Reentry into clinical practice in obstetrics and gynecology

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists selected "Reentry Into Practice" as the subject for the 2012 Issue of the Year. Physician reentry programs in obstetrics and gynecology are driven by the fact that there is a projected physician shortage, and there are physicians who voluntarily leave clinical practice for a period of time. In planning formal reentry programs, evidence-based practice and highest regard for patient safety must be considered. Our department initiated a reentry fellowship program in 2010. This article describes the process of how we developed our program, the challenges encountered, and the solutions used to overcome these challenges. The formal instruction, evaluation, and documentation of competency are presented. Process improvement has been based on feedback and evaluation from the reentry fellows and from staff and residents. Bringing physicians back into the clinical realm will depend on the success of new programs implementing the guidelines recommended by national regulatory bodies. The guidelines recommend that the programs are accessible, collaborative, comprehensive, ethical, flexible, individualized, innovative, accountable, stable, and responsive. Our reentry program has been successful in helping fellows reestablish clinical practice and is a way to incorporate hands-on competency-based experiences for the reentering obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn).