UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
OBGYN CLERKSHIP GUIDE

OBGYN involves the care of patients with female reproductive organs. Obstetrics is the care of the pregnant population, from conception to 6 weeks postpartum (after delivery). You will get to experience obstetrical care on the labour and delivery (L&D) ward as well as in outpatient clinics. Gynaecology involves the diagnosis and management of a wide range of conditions involving the female reproductive system, such as: abnormal uterine bleeding, sexually transmitted infections, endometriosis, ovarian pathology, fibroids, and malignancy. You will get to experience gynaecology in the OR, clinics, and on the ward. Although gynaecology is often known as a surgical service, there are many presentations where medical management may be most appropriate and standard of care. 

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OBGYN is also a specialty with a broad spectrum of subspecialties, including but not limited to: reproductive endocrinology & infertility (REI), menopause, urogynaecology, maternal fetal medicine, minimally invasive gynaecology, gynaecologic oncology, and pediatric & adolescent gynaecology. You may receive some exposure to these subspecialities during your time on service.

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This rotation may be physically and emotionally challenging at times. It’s truly a speciality that never stops (we can’t always predict when babies arrive!), and can have challenging outcomes at times. This will be a unique time when you will get to experience the intricacies of women’s health at all stages of life. 

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Over the next 6 weeks, you will be exposed to:

• Clinics: obstetrics/antenatal, gynaecology, adolescent gynaecology, urogynaecology, gynaecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility 

• L&D: delivering babies, triaging pregnant patients with various presentations, caring for postpartum patients 

• Surgeries and procedures: including but not limited to hysterectomies, ovarian cystectomies, cesarean deliveries, hysteroscopies, myomectomies, dilatation & curettage, etc.

• Inpatient ward: caring for gynaecology patients admitted to the hospital, which consists of morning rounding, coordinating care during the day and attending the OR, afternoon rounding

• Consults: seeing patients with gynaecologic issues from the emergency department or from other services, to ultimately determine management (admission, outpatient follow up, OR) 

*Please note that your experience may vary depending on the patient population and what is available at your hospital site. 

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We understand that clerkship, in general, can be difficult with frequent changes in hospital, specialty, and clinical experiences and demands. With the assortment of experiences that this rotation offers, we have created this website in hopes to provide you with information, advice, and materials to help you through this process. We hope that this guide will help orient you while you adjust to new surroundings, allow you to better understand the components of this rotation and your role, and support you in your learning! 

This website is meant to help you be better prepared, but does not replace the course content. For the course content please refer to the online handbook found on Elentra, as well as the mandatory educational seminars.

We welcome all feedback, suggestions, and questions. This resource is created for clerks, by clerks (with some resident help). Please do not hesitate to contact us at: uoftobgynclerkship@gmail.com. *Note: Please contact your clerkship coordinator for questions more specific to your rotation. 

We hope that you will enjoy this rotation! 

Sincerely,

UofT OBGYN Clerkship Team