Obstetrician Gynecologist

Obstetrician Gynecologist: is a physician who has specialized knowledge in caring for a woman before, during, and after her pregnancy; while also treating and diagnosing disorders and diseases of the female reproductive tract.

As an obstetrician gynecologist you may serve as a woman's primary care physician and a consultant to other doctors.

Quick Facts

Competitiveness: Moderate

Length of training: 4 years

Number of residency programs: 254

Number of residents in training: 4,701

Number in U.S. currently Board Certified in specialty: 33,529

First year median compensation: $177,500

Mean number of hours per week in patient care activities: 59

Residency Information

You will complete a 4 year residency in obstetrics and gynecology with at least 6 months or primary care training.

Fellowships which are 3 years in length are offered in the areas of:

• Maternal-fetal medicine- care of high-risk pregnancy
• Gynecologic oncology- women with cancers of the reproductive system
• Reproductive endocrinology and infertility- women with hormonal or infertility problems
• Female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery- care of urinary tract dysfunction and disorders arising from loss of support of pelvic structures.

Why Choose

This specialty is for those who have a wide range of interests. You will enter a field which combines medical and surgical treatment for your patients, usually leading to a very positive outcome. Overall, you will get a mix of medicine, surgery, primary care, and emergency medicine.

Typical Schedule

There really is no typical schedule in this field. You can end up going to the hospital at 3:00 AM to deliver a baby; get to bed by 5:30 AM; arrive at the hospital a few hours later to make rounds and then be interrupted mid-morning to deliver another baby. You will spend your time rotating through three places daily: the hospital, your office, and sometimes will be able to get home.

You will work 10 to 12 hour days (or in this case nights too) with half-days in surgery and the other half in the office. Generally, you will do your own deliveries even if you are not "on call."

If You're Interested

This is a specialty where you must be willing to have major disruptions in your schedule to take of a patient/deliver a baby, therefore you need to be able to work hard and function well day or night. In this specialty you must be prepared to be sued for malpractice more than any other field of medicine.

---

Have A Great Story From Shadowing an Obstetrician Gynecologist?

Do you have an awesome story about shadowing an ob/gyn? A crazy moment, an unforgettable experience. Share it!

Enter Your Title

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Close Help Entering your story is easy to do. Just type!... Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload A Picture (optional) [ ? ]

Close Help Do you have a picture to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add Picture Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

Click here to see the rest of the form and complete your submission.