Obstetrics and Gynecology

Medical Students

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is involved in all four years of UT Southwestern Medical School training, with particular emphasis in the third year, when students are required to spend six weeks on the Ob/Gyn service.

Annually, more than 240 UT Southwestern medical students receive their introduction to women’s health care in our obstetrics and gynecology services.

During their fourth year, UTSW medical students are offered elective rotations that cover the entirety of obstetrical and gynecological subspecialties. These elective rotations are also open to students from other medical schools through our extern program.

Students also can join our Ob/Gyn student interest group, Future Residents of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FROGS), which conducts lunch-and-learns, hands-on workshops, and volunteering events.

Our department’s active involvement in medical student education and commitment to women’s health care advocacy has inspired 8% of UTSW graduates to choose Ob/Gyn as a specialty compared to 6% of medical students nationally.

Types of Medical School Training We Offer

Clerkships 

Clerkship students (students in the second 18 months of medical school) rotate for six weeks. The curriculum includes clinical experiences, didactics, and simulation experiences while working with attending faculty, residents, and midlevel providers to develop.

Our six-week rotation is split into “trimesters” of two weeks each in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Ambulatory Women’s Care.

  • Weeks 1 and 2: orientation + first trimester service
  • Weeks 3 and 4: second trimester service
  • Weeks 5 and 6: third trimester service + OSCE testing (final Wednesday or Thursday) and shelf exam (final Friday)
Externships (Visiting Students) 

Visiting fourth-year medical students have a choice of three senior externships: Obstetrics Service, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Sub-Internship, or Gynecologic Oncology. In each of these electives, externs function as part of a service team providing inpatient and outpatient care to a diverse, multiethnic patient population.

All electives are four weeks in duration and have a maximum of one to three students per rotation. Students are encouraged to attend the subspecialty conferences for the teams to which they are assigned, as well as the weekly Wednesday morning department conferences.

Application Information

  • Annual deadline: Sept. 1
  • Applicants apply through AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO)
  • Additional documentation:
    • Copy of USMLE transcript. Please upload the document to VSLO under “additional documents.”
      • Letter of recommendation from your third-year Ob/Gyn core rotation course director or attending faculty. The letter may be uploaded to VSLO or emailed as a PDF. It must be on letterhead and signed.
  • Prerequisites:
    • Student in good standing at home medical school
    • Completion of third year in medical school
    • Eligible to begin fourth year by time of externship
    • Externship must be taken for credit/grade at home medical school
    • Externship application
    • Applicants from LCME-accredited medical schools are given preference in filling externship positions.

Please review the Visiting Medical Student information for immunization requirements, Parkland Health–UT Southwestern HIPAA instructions, and other important information.

Additional General Information

  • Housing: Although we cannot assist you directly in arranging for housing during your stay in Dallas, we do have some information that may be helpful to you. Please feel free to email us for details.
  • Meals: Cafeterias are located in Parkland Memorial Hospital, Zale Lipshy Pavilion, William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, and Children’s Medical Center Dallas. All areas are physically connected. Meals are reasonably priced.
  • Additional fees:
    • Registration is $25. This must be paid when the student arrives on campus.
    • Parking is approximately $20 for your four-week rotation. Parking is widely available on campus.
    • Parkland scrubs are $45. This is a deposit; the full amount will be reimbursed to you at the end of the rotation upon returning your scrubs.
    • Beeper rental is $12.95 per month plus tax. You are not required to have a beeper, but it is highly recommended.
Post-Clerkships 

Third- and fourth-year medical students can choose Ob/Gyn electives including:

  • Gynecologic Oncology
  • Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Reproductive Endocrinology
  • Genetics/Ultrasound
  • High-Risk Antepartum Care
  • General Obstetrics

UT Southwestern medical students in their fourth year are also required to complete mandatory courses during their final year beyond the electives noted above. Our department’s enthusiastic and talented faculty have developed the following two options for this:

  • Frontiers in Medicine Course
  • Residency Essentials
Shadowing and Observerships 

Shadowing

UT Southwestern medical students can request to participate in shadowing experiences in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology beyond clerkships and electives. Shadowing allows the student to follow the day-to-day activities of an attending physician. This opportunity is available one time in a 12-month period and is capped at five days.

Students interested in a shadowing experience can reach out to our Education Office by emailing Regina.Williams@utsouthwestern.edu. When requesting approval for the shadowing experience, please submit:

  • Paragraph(s) stating desired shadowing experience and interests
  • Desired shadowing dates
  • CV (optional)

To avoid issues, the approval process must be initiated at least three weeks prior to the desired start date of the shadowing experience. Please note that all shadowing experiences are based on faculty availability.

Observerships

We also offer the opportunity to shadow faculty to learn more about obstetrics and gynecology and its subspecialties. Observerships offer a combination of shadowing and some level of active participation. Observership experiences are unpaid, are available one time in a 12-month period, and are capped at five days.

Students interested in observerships can reach out to our Education Office by emailing Regina.Williams@utsouthwestern.edu. Items needed to request approval for the shadowing experience include:

    • Paragraph(s) stating desired observership experience and interests
    • CV
    • Photo
    • Desired observership dates

To avoid issues, the approval process must be initiated at least seven weeks prior to the desired start date of the observership or shadowing experience. Please note that all observership experiences are based on faculty availability.