Tips for Success on Your OB/GYN Sub-I
Written by Lindsay Henry
One of my most daunting rotations in medical school was the OB/GYN Sub-Internship (Sub-I). It was the first time I felt like my role carried more weight and I constantly felt the need to prove myself. It feels like a month-long interview where you are learning both about the field and how to function as an intern. It can be a very successful rotation if you are prepared - I secured several letters of recommendation and began to feel much more confident in my abilities as an incoming OB/GYN intern!
Prepare and study appropriately - these are suggestions and not a comprehensive list.
ACOG practice bulletins
Just go ahead and get into the habit of using these and know the recommendations well. If you ever get asked to teach a topic, these are a great resource.
CREOGs Over Coffee
Wonderful podcast with accompanying website and notes. You can find an episode on almost any topic you need! Most residents will know about this podcast as it is a huge study resource for them so at least be familiar. You can also find episodes on landmark trials in OB/GYN which can be helpful if your attendings start throwing around funny names like MAGPIE or BEAM.
Pimped OBGYN
A favorite of mine for the clerkship. I listened to this podcast again during my Sub-I as a review and to help my third-year students.
Ask for feedback
This is up to you as to when to ask and who, but I found it helpful to ask someone I trusted to be honest with me. I made a point to ask roughly every week or week and a half. Usually, the chief resident of your service is a good person to ask.
Learn how to be an intern
This is your opportunity to learn how to be an intern before you are one yourself. Buddy up with the interns and learn how you can be the best help for the service. It’s a lot of work, but what you learn is well worth it. Another huge aspect of this is to learn how to accept being wrong - you are more likely to learn when you get it wrong anyway.
Don’t be afraid to ask for hands-on learning
It is OK to ask your residents if you could do a cervical check or close in the OR. The worst they can say is no. This is always within reason and dependent on the situation, just be prepared to do whatever they let you do.
Take care of your third-year medical students - teach them
One of the best pieces of advice I received for my Sub-I was to teach the third-year medical students about the service. Residents are also teachers, and it is important to show your ability to teach. It is also a huge help to the team as it may give the residents more time to do other things. You were just recently in the third-year students’ shoes, so be prepared to teach and be kind.
Take care of YOURSELF
This rotation was one of the worst in medical school for my mental health as it was easier to focus on my losses rather than my wins. Focus on positivity in your life - there will be a lot of things you feel as if you could have gone better but celebrate your wins and maybe even write down some things that you did well each day.
