Danbury Hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) Department designed its training program to enable the graduating resident to assume the role of an OB/GYN Generalist as well as prepare them for an OB/GYN subspecialty if desired. The program is a four-year ACGME accredited residency with three categorical residents per year.

The program is strong both clinically and academically.  The residents are actively involved with a diverse patient population across a variety of clinical settings.

We have a very personable and collaborate faculty that ensure our residents receive an evidence based education.  All subspecialties are involved in resident didactic and clinical teaching activities.  Our multi-disciplinary team approach to patient care allows our residents to participate in all areas of our specialty.  Our educational objectives and curriculum provide training for excellence in clinical and technical skills.  Graduates of our program are prepared to enter clinical practice, pursue a fellowship, or join a university faculty.

 2023-2024 Block Schedule

Curriculum

Obstetrics and Gynecology residents are given protected didactic time to attend our educational conferences.  There are weekly didactics which are a combination of lectures in pertinent topics, basic science and evidence based clinical reviews. Our program provides an enriching teaching curriculum. Faculty and residents participate in the following educational activities:

• Gynecologic Oncology Tumor Boards are held twice a month to review all cases of gynecological malignancy. This is a multidisciplinary conference with participation of Pathology, Radiology and Gynecologic Oncology
• Case Review Conference is held weekly to review recent operative cases with residents and attending staff. It is formatted as an oral board examination.
• High Risk Obstetrics Rounds is a multidisciplinary conference where all high risk patients are discussed with the perinatologists, genetic counselor and clinical team.
•  Grand Rounds are conducted by a variety of OBGYN specialists from various institutions.
• Obstetrics and Gynecologic Morbidity and Mortality Conference is held monthly to provide a safe venue for residents to identify areas of improvement and to promote transparency in assessing and improving patient care. It is also a forum to teach curriculum on quality improvement and to foster an open environment to discuss medical errors.
• Journal Club and Research and Publication Update is held bi-monthly to provide residents the encouragement, opportunity and assistance to understand the peer reviewed literature and establish a pattern of lifelong self-learning.
• Pre-Op Conference is designed to review preoperative workup and surgical approaches for gynecology patients.
• Practice Bulletins, Committee Opinions and Obstetrics and Gynecology book chapters are assigned weekly. Challenger and Truelearn are available to residents for self-study purposes.

Monthly Didactic Schedule

Educational Purpose
Our residency introduces residents to the methods of evidence-based, hypothesis-driven research.  This curriculum supplements the residents’ clinical experiences by teaching approaches for conducting a clinical research study as well as interpreting the published literature.  The Network Department of Innovation and Research is available to assist with protocol development, IRB, study management, data gathering, statistics and analysis.  

Structure of the program

The research curriculum is structured to help ensure that residents have a variety of resources available to support research efforts and that residents graduate from our program with experience presenting research methods and findings at scientific meetings and an opportunity to publish a peer-reviewed manuscript.

Projects are also be submitted as posters or oral presentations to the Nuvance Health’s Annual Joseph Belsky, MD, Research Day.  Initiatives such as The Belsky Research Day help our clinical staff refine their skills in clinical investigation and research and allow Danbury Hospital to provide the best, evidence based care to its patients.

Danbury Hospital OB/GYN Residency Program hosted the 1st State of CT Resident Research Day in 2012 and has continued annually amongst the CT OBGYN Residency Programs.

Simulation

Danbury Hospital opened the Harold A. Spratt Center for Simulation and Clinical Learning in 2014.

Our simulation center creates virtual clinical scenarios for our residents and OBGYN team.  Our residents participate in high risk obstetrical emergency scenarios by interacting with our high fidelity obstetrical model, Lucina.

The fidelity model enhances technical skills, teamwork and communication skills.

For gynecological training, we have state of the art robotic surgery simulation technology, including a DiVinci robotic simulator as well as Mimic’s dV-Trainer.

In addition, we utilize many low fidelity simulation models throughout the residents’ training, including laceration repair, vaginal hysterectomy and uterine evacuation.  The simulation experiences improve patient safety, technical skills and efficiency during real-time clinical experiences.

Resources

• Competitive salary
• Annual paid time off of 4 weeks for vacations, conference attendance, and interviews
• Professional liability insurance
• Full ancillary services
• 24-hour access to Danbury Hospital online Library resources
• Access to Audiovisual services
• Access to University of Vermont’s extensive digital library collection
• 24-hour access to Surgical Skills Lab
• 24-hour scrub access
• Lab coats with laundering service
• Dedicated resident workroom
• Overnight call rooms on site
• Monthly meal allowance
• BCLS, ACLS, NRP covered by hospital
• Step 3 testing fee reimbursement
• FLS Exam fee covered by hospital
• Funding for local, national, and international academic paper or poster presentations
• Direct deposit of paychecks
• Employee health service
• Annual education stipend

PACT (Provider Associate Care Team)

• Peer support, 24 hours a day
  • Emotional & Confidential support for any circumstance. (work-related event, unexpected outcome, patient death, workplace violence, etc.)
  • Any questions, concerns, they are there for a listening presence. 

Wellness Initiatives

The OBGYN Department Wellness Committee meets quarterly to address wellness and coordinate activities to include the residents and faculty. We have had outdoor hikes, holiday cookie exchange, chair yoga, pumpkin carving, Crossfit, ultimate frisbee, meditation and painting parties.  Our department has a designated therapy dog that visits the labor and delivery floor.

The residents have a wellness day every 5^th Friday during the year for wellness related appointments.

An annual resident retreat is planned to allow for a day away from the hospital and participate in activities of interest and team building.  Our program has participated in the ACOG Readiness for Residency Curriculum.  These sessions allow for the Program Administration to engage with incoming interns to address topics such as resilience, time management, grit, team interaction and overall physician wellness.

Danbury Hospital participates in the National Resident Match Program for its three categorical PGY1 OB/GYN residency positions. Interested applicants must submit an application and all supporting documents online through ERAS. All complete applications are reviewed on an individual basis.

Applications are accepted until October 1st.

Interviews

Our Program receives approximately 500 applications for the 3 categorical PGY1 slots. We typically interview 60 applicants and interviews are by invitation only and are conducted virtually, consistent with AAMC and CREOG recommendations.

To be “complete”, each application should contain the following documents:

• Dean’s Letter
• Medical School Transcript
• Personal Statement
• Three current letters of recommendation
• United States Medical License Examination (USMLE) Scores Part I and II and/or NBOME (COMLEX) Level I and II Scores
• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Certification (if applicable)

• Application submission deadline: October 1^st
• Release all interview offers: October 24^th
• Release final status to applications: December 2^nd