educational Objectives

The Sisters Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency is a continuing, structured educational experience, including formal and informal activities. The purpose of this program is to teach residents the appropriate basic sciences and clinical skills that will enable them to provide excellent care for women and to fulfill the requirements of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. With that goal in mind, the specific educational objectives include:

• The creation of an environment which allows the resident to integrate basic information, technical skills, and sound judgment, while at the same time developing the habits of lifelong learning in obstetrics and gynecology.
• The utilization of deductive reasoning in dealing with clinical problems.
• The development of a strong awareness of ethical and intellectual integrity including the ability to assess one's own progress and limitations.
• To promote the need to serve women with sensitivity, regardless of their socioeconomic background, race, or religion.
• To acquire an awareness of socioeconomic and legal factors which impact the stress created by the high-intensity learning situation, with an understanding of the potentially deleterious effects of this on one's own personal behavior and ability to appropriately care for patients.

The Elements of Residency

While there is continued emphasis on integrating basic science information into the clinical setting throughout the four years of residency training, the educational objectives include a program of instruction stressing progressive acquisition of cognitive knowledge, technical skills and professional capability. In addition, there is advancing patient responsibility culminating in the fourth year.

First Year

Emphasis is placed at the first year level on mastering the fundamental concepts of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology as they relate to the normal obstetric and gynecological patient. PGY1 residents are closely supervised in the outpatient continuity clinic by a senior resident and faculty member. During the first year there are also rotations in primary care, internal medicine, emergency medicine, as well as medical/surgical intensive care.

Second Year

During the second year, emphasis is placed on abnormal obstetrics and gynecology with an increase in the level of responsibility and the acquisition of technical skills appropriate for that year. During the second year, there is a two-module rotation in obstetrical and gynecological ultrasound, a rotation in maternal-fetal medicine at the Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo and an elective.

Third Year

More attention is given to the areas of sub-specialization during the third year curriculum, i.e., oncology, infertility, endocrinology, urogynecology and pelvic floor dysfunction, and breast disease. It is also expected that the resident will begin to appreciate the technical refinements that are necessary in a procedure-oriented specialty. The third year resident is paired with a first year resident in the continuity clinics and assumes a greater role in the teaching of State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB) third year medical students.

Fourth Year

During the fourth year of training, there is a strong emphasis on integrating all of the previous years' experience, acquiring additional technical experience and assuming a major role in the responsibility for management of patients with complicated obstetric and gynecological problems. The chief resident must also serve as a role model in terms of teaching more junior residents and medical students. The chief resident is also introduced to administrative functions. In the SUNYAB Gynecology-Obstetric Program at Sisters Hospital, one of the chief residents is the administrative chief resident for a period of time and then that responsibility is transferred to another chief resident for an equal amount of time.

All of the chief residents function as junior faculty members, assist in planning educational conferences, deal with appropriate administrative decisions, and interface with the hospital services where the residents interact such as the Emergency Room, Family Health Center, and quality assurance committee.