Overview
If you're interested in a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology, please contact us! Clerkship Director, Dr. Mendiratta, and Assistant Clerkship Director, Dr. Horner, are the advisors for all students interested in or committed to OB/GYN. You will be assigned one of them to be your primary advisor.
You should plan to meet with your advisor at any time, preferably as soon as you realize you're interested in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The meeting can be in person or on the phone if you're in WWAMI for your rotations.
For 1st and 2nd year students, please be prepared to discuss:
- Reasons for considering OB/GYN
- What other specialties are you considering
- Prior OB/GYN/women's health care experiences (shadowing, working in OB/GYN office, research, etc)
For 3rd year students, please be prepared to discuss:
- Any Exam/Course/Thread fails
- Any expansions/ time away from course work (past or planned),
- Clerkship grades - any fails?
- USMLE Step 1 - did you Pass on 1st attempt
- Prior OB/GYN/women's health care experiences (shadowing, working in OB/GYN office)
- Research, publications, abstracts
- Future goals within OB/GYN, if known
- Other "unique" things: couples match, need to be in a certain location for residency, etc
All interested students should strongly consider joining The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, ACOG. This is our national organization. ACOG delivers many valuable resources for students, residents, and practitioners in OB/GYN. Students are encouraged to attend the annual ACOG Annual Clinical Meeting (typically held in the Spring). In addition to many wonderful learning and networking opportunities, there are numerous student specific activities that can be invaluable:
- Step Up to Residency Program for 3rd & 4th year students
- John M. Gibbons Medical Student Lecture
- Medical Student Reception,
- OB-GYN Resident Fair
- Medical Student Hands-On and CV prep Workshops
The OB/GYN Education team may have potential funding to support a medical student’s attendance to this meeting.
Other information & Advice from Matched Students
- FAQ for students with OB/GYN interest
- Exeptional Personal Statement Examples (courtesy of Internal Medicine)
- Open Forum Between OB/GYN Interns and Students Interested in Apply to OB/GYN Residency Programs
- Advice from 2018 matched UW Student into OBGYN residency
1st and 2nd Year Information
Below are the electives offered in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for first and second year medical students. For more information regarding a particular course, please contact the Clerkship Administrator at 206-543-3892.
At present we are unable to accommodate preceptorships.
OB GYN 550: Voluntary Pregnancy Termination: Overview of Medical and Social Issues ***Temporarily Closed***
- 5 half-day clinical observations
- 35 hours textbook/journal article reading
- Written examination

Lyndsey Benson, MD
Faculty
OB GYN 551: Perinatal Care Elective: Overview of Perinatal Care with Emphasis on Late 3rd Trimester, Labor & Delivery, Postpartum
This course is offered at Northwest Hospital. Students must have reliable transportation to enroll in this course.
- Observe patient-provider relationship
- Optional labor and delivery observation

Deborah Blue, CNM
Faculty
3rd Year Information
Advising 3rd year medical students for 4th year preparation
Date of session: 10/25/2021
4th Year Information
For UW Medical Students, we are very excited that you are interested in pursuing a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Regular meetings with your assigned OB/GYN specialty advisor will be key to your success. We will be discussing your competitiveness, away rotations, program/signal lists, personal statements, etc. We will also advise if we think you should have a parallel plan for "dual" apply.
We strongly recommend that you join The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO). They are the one-stop shop for all things related to the OB/GYN Residency Application process.
Focus on the RRR tab: Right Resident, Right Program, Ready day One: https://apgo.org/page/rrrlandingpage
For information about the Application process, please look at the following site: https://apgo.org/page/rrrapplicant
Specially, pay attention to:
- Residency CAS - Including Application "worksheet"
- OB-GYN Application Cycle Guidelines - key dates
- Alignment Check Index: variably helpful for past students
- Standard Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) - Requirement LOR equivalent
- Signaling
- APGO Residency Directory
For additional information, please watch the following webinars (https://apgo.org/page/rrrwebinars)
- Getting Ready for Residency Interviews
- Alignment Insights Webinar
- Resources for Choosing Where to Apply and Send your Program Signals
- Preparing Your OBGYN Residency Application
- OBGYN ResidencyCAS Applicant Webinar
- ResidencyCAS: OBGYN and EM Webinar for Student Affairs Deans and Career Advisors Webinar
- APGO/CREOG/RRR Post-Match Debrief Webinar
- Navigating SOAP: Strategies for Obstetrics & Gynecology Applicants and Advisors Webinar