OB/GYN Residency

Diverse learning environments

Residents of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Program spend the majority of time at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, a state-of-the-art facility in a beautiful rural location. 6 months of the second year are spent at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, which provides a more urban experience in a community hospital. There are also opportunities for family planning training at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Equality Health Center.

Faculty

Each of our specialty divisions is fully staffed with physicians and nurse practitioners and midwives who are committed to excellence in patient care and to the education of the next generation of physicians. Residents learn collaborative practice in a nurturing yet intellectually stimulating environment. Faculty members see resident physicians as important colleagues. Most faculty members are involved in research and participate in committee work at the local, regional, and national level.

Surgical training

Our curriculum is heavily weighted towards surgical training with an emphasis on minimally invasive procedures. Residents graduate with expertise in vaginal, laparoscopic, and robotics procedures. Exposure to urogynecology is extensive and begins during the intern year. In addition, residents spend a cumulative total of 9 months on the Gynecologic Oncology Service providing inpatient care for patients as well as ambulatory care at the Norris Cotton Cancer Care Pavilion Lebanon.

Ryan Residency Training program

Our Ryan Residency Training Program provides comprehensive abortion and contraceptive education to residents via a dedicated clinical rotation and structured curriculum. Trainees rotate at our partner sites, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Equality Health Center, and in clinics at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

Research

Our research division is led by Amy Paris, MD. Dr. Paris is responsible for the research curriculum and the timeline of responsibilities in research. Residents are required to do research and present a completed project by the end of the third year. Fourth-year residents are encouraged to prepare a manuscript for publication and present at a national meeting.

Simulation training

We believe that simulation training is a powerful teaching tool for many aspects of the curriculum. We have an 8,000 square foot onsite patient safety training center which features a delivery room, a NICU bed, and adult ICU bed, and an operating room. In addition, there are multiple laparoscopic surgical simulators which can be accessed for practice 24 hours a day. Residents learn both technical skills and communication and teamwork skills within the simulation center.

Patient population

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center is the only academic tertiary care center in the state of New Hampshire. Our patient catchment area is wide and includes 1.5 million people in New Hampshire, Vermont, Northern Massachusetts, and western Maine. Many of our patients are referred for tertiary care but we also provide primary care to the local population in the Upper Connecticut River Valley.

Information technology

Our electronic medical record system is shared across our system with the goal of improving the quality and safety of the care we provide throughout the region. The entire Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center campus is equipped with wireless access for use with laptop and tablet computing. Medline, UpToDate, and other evidence-based databases as well as the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics intranet are available from all medical center work stations and throughout the outpatient clinics. The Biomedical Libraries of Dartmouth College have approximately 2,500 current journal subscriptions, including 1,500 digital journals. The libraries also provide access to over 40 digital textbooks. The biomedical librarians offer practical lectures and regularly scheduled workshops on manipulating resources and navigating medical databases available on the web.

Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center offers a unique program in quality improvement, leadership and population health for residents and fellows already training at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. This program allows residents and fellows to obtain the MPH degree from The Dartmouth Institute, lead a practicum focused on improving care, and be able to sit for boards in Preventive Medicine. If you are interested in more information on this program, please visit the Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency site.

We are proud to offer an outstanding educational program which will provide a superb foundation for the future OB/GYN specialist or all of the necessary opportunities for those seeking further subspecialty training. We have a top-notch faculty devoted to excellence in patient care, teaching, and research.

Some highlights of our program

• Award-winning academic medical center in a beautiful rural setting adjacent to the vibrant Dartmouth community
• Collaborative relationship with nurse midwifery service and nurse practitioners within every division
• Experienced General OB/GYN faculty who supervise continuity clinics, benign gynecology, labor and delivery, and family planning services
• High-volume subspecialty divisions in Urogynecology, Gynecologic Oncology, and Maternal Fetal Medicine, with resident participation in all aspects of care
• Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency available to graduates of our program through The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
• State-of-the-art surgical training including advanced laparoscopy and hysteroscopy, vaginal and robotic surgery
• Ryan Residency Training Program in comprehensive abortion and contraceptive care
• 24/7 night time OB/GYN hospitalists
• Curriculum
• The curriculum is designed to create a balanced inpatient and outpatient experience in obstetrics and gynecology and critical care settings with gradually increasing autonomy over 4 years.