More U.S. medical graduates match to ob.gyn.(News)

For the second year in a row, the number of U.S. medical graduates who have matched to residency positions in obstetrics and gynecology has increased.

This year, 1,154 ob.gyn. residency positions were offered. Of those, 97.9% were filled--72.4% by U.S. medical graduates. The overall fill rate has been rising since 2003 and the percentage of spots filled by U.S. medical graduates has been increasing since 2004. In 2005, with 1,144 positions offered, 94.7% of positions were filled, with 67.5% going to U.S. medical graduates.

"This is a big jump in one year," said Dr. Lee Learman, residency program director for obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. The increase, particularly in U.S. medical graduates, is evidence that recruitment efforts by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other groups have been successful, he said. Ob.gyns. around the country have been reaching out to medical students early in their education, dispelling myths about the profession, and acting as positive role models, Dr. Learman said.

One of the myths that Dr. Learman and others have worked to dispel is that choosing ob.gyn. as a specialty means committing to a lifetime of taking call every third or fourth night. In reality, residents entering practice have many options, Dr. Learman said, and can choose to work in settings where they will spend less time taking call. The specialty may also be benefiting from the hour restrictions on residents' work. The 80-hour work week is considered the "great equalizer" for more intensive residency programs like ob.gyn., Dr. Learman said. Now students who might have been turned off by the potential for long hours may give the specialty a second look.

There has also been a concerted effort among physicians to become better ambassadors for the specialty. Because ob.gyns. take call in the hospital, medical students get to see them at work, but they also may hear them expressing frustration, especially on ...