Overview

Curriculum

Most resident training occurs at Cabell Huntington Hospital, a 300 bed hospital located in the tri-state area of Huntington, West Virginia. Our labor and delivery floor includes 18 private labor beds and 6 triage rooms. Our level 3 NICU has a dedicated elevator directly to labor and delivery to ensure immediate neonatal care is available in emergency obstetric situations. We have a robust maternal transport service. Our outpatient clinics are located in Marshall Medical Center which is attached to Cabell Huntington Hospital, making nearly all training accessible in one central location.

Our residents gain diverse exposure to obstetrics and gynecology. PGY-1, PGY-2, and PGY-3 residents rotate on a 4 week block schedule. PGY-4 residents rotate on 2 month long rotations. Starting second year, residents have one half day of continuity clinic weekly that is staffed by a dedicated faculty member. There is no continuity clinic during night float months.

PGY 1

Rotation	# of 4 Week Blocks
Obstetrics	4
Gyn Surgery	3
Night Float	3
Ultrasound	1
Ambulatory	1
ICU	1

PGY 2

Rotation	# of 4 Week Blocks
Obstetrics	3
Gyn Surgery	3
Night Float	3
GYN Oncology	2
Maternal Fetal Medicine	2

PGY 3

Rotation	# of 4 Week Blocks
Obstetrics	2
Gyn Surgery	3
Night Float	3
REI/PAG	2
Maternal Fetal Medicine	1
Complex Family Planning	2

PGY 4

Rotation	# of 4 Week Blocks
Obstetrics	4
Gyn Surgery	4
GYN Oncology	3
Transition to Practice	1

Conferences and Didactics

Conferences and didactics

Residents receive additional education through one hour of grand round conferences weekly which usually consists of obstetrics grand rounds, gynecology grand rounds, fetal anomalies ultrasound conference, morbidity and mortality conference, tumor board, journal club, or guest speakers from other specialties or institutions.

Resident didactics occur once weekly for 3 hours and consist of various teaching strategies such as traditional didactics, simulation, and board review/practice questions. A unique learning experience that is always a highlight is our annual resident Olympics where teams compete in various OB/GYN centered games that have been developed by our faculty.

Once weekly for an hour perinatal rounds conference is held jointly with the neonatology department to discuss antepartum patients, interesting high risk clinic patients, and neonatal courses and outcomes following deliveries.

Simulation

A tenet of our teaching is simulation. In addition to our robotic and laparoscopic simulators, other simulations our residents experience include total abdominal hysterectomies, breech extraction, operative delivery, OASIS repair, postpartum hemorrhage, hysteroscopy, and hypertensive urgency in pregnancy. Our residents also participate in an annual pig lab to further hone their laparoscopic skills.

Complex Family Planning

Complex family planning

PGY-3 residents receive 8 total weeks of CFP training. This rotation consists of experiences involving high risk obstetrics including fetal demise, fetal anomalies, previable delivery counseling and multidisciplinary conferences, and ultrasound diagnosis; contraceptive counseling and management; first trimester loss diagnosis, counseling, and management; and PACE and bereavement modules. West Virginia is a restrictive state. Medically indicated terminations are performed as clinically appropriate at our institution. Our department is supportive of residents who choose to go on away rotations to receive additional training in complex family planning.

“Getting hands-on training in abortion care during residency was really important to me. I am grateful that the program was supportive of this despite the restrictive WV laws. Administration was very flexible and allowed me to change multiple parts of my schedule to accommodate a month-long away rotation.”

-Amy Smith, PGY-4

Advocacy

Our residents are encouraged and supported in their advocacy interests and pursuits. Whether it is the annual national Clinical Leadership Conference in DC, lobbying at the state level, or the Huntington Pride Festival, our residents are encouraged to advocate for the causes they believe in.

Resident Retreat

Our residents go on an annual retreat for a weekend every August. Usually the retreat occurs within 2 hours of Huntington, WV. All residents are excused from clinical activities during the weekend of the retreat and expenses are covered by the department.