Mission

The mission of the Womack Army Medical Center OB/GYN Residency program is to produce graduates who will be able to practice Obstetrics and Gynecology competently, safely, and independently in either private practice, academic medicine or in a military medicine setting throughout the world. Our graduates will possess the knowledge, technical skills and attitudes required to function as a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist to ensure the highest quality of patient care. Our residents will be adept in providing both primary and specialty health care to women and will be competent to provide consultation to other physicians. The program is designed to provide education as a priority and not function primarily to provide hospital service.

Vision

The vision of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency at Womack Army Medical Center is to provide educational, research, and practical experience to residents in our program that can lead to service as academic, surgical, and military consults as an Army physicians and expert in Obstetrics and Gynecologists upon graduation.

Aims

The Residency Program in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Womack Army Medical Center shall provide education and training for progressive development of physicians and other departmental personnel while providing services to the regional community and ensuring military readiness. This program has its goal: the improvement of health care outcomes for women, both directly and by providing skilled consultants and women’s health care providers within our specialty

We have department-wide didactics every Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. These academic sessions include resident and faculty led presentations, formal laparoscopic practical training, mock oral boards, preoperative conference, and grand rounds. Residents can also attend hospital grand rounds.

Required Rotations

• Acute Care Gynecology
• Ambulatory/Operative
• Labor and Delivery Day
• Labor and Delivery Night
• Maternal Fetal Medicine
• Obstetrics
• Oncology Gynecology
• Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
• Urogynecology

Elective rotations are not currently scheduled but can be arranged on a one-on-one discussion with the program director. Some example rotations include:

• Labor and Delivery Day
• Labor and Delivery Night
• Maternal Fetal Medicine
• Gynecology Oncology
• Urogynecology
• Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
• Ambulatory/Operative
• Acute Care
• Gynecology
• Obstetrics

Call varies in our program given the use of a night float system on Labor and Delivery. In addition to the rotation schedule, residents can expect to be on call for 12-24 hours 2-3 times out of every four weeks.

The Obstetrics and Gynecology residency includes schedule lectures on military leave and pay, deployment experience, and other needed topics to increase the success of graduates serving in Army Medical Departments.

Lectures are scheduled quarterly on Friday morning academics. All residents will complete Combat Care Casualty Course (C4) training before or during intern year.

Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery is a course that residents are required to pass prior to completing registration for the board exam at the end of residency. Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO), and Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) Fetal Heartrate Monitoring (FHM).

The Womack Army Medical Center is equipped with a state-of-the-art simulation Center. Simulated activities include intrauterine device placement, fetal distress management, postpartum hemorrhage management, routine vaginal delivery, and sterile cervical exams. The Fundamentals of Life Saving course is required and completed during the second year of residency.

Specific military and leadership curriculum will be discussed quarterly at academics, and residents, will have regular feedback regarding performance with residency leadership with regards to their growth in leadership roles in our residency. They will act as chiefs of their service as senior residents with opportunities to serve and gain experience as leaders.

Each resident in our program is expected to complete a basic research study requirement. Resident projects can be initiated by residents or faculty. Residents will have the opportunity to present research at local or district meetings, or those with significant scientific merit may have the opportunity to present at National Meetings. The Department of Clinical Investigation can assist residents with research at our institution.

The concepts of quality assessment (QA) and quality improvement (QI) are presented to the residents to familiarize them with the current and changing environment of medicine. Residents participate in the monthly department QA reviews. A resident is also present for any root cause analysis undertaken that involves an Obstetrics/Gynecology. Residents are encouraged to perform QA/QI projects while in residency.

Specific military and leadership curriculum will be discussed quarterly at academics, and residents will have regular feedback regarding performance with residency leadership. Residents will also be asked to serve as quality assurance leaders during case reviews, and during root case analyses for our department.

• Womack Army Medical Center
• Harnett Obstetrics and Gynecology/Harnett Health/Betsy Johnson Hospital
• Cape Fear Valley Health System
• MD Anderson Cancer Center

The application deadline for residency is September 15. Prospective residents will complete the application online using the MODS website. In addition, applicants will need to include several items with their application packet. These supplemental items are due by October 15. These items include medical school transcript, step/level 1 and 2 results, height, and weight and Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) verification, and Dean's letter.

The Medical Operating Data System (MODS) system is used for selection of residents into the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency program. Results from this military match are distributed at the Army Graduate Medical Education Selection Board which is typically held the week after Thanksgiving each year. In early November, the Obstetrics and Gynecology program reviews the MODS files of applicants to the OB/GYN Program and places them on an Order of Merit List (OML) based on their performance as outlined in the MODS file.

Program graduates take the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) board exam to become board-certified. It is a 2-part exam. The qualifying exam (written exam) is offered once a year in mid-July after graduating residency. After graduating, the certifying (oral) exam must be completed within 8 years. Typically, cases are collected for one year, followed by oral boards in October - December of the following year. It traditionally takes two years from graduation to become board-certified.

Residents serve as teachers of didactics and leaders of journal club session in our didactics and are given feedback to grown annually as teachers to students and junior residents while on service.

Residents are given the opportunity to lead practice-based learning modules in obstetrics and gynecology areas for rotating medical students.

Our current faculty contains board-certified or board eligible staff in the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology, and in the four subspecialty areas including: gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology, and infertility, and urogynecology.

Our residency annually surveys residents and faculty who are interested in mentorship relationships, and match mentees to mentors based on both their interests. Residents and staff are encouraged but not obligated to service in these roles.

Our residency offers monthly wellness time for residents, specifically focus on a curriculum to increase morale in our residency. We do not celebrate the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Wellness Week, which further highlights initiatives that increase resident wellness.