First Year Clinical Curriculum (PGY1)

The exceptional rotations during your intern year are designed to give you the fundamentals of obstetrics, gynecology and primary care in an inclusive, nurturing, team-based environment. The academic year starts with a three-week orientation and "boot camp" to familiarize you with the everyday duties and procedures of an incoming resident.

The rotations include four months of obstetrics, two months of maternal-fetal medicine, two months of gynecology, two months of gynecology oncology, one month of medical-surgical intensive care unit/emergency medicine/neonatal intensive care unit/rapid response team and one month of family medicine/palliative care.

Second Year Clinical Curriculum (PGY2)

The curriculum is designed to strengthen your skills and knowledge, while giving you more autonomy. You will be spending two months in obstetrics, two months in maternal-fetal medicine, one month in ultrasound/outpatient maternal-fetal medicine, two months in gynecology, one month in gynecology oncology, one month in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, one month in urogynecology, one month in reproductive endocrinology and infertility and one month in reproductive health and advocacy.

Third Year Clinical Curriculum (PGY3)

During the third year, residents will gain more mastery and leadership in the field. They will act as chief residents and represent the department in department-wide and hospital-wide quality improvement committees. The rotations include: two months of obstetrics, one month of maternal-fetal medicine, four months of gynecology, one month of gynecology oncology, one month of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, one month of urogynecology, one month of breast and adolescent gynecology and one elective month to explore subspecialty interests or a global health experience.

Fourth Year Curriculum (PGY4)

The chief resident is regarded as a junior attending physician. As such, the chief resident is given independence over the management of their patients and their team, which may include residents, nurses, midwives and medical students. The rotations include four months of obstetrics, two months of maternal-fetal medicine, two months of gynecology, two months of gynecology oncology, one month of urogynecology, and one month of ambulatory gynecology. Faculty is always available to provide support and assistance.

Ambulatory Clinic

PGY4 residents during the second half of year have to opportunity to spend the month caring for patients in the outpatient environment similar to their future practice. For example, if accepted into a fellowship resident can rotate in the private office for that specialty. Residents pursuing general OB-GYN can spend the month in either IMG Ballston or IMG Falls Church. There will be a focus on "real world" situations like coding, billing, surgical consults, peer-to-peer insurance calls, and schedule optimization.

Continuity Clinic

Inova Fairfax Medical Campus OB-GYN residency training program offers a true continuity clinic experience where residents are identified as the primary care giver for the same group of patients throughout their residency. Residents perform a certain percentage of their continuity clinic deliveries themselves. Adherence to the 80 hr. work-week is required. Residents are encouraged to manage their own clinics as if they were in their own practice. Interns begin clinics in July of their PGY1 year.

The PGY4s, PGY3s and the PGY1s will have their once-a-week continuity clinic experience at the Inova OB Cares Clinic, located at 6400 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church VA 22046. The clinic offers in office procedures as well as subspecialty obstetrical and gynecological care. The patients will be managed by the residents who in addition to providing them with routine gynecological care, will also plan and perform their deliveries, gynecological surgeries, and referrals to subspecialties.

The PGY2s will have their once-a-week continuity clinic experience at the Inova Medical Group (IMG) OB-GYN practice located at Inova Medical Group Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1005 N. Glebe Rd, Suite 430, Arlington, VA 22201.

Rotation Structure

The residency is a four-year program in obstetrics and gynecology that meets all requirements as specified by the ACGME and is fully accredited by the RRC. Residents primarily train at a single site, Inova Fairfax Hospital, where their training covers primary care, as well as basic and sub-specialty obstetrics and gynecology.

Didactics

In addition to traditional bedside teaching, residents have protected didactic time every Friday morning from 8 a.m. to noon. Our two Chiefs of Education residents have also created a schedule for daily discussions on selected topics between the residents and the teaching faculty of the day.

Our Grand Rounds presented by our staff physicians and renowned international guests occur every Monday. Once a Month, our patient safety based Interdisciplinary Morbidity and Mortality conference allows for lively conversations and give an opportunity to review our patient care systems and improve upon them. The Graduate Medical Education office also organizes monthly Educational Grand Rounds that address topics such as physician wellness, physician advocacy, health equity teamwork and professionalism among others.

Didactics Schedules (Protected Time)

Weekly
Mondays

Weekly
Wednesdays

Weekly
Fridays

Monthly

Departmental Grand Rounds, M&M Resident Presentations, 8 a.m.

