Residency Programs with Urogynecology Fellowships Offer Early Exposure to the Subspecialty

Objectives: To determine timing of Urogynecology training in OB/GYN residency, and whether programs associated with Urogynecology fellowships have earlier or more robust training compared with those without fellowships.

Methods: Program websites for ACGME-accredited OB/GYN residency programs were reviewed for rotation schedules and descriptions to determine availability and timing of Urogynecology training. A survey was sent to programs without available information. Data was analyzed using SPSS.

Results: Of 294 programs, information was obtained for 85%. Nearly all programs (97.2%) had a dedicated Urogynecology rotation, with the majority (63.4%) occurring in the R3 year. Fifty-six percent of programs had training in > 1 year of residency, and 44.9% had training for junior (R1, R2) residents. Residencies with associated fellowships were not more likely to have exposure to Urogynecology over multiple years of training (p=0.970), but were more likely to have a rotation for junior residents compared with non-fellowship affiliated programs (p=0.008).

Conclusions: While the majority of OB/GYN residencies have dedicated Urogynecology training, most rotations are for senior residents. Training programs associated with Urogynecology fellowships are more likely to expose junior residents to the field. Residents should be exposed earlier in their training in order to prepare them for a potential career in Urogynecology.