Resident Education on Labor & Delivery: Going Beyond Situational Learning

Background: The OBGYN residents at our institution provided feedback that while situational education was important and appreciated, consistent and structured education on L&D was lacking. We took this feedback and sought to make improvements with the dual goals of coordinating dedicated, daily education time along with a structured weekly curriculum covering salient topics in obstetrics. Methods: One year following implementation, participating residents were surveyed for feedback on the curriculum. An anonymous survey was administered, assessing (1) how often education occurred, (2) why education did not occur (if missed), (3) satisfaction with the curriculum, (4) curriculum strengths, (5) suggestions for improvement, and (6) how strongly the curriculum contributed to an improved balance between service and education. Results: A total of 10/23 (44%) residents completed the survey. There was an equivalent distribution across cohorts (3 PGY1, 3 PGY2, 4 PGY4). Most residents (8/10) reported education occurring >80% of the days on service. Reasons for missed sessions included floor acuity and lack of resident coverage. All residents surveyed were either satisfied (7/10) or very satisfied (3/10) with the curriculum. Residents generally appreciated the dedicated practice bulletin overview sessions and the integrated procedural simulation sessions. Residents suggested incorporating systematic fetal heart tracing reviews to future iterations of the curriculum. Finally, all residents reported the curriculum contributing (7/10) or strongly contributing (3/10) to our institution’s collective mission of balancing service and education on L&D. Discussion: The L&D curriculum was universally recognized by trainees as a mode for dedicated, predictable learning opportunities while on shift. Future iterations will prioritize centering senior residents as educators and incorporating clinical courses of recently delivered patients, including fetal heart tracing reviews, for continued variety and scope.