Clinical Rotations

Graphic illustrating the clinical rotations offered by OHSU's OB/GYN Residency Program.

All call schedules comply with the prescribed duty hour guidelines, 10 hours off between shifts and no more than 80 hours total worked per week.

  • Labor and Delivery: OHSU, Kaiser and Legacy Emmanuel hospitals each employ different obstetric models which exposes residents todiverse practices. At Kaiser the midwives supervise the residents in managementof the low risk laboring patients. At Legacy Emmanuel and OHSU there are parallel and independent midwifery and obstetrician services which enables residents learn to act as consultants. At Legacy Emmanuel, residents gain exposure to physicians in private practice as well as OBGYN hospitalist models.
  • Antepartum: The R1 and R2 manage the outpatient antepartum clinics while the R3 manages the inpatient service. They work together closely triaging which patients need admission and implementing optimal follow up from the hospital. Obstetric ultrasound is integrated into the R1 and R2 curriculum.The R2 and R3 are part of the interdisciplinary management of patients affected by complex fetal conditions and managed across multiple subspecialties.
  • Benign Gynecology: Residents gain expertise in benign gynecologic surgeries throughout their four years by working alongside generalists and MIS-trained specialists at academic institutions and in the community.
  • Gynecologic Oncology: Each year of training residents will manage patients with gynecologic malignancies through surgery, chemotherapy and active surveillance. The rotation involves treating patients in outpatient and inpatient settings as well as managing a surgical and consulting service.
  • REI: Early exposure to this subspecialty helps you gain familiarity with the menstrual cycle, infertility and office ultrasound. 
  • Family Planning: This rotation allows for a deeper dive into complicated contraception counseling, office procedures as well as the operating room.
  • Urogynecology: Residents gain exposure to this subspecialty through participation in the outpatient clinic setting and operating room.
  • Advanced Gynecology: A unique rotation of niches within gynecology including transhealth, vulvar health and menopause/sexual health.
An OB/GYN resident peering out over the sunrise while riding OHSU's aerial tram.

Residency Leadership Opportunities

In addition to serving as clinicians and educators, residents have the opportunity to grow as leaders within the department, OHSU and the Portland community. Several leadership opportunities are described below.

  • ACOG Junior Fellow: Two residents elected to participate in regional policy and networking to promote woman-centered evidence-based practices, serve as liaisons between the medical school, residency and ACOG nationwide.
  • Administrative Chiefs: Two fourth year residents that serve as resident-liaisons to leadership and support staff across all training sites, responsible for the day-to-day and yearlong scheduling of residents.
  • Diversity Committee: Resident and faculty collaboration to promote diversity and inclusivity across departmental initiatives as well as increase engagement with the diverse communities of the greater Portland area
  • Education Chiefs: Two fourth year residents that work closely with faculty organize weekly high-yield lectures, simulations, and surgical skills sessions to prepare co-residents for lifelong clinical learning as well as standardized assessments such as CREOGs and boards.  
  • House Officers Association: Represent OBGYN residents at Graduate Medical Education meetings to advocate for resident-centered practices, promote residency well-being, improve education, and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration during training. Recent accomplishments include negotiating raises for all residents and free access to work out area and pool on OHSU campus.
  • Inverness Providers: Up to six residents from the third and fourth year class who participate in a unique opportunity to moonlight at the county jail OB/GYN clinic every Wednesday evening.
  • Quality Improvement Chiefs: Resident representatives on interdisciplinary initiatives and committees, acting to promote patient safety and satisfaction, as well as, improve systems based outcomes.

Abortion Policy

We have developed a mechanism for helping residents who are struggling with the dilemma of whether they hold a moral objection or whether they are just disturbed by or uncomfortable with the procedure itself.

  • It is the department's expectation that all residents will receive instruction in contraception and abortive counseling and techniques.
  • It is the department's expectation that residents will perform abortions with appropriate faculty supervision.
  • It is not the department's policy that residents will be required to perform abortions.

Exceptions will be based on OHSU's medical staff policy regarding conscientious objection2

Residents seeking exceptions will give a presentation with her/his justification to a three-person faculty panel, chaired by the program director.
The purpose of this panel will be to be supportive and constructive and not directive and coercive. The panel will establish its own criteria for exceptions along the lines of, but not necessarily identical to, criteria established elsewhere3

Where exceptions are approved by the panel, the residents will be required to be involved in pre-abortal counseling and post-abortal care of patients undergoing termination of pregnancy.

  1. Family Practice Perspectives 1987, 19:158-162
  2. OHSU Hospital and Clinics Policies and Procedures/Conscious Practice Oct. 1997
  3. Journal of Medical Ethics, 1996, vol. 22, 115-120

CFP Visiting Resident Elective

Oregon Health & Science University is committed to educating the next generation of abortion providers. Residents with limited or no access to abortion training are invited to apply to a Complex Family Planning elective at OHSU for the 2023-2024 academic year. There is funding available to support housing and travel.

Apply for the Elective Rotation