Clerkship Objectives and Curriculum

Upon successful completion of the basic clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology, each student will be able to:

  • Demonstrate skills in independent learning and critical thinking.
  • Obtain and record clearly a complete medical history, conduct a complete physical examination, and:
    • Identify normal and abnormal patterns (physical, intellectual and social).
    • Identify and accurately record the patient's problems (physical, intellectual and social).
    • Assess the data in the context of the patient's status; formulate a problem list for both acute and long-term problems, and a provisional diagnostic and therapeutic plan.
    • Obtain necessary supplementary information and reassess the patient's status at appropriate intervals
    • Present verbally at bedside or in conference, a concise summary of the patient.
    • Establish a relationship of mutual respect between the physician, patient and the patient's family, and acquire the basic interpersonal skills which facilitate this relationship.
  • Appreciate the role of community agencies, practicing physicians and community health care programs in facilitating optimal care.
  • Develop positive attributes which will serve as the basis for a successful professional career
  • Develop study habits which will enhance lifelong learning.

Undergraduate Curriculum

The goals of the clerkship are achieved by working through specific clinical objectives in obstetrics and gynaecology. The Student Intern Syllabus for Rotation in Women's Health provides details about the six-week clinical clerkship in obstetrics & gynecology for third-year medical students.

The undergraduate medical education curriculum includes seminars in the following topics:

  • Patient History and Examination
  • Pap Smear and Cultures
  • Preventative Care and Health Maintenance
  • Preconception Care
  • Prenatal Diagnosis
  • Antepartum Care
  • Intrapartum Care
  • Intrapartum Fetal Surveillance
  • Immediate Care of the Newborn
  • Postpartum Care
  • Lactation
  • Medical Complications of Pregnancy
  • Dysfunctional labor
  • Preterm Labour
  • Premature Rupture of Membranes (PROM)
  • Spontaneous Abortion
  • Ectopic Pregnancy
  • Second- and Third-Trimester Bleeding
  • Hyperemesis Gravidarum Gestational Hypertension
  • Postpartum Hemorrhage
  • Isoimmunization
  • Multi-fetal Gestation
  • Fetal Death
  • Fetal Growth Abnormalities
  • Shoulder Dystocia
  • Abortion
  • Contraception
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections
  • Pelvic Relaxation and Urinary Incontinence
  • Chronic Pelvic Pain
  • Amenorrhea
  • Hirsutism and Virilization
  • Normal and Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
  • Disorders of the Breast
  • Climacteric
  • Infertility
  • Domestic Violence and Female Adult Sexual Assault