Rural Family Medicine Obstetrics (FMOB) Fellowship

 The UW DFMCH Rural Family Medicine Obstetrics (FMOB) fellowship is a 24-month fellowship that provides needed surgical training and high-risk obstetrical experience for family physicians who plan to care for a rural population. The fellowship will also provide an opportunity for family physicians to enhance their clinical, teaching, scholarly, and leadership skills in obstetrics. Graduating residents and physicians with post-residency practice experience will be welcome to apply. The fellowship and grant will be coordinated by the DFMCH in collaboration with the UW OB-GYN department and multiple rural hospitals.

Goals

1. Manage low-risk and high-risk labors.
2. Attain competency in operative obstetrics, including cesarean section and instrumented deliveries. Obtain experience in D&C and tubal ligation. Provide post-operative care for such patients.
3. Provide competent prenatal care to pregnancies complicated by diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disease, substance use, and mental health disorders.
4. Stabilize and treat pregnant patients hospitalized for pre-term labor, pre-term rupture, pre-eclampsia, diabetes, and placental disorders.
5. Attain competency in performing dating, biometry and biophysical profile obstetric ultrasounds.
6. Attain competency in post-partum IUD and Nexplanon placement.
7. Counsel obstetric patients regarding genetic risk.
8. Maintain family medicine clinical skills.
9. Obtain the skills and comfort level to work in a rural setting upon graduation.
10. Develop and maintain competency in teaching obstetrics to family medicine residents.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Applicants must hold an MD or DO degree
2. Applicants must have completed residency in family medicine
3. Applicants may apply while completing their final year of residency
4. Applicants must be a United States citizen or a lawful permanent US resident with a resident alien permit or green card.  The Rural FM OB fellowship does not sponsor J-1 or other visas.
5. The UW School of Medicine and Public Health has a deep and profound commitment to diversity both as an end in itself and as a valuable means for eliminating health disparities. As such, we strongly encourage applications from candidates who foster and promote the values of diversity and inclusion. Please review the DFMCH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage for more details.

Clinical and Teaching Components

• Longitudinal scheduled surgical experience (cesarean sections, tubal ligation) at rural partner hospitals
• Eight weeks of block rotations at rural partner hospitals per year
• Longitudinal surgical experience (cesarean section, tubal ligation, D&C, assisted vaginal delivery) at Meriter Hospital
• Family Medicine Perinatal ultrasound workshop and longitudinal perinatal ultrasound experience
• Neonatal resuscitation and NICU rotation
• Experience with genetic counselors and perinatology
• Training and experience in perinatal substance use disorder management
• One half-day a week supervising resident physician care in a family medicine clinic (“precepting” or “staffing”).
• Participate in limited family medicine obstetric co-attending call (1-2 times a month).
• Didactic experiences with OB-GYN residents and Family Medicine Obstetric and Newborn Service
• AAFP Family Centered Pregnancy Care or Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine conference attendance
• ALSO instructor training
• NRP training
• STABLE training
• Co-attend on Family Medicine Obstetric and Newborn Service at Meriter Hospital
• Elective opportunities in Addiction Medicine, Lactation, additional Women’s Health procedures, Hospital Medicine

Leadership Components

1. Option to pursue advocacy interests in conjunction with the many opportunities that already exist through programs in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
2. Option to participate in health policy activities through the Wisconsin Perinatal Quality Collaborative, American Association of Family Physicians Policy Center and other programs.
3. Be involved with academic organizations such as the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the state and county medical society, or the American Academy of Family Physicians in ways that engage the fellows in learning about leadership.

Community/Public Health Components

1. Option to work with community partners identified through the Office of Community Health or Perinatal Health on a pregnancy care related project
2. Option to serve on public health and community coalition(s)

Scholarship Components

1. Meet with mentor committee twice to review educational plan and progress.
2. Option to design and implement a presentable, publishable scholarly project with assistance from mentor committee. Projects may be a research study answering a clinical or educational question, curriculum design and/or evaluation, or innovative teaching methods.