Postgraduate obstetrics and gynaecology experience: the role for early exposure

The early postgraduate years provide the opportunity for junior doctors to gain a range of experience and determine their focused areas of interest. Internship thus requires experience in medicine, surgery and the emergency department. Obstetrics and gynaecology (O & G) is not offered as an internship rotation, despite its suitability as such. A cross-sectional analysis of junior doctors was performed to assess residents' views on the suitability of an O & G rotation for career decision-making and for achieving sufficient clinical experience.

Fifty-two resident medical staff in their second postgraduate year were recruited and each was given an anonymous survey for completion. Visual analogue scales (VAS) were used for participant responses.

For whether internship without an O & G rotation provides sufficient experience to include or exclude O & G as a career choice, the average participant response was 2.1 (on a VAS out of 10) (P<0.0001). For whether an O & G internship rotation would provide adequate medical, surgical or emergency department experience, the average response was 7.9 (on the VAS out of 10) (P<0.0001). As to whether participants would have preferred to undergo an O & G rotation during internship, the average response was 7.7 (P<0.0001).

The present study demonstrated a perception by residents that an O & G rotation during internship would achieve adequate clinical competencies and assist in career decision-making in O & G, with residents preferring to have undergone an O & G rotation during internship.