Medical Sub-Specialization

Returning home to Las Vegas after touring the country means it's time to go back to rotations as usual. Fully expecting to hit some of the core specialties, I was surprised when I was assigned to urogynecology as an OB/GYN rotation.

Urogynecology

Initially, I expected to be listening for fetal heart tones, delivering babies and controlling irregular menstrual cycles. When first learned of the specialty, there was not much guesswork as to the line of work we would be dealing with: incontinent women and prolapsed organs. It is so specialized, that it would be similar to finding a surgeon that only operates on right hands. The patients we see are generally very satisfied with their outcomes after surgery, probably because it changes their lives significantly.

It's exciting to think these last few rotations will move faster than any before as things are rolling downhill with great momentum. Experiencing sub-specialized medicine definitely keeps the study topics to a minimum when all I can focus on is the rank list and match. At least there are some aspects in every field of medicine that can be used in emergency medicine. So I am looking for opportunities to gain from this rotation those things that will be pertinent to my future specialty. Needless to say, but this has been a uniquely educational month with far fewer babies than I had imagined.

Question of the Week

What are the symptoms of urinary incontinence?

Answer & Explanation