Gyn Onc Team, 7 a.m.
Team tumor board

Gyn Onc Team, 9 a.m.
Team members in Gyn Onc Teaching Conferences

Gyn Team
Pre-Op Rounds, 7:15 a.m.

Gyn Onc Team, 7:15 a.m.
Team members in Gyn Onc Teaching Conferences

Urogynecology team, 7:15 a.m.
Team members in Urogyn Teaching Conferences

Gyn Team, 7:15 a.m. 
Team members in Gyn Teaching Conferences

IFH OB-GYN Residency Didactic Sessions 8 a.m. – noon

Resident didactics and simulation training (includes Journal Club, PICO Sessions, primary care, GYN ONC,Obstetrics, Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Reproductive-Infertility-Endocrinology, OB Anesthesia, ACLS, Team STEPPS, NPR content)

IFH GME Educational Grand Rounds
(Team Training, Physician Wellness, Patient Experience, Legislation, Physician Advocacy, Compliance, Ethics, Health Equity, Social Media, Financial Management/Repayment Strategies, Digital Tool Kit, Patient Safety, Disaster Preparedness, Patient Hand Offs, Fatigue)

Multi-disciplinary Rounds
MFM team

  • Fetal Cardiac Rounds: First Wednesday 5 p.m.
  • Fetal Multispecialty Rounds: Every other month on the third Thursday at noon
  • Genetics Conference: Fourth Monday of the month at noon
  • Daily MFM teaching rounds

Individualized Learning

There are opportunities throughout the four years for residents to focus on individualized skills and/or experiences for which they desire additional competency.

  • Block 13: Two weeks at the end of each academic year. Residents select a rotation where they desire additional exposure.
  • Elective block: Four-week rotation in PGY 3 year. This can occur both on or off site and is based on resident interest. Past electives have included sonogram, research, family planning, and audition electives for fellowship.
  • Ambulatory block: Four-week rotation in PGY 4 year. Placement in a high volume ambulatory site is based on each resident’s future career plans.

Simulation

In addition to didactics and traditional bedside teaching, residents will also be involved in simulation training that will allow learners to sharpen technical and behavioral skills.

Simulation sessions focused on operative gynecology will include sessions on: 

  • OR instrumentation
  • Pre-operative and intra-operative safety procedures
  • Intra-operative complication management
  • Laparoscopic dexterity drills 
  • Cadaver lab

Obstetric simulation for PGY1 residents will focus on: 

  • Normal vaginal deliveries
  • Basic suturing techniques
  • Complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and shoulder dystocia
  • Normal labor and delivery management protocols

residents practicing surgeryCompetency of upper level residents will be evaluated through hospital required, unannounced, labor and delivery critical event simulation exercises. These events, which will include post partum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, maternal cardiac arrest, eclamptic seizure, terminal fetal bradycardia and post operative shock, will be conducted using the department’s Noelle patient simulator on labor and delivery or the gynecologic post-op ward.

ASTEC Training Center

ICAMS Training Center

Family Planning Curriculum

Inova Fairfax Medical Campus is a Ryan Residency Program Development Site. Family planning is addressed in several places in the curriculum. There are didactic and simulation learning of procedures and skills. Our residents also have experiential exposure in their continuity clinic, postpartum and gyn rotations. Starting the spring of 2023, each PGY2 will spend a month on the Reproductive Health and Advocacy Rotation. Residents will gain experiential training in family planning/abortion care, and care of LGBTQ+ patients. Residents will complete a targeted educational program which includes modules in advocacy in obstetrics and gynecology. Finally, there will be the opportunity to integrate resident participation in advocacy on the individual, local, state, or national level into the reproductive health curriculum.

Residents as Teachers

Our robust Residents as Teachers (RATs) curriculum develops our housestaff as exemplary teachers to the public, colleagues, medical students and other allied health personnel. This is accomplished through both workshops (such as "Giving Feedback," "The One Minute Preceptor," and "Writing Summative Evaluations," to name a few) and hands-on mentorship.

Each resident spends two months in PGY3 as the teaching resident where they work closely with the UVA School of Medicine clerkship directors developing curricula, giving presentations and receiving individualized training on developing teaching skills. There is also the opportunity and support to complete an on-line certificate course in Mastering Medical Teaching.