Women's Health Elective

OVERVIEW

This is a two- or four-week elective that is open to Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson medical students, medical students at other accredited institutions who are in their 4 ^th year of medical school and in good academic standing, as well as residents at other institutions. This elective rotation is designed to enhance medical students’ and residents' diagnostic, procedural, counseling, and management skills to improve reproductive healthcare.

GOAL

To provide medical students and residents with a supportive environment to develop their women’s health skills including sexual history taking, physical exam, diagnostic, treatment, counseling and gynecologic procedural skills and to provide their patients with respectful, nonjudgmental, comprehensive, women-centered primary care.

OBJECTIVES

By completion of all sessions, residents and medical students should be able to:

• Utilize therapeutic communication techniques to elicit a client history, including sexuality, STI's, high-risk behaviors, abuse, and family planning.
• Discuss normal reproductive physiology and related deviations with clients.
• Counsel regarding STI prevention.
• Diagnose and treat common STI's.
• Diagnose and treat common causes of vaginitis.
• Discuss commonly used contraceptives including their efficacy, appropriateness, potential side effects, need for monitoring, and relevant counseling issues.
• Identify all appropriate options for unplanned pregnancy with their client, and objectively counsel them regarding those options.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Medication Abortion vs Procedural Abortion for first trimester unintended pregnancies.
• Outline the entire process (counseling, consent, procedure, and follow-up care) to performing a Medication or Manual Vacuum Aspiration Abortion.
• Perform Miscarriage and Post-Abortion Management.
• Interpret a Pelvic Ultrasound in a non-pregnant and first-trimester pregnant uterus.
• Outline the most current follow-up recommendations for abnormal PAP smears.
• Identify cervical abnormalities on colposcopy and perform ECC and biopsy(ies) as indicated.
• Identify symptoms and health risks associated with menopause, and counsel patients about the potential advantages, side effects, health risks and alternatives to hormone therapy.
• Discuss the indications for, and perform, endometrial biopsies.
• Evaluate and manage patients with oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and abnormal uterine bleeding.
• List the indications for emergency contraception, and the recommended regimens.
• Perform age appropriate breast cancer screening, evaluate, and manage breast disorders.
• Evaluate and manage patients with infertility.
• Evaluate and manage patients with urinary incontinence.
• Maintain a nonjudgmental attitude in dealing with family planning, STI's, and pregnancy related issues.

ROTATION SESSIONS

This rotation is divided up into ten half-day sessions:

WOMEN’S HEALTH SAMPLE ROTATION SCHEDULE
(subject to change based on availability) 

EVALUATIONS AND SCHOLARLY READING:

Medical students and residents will complete a self-directed curriculum during the rotation.

TO APPLY:

Interested students and residents should submit the following:

• 1 paragraph statement about their interest in reproductive health, including abortion training, in context of their career plans.
• List of possible dates the student or resident is available.
• Preferred duration of elective (2-4 weeks).

Please submit directly to Dr. Sliwowska, via email at aniasl@rwjms.rutgers.edu