Postgraduate obstetrics and gynaecology experience: The role for early exposure

Background:  The early postgraduate years provide the opportunity for junior doctors to gain a range of experience and determine their focused areas of interest. Internship thus requires experience in medicine, surgery and the emergency department. Obstetrics and gynaecology (O & G) is not offered as an internship rotation, despite its suitability as such. A cross‐sectional analysis of junior doctors was performed to assess residents’ views on the suitability of an O & G rotation for career decision‐making and for achieving sufficient clinical experience. Methods:  Fifty‐two resident medical staff in their second postgraduate year were recruited and each was given an anonymous survey for completion. Visual analogue scales (VAS) were used for participant responses. Results:  For whether internship without an O & G rotation provides sufficient experience to include or exclude O & G as a career choice, the average participant response was 2.1 (on a VAS out of 10) ( P <  0.0001). For whether an O & G internship rotation would provide adequate medical, surgical or emergency department experience, the average response was 7.9 (on the VAS out of 10) ( P <  0.0001). As to whether participants would have preferred to undergo an O & G rotation during internship, the average response was 7.7 ( P <  0.0001). Conclusion:  The present study demonstrated a perception by residents that an O & G rotation during internship would achieve adequate clinical competencies and assist in career decision‐making in O & G, with residents preferring to have undergone an O & G rotation during internship.