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Building In A Small Town: Maintaining Procedural Volume In A Rural OB/GYN Residency Program

Purpose: To analyze the procedure volume experience for residents in a dedicated Rural OBGYN Residency training program.

Background: There is a national crisis of closing rural maternity care units in the United States with a shortage of OBGYN physicians to staff those that remain open. Maternal mortality in the most rural locations is 60% higher than in the most urban locations. Rural training experiences have proven to increase the likelihood of practicing in rural locations. Our first-of-its-kind Rural Residency offers OBGYN residents multiple training experiences in a variety of rural practice settings.

Methods: We analyzed the procedure training volume experience throughout the initial 6 years of our OBGYN Rural Residency program. We collected data on rotation number and timing as well as how many procedures were performed by the rural program residents. We analyzed and grouped the data by PGY as well as by procedure type.

Results: As of June 30, 2022, six residents have completed five PGY1 rotations, eight PGY2 rotations, six PGY3 rotations, and two PGY4 rotations for a total of 21 rotations ranging 3-4 weeks in duration. A total of 199 ACGME tracked procedures were logged during these rotations. The most common procedure was Spontaneous Deliveries (n=71) followed by Cesarean Deliveries (n=41). A total of 12 additional Hysterectomies and 9 Operative Deliveries outside of the main training sites were performed.

Discussions: It is feasible for residents in a dedicated Rural OBGYN Residency program to have a high volume of procedural experience on rural rotations. Dedicated Rural OBGYN training tracks do not compromise case volume while offering critical rural experiences.

Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2023, Student, Resident, Faculty, Residency Director, Residency Coordinator, Patient Care, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, GME, UME, Public Health, Advocacy, General Ob-Gyn,