OB/GYN Residency Program Overview

     
Click on the Video Graphic to view a video about the Chattanooga campus.

Program Highlights

• Four (4) positions at each of four levels

• Comprehensive training in general obstetrics and gynecology as well as subspecialties of high-risk obstetrics, reproductive endocrinology, gynecologic oncology, and gynecologic urology

• Journal Club with didactic emphasis

• Easily accessible faculty

• Night Float System

• Optimized patient volume

• Primary, secondary, and tertiary care opportunities

• Erlanger Medical Center is a Level 1 Trauma Center and the region's only teaching hospital

• Region's only Tertiary NICU

• Region's only Tertiary Perinatal Center

• Proven track record of our graduates entering prestigious fellowships in subspecialty areas of OB/GYN

• Reimbursement of up to $1,750 annually for educational materials such as books, board review course, or other outside educational conferences

• Additional support for presentations at regional and national meetings

• Home access to the Erlanger /UT Memphis Medical Libraries with over 400 full text online journals and over 70 leading electronic textbooks

• Formal instruction in billing and coding

Residency Program Overview
The Department of OB/GYN offers a comprehensive four-year program, beginning at the PGY-1 Level, with four positions at each level. Both the OB and GYN services at Erlanger Medical Center are extremely active with approximately 3,500 births and more than 5,000 gynecological procedures managed each year.  Our program functions in cooperation with Erlanger's Clinical Laboratory, equipped for basic as well as advanced techniques, including hematology, bacteriology, and cytogenetics. Residents are involved with the faculty in clinical research projects. Resident research for the Department of OB & GYN is directed by one of our faculty members, Stephen DePasquale, M.D.  Clinical research and publications are further supported by the Director of Research for campus, Gregory Heath, DHSc, MHP.

The educational program and curriculum are based on the educational objectives established by the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG). The first year of training provides a broad base of clinical experience via rotations in obstetrics, gynecology, emergency department, family medicine and general internal medicine (to emphasize and improve overall diagnostic skills). During the second year, residents are involved in a greater level of responsibility in general obstetrics and gynecology and their related subspecialties involving antepartum and intrapartum surveillance, techniques of laparoscopy, gynecological diseases, ultrasonography, and oncology. Current techniques in the management of infertility and high-risk pregnancy are also highlighted. Third and fourth year residents rotate on the OB and GYN Services, as well as rotations on the Reproductive Endocrinology and GYN Oncology Services. Each of the senior residents assumes administrative chief resident responsibilities for several months during the senior year of the program.  

The program utilizes a Night Float system which assigns at least two residents to five night time shifts each week (Sunday evening through Thursday evening).  The Night Float team covers OB and GYN patients on the resident services.  The program is ensuring that, on average, residents have at least one day in seven free from clinical responsibilities and approximately two weekend days and one week night on call when not assigned to the Night Float Team.  The average call frequency per resident (for those not on night float) is approximately 4 nights per month. 

Twelve full-time and 27 active volunteer faculty members combine their efforts to supervise this progressive program. Full-time faculty members represent the areas of general obstetrics and gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, advanced endoscopic surgery, and gynecologic-urologic surgery.

The chair, program director, and full-time faculty practice within the main Erlanger complex, making them easily accessible to residents. This close interaction is also characteristic of our volunteer faculty. In accordance with the Residency Review Committee requirements for accreditation, faculty supervision is available on a 24-hour, in-house basis. Our attending physicians share call responsibilities to make sure that at least one faculty member is always on call within the hospital complex, providing supervision and teaching for our residents and their patients.

The Department maintains a computerized database of all resident patient care statistics (procedures, diagnoses, outcomes, problems, etc.).   These are important not only for program accreditation with the national OB/GYN Residency Review Committee but individually to each resident for board certification and hospital privileges once in practice.  Computers are available in the OB/GYN Resident Call area where this information can be maintained.

Return to Top