Medical Schools for Gynecology
Physicians in the obstetrics and gynecology fields tend to focus on women’s health care and for the most part, OB-GYNs are generalists, although some will pursue subspecialties such as reproductive endocrinology. There were 267 OB-GYN residency programs in 2019 with only 1,395 positions offered. Out of those 1,395 spots, there were 1,284 U.S. Senior applicants, of which 1,049 received matches. This means that not every US Senior who wanted to pursue an OB-GYN residency got one, a sign the specialty is more competitive. Here are some medical schools that will prepare you for an obstetrics and gynecology residency match, according to U.S. News and World Report. It’s important to note that in an OB-GYN specifically, a little more than 30% of those who matched came from one of the 40 schools that receive the most NIH research funding, meaning you don’t need to get into an elite school to pursue a great career in OB-GYN.
[RELATED: Browse MCAT Class and Test Options by State ]
An MCAT score around 520 will make you a competitive applicant to Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons which matched 15 seniors to OB-GYN residency programs in 2019. The school admitted 140 students to its MD class of 2023. The Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship is a five-week clinical rotation during the major clinical year of study. Students are assigned to one of two sites: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital or Stamford Hospital. There are also multiple electives to choose from, including gynecologic oncology and maternal fetal medicine.
[ Learn more about Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons ]
[ Learn more about Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons ]
The 2019 Match Day at Duke sent 5 seniors to OB-GYN residencies. The MD program attracts over 8,000 applications. Students accepted in 2019 had an average MCAT score of 520 (the full range was 513-525) and an average GPA of 3.8 (full range: 3.6-4.0). Duke med students follow a six-week Clinical Core Clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology in their second year, giving them plenty of time and additional opportunities for clerkship before choosing whether to pursue an OB-GYN residency. The clerkship is divided into 3 sub-rotations, each of which is approximately 14 days in duration. Emphasis is placed upon meaningful clinical experiences and inter-professional collaboration. Students are encouraged to be intimately involved in the diagnosis, management, and care of the patient.
[ Learn more about the Duke School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about the Duke School of Medicine ]
Of all 2019 Harvard Medical School match participants, 8 pursued residencies in OB-GYN. A number of electives are offered to HMS students interested in pursuing obstetrics and gynecology, including a course designed to provide students greater exposure to the health issues of underserved urban women and their care at community health centers. Harvard Medical School’s matriculated 165 students last year of which 56% were women. Like its counterparts in law and business education, HMS is highly selective, with an average matriculant GPA of 3.9 and an average 519 MCAT score.
[ Learn more about Harvard Medical School ]
[ Learn more about Harvard Medical School ]
During the core clerkship in women’s health at Johns Hopkins, students are introduced to the discipline of Gynecology/Obstetrics and Women’s Health. Following three days of preliminary instruction, students rotate through two weeks of inpatient obstetrics, two weeks of inpatient gynecology, and two two-week selectives. The selectives available are: female pelvic and reconstructive medicine, gynecologic oncology, maternal fetal medicine, ambulatory gynecology, reproductive, endocrine and infertility, or reproductive health. In 2018, 6 Hopkins seniors matched into OB-GYN residency programs across the country. As a prestigious MD program, expect to apply with high scores—in 2019, the school only offered admission to 256 of 4,654 applicants, of which 120 matriculated.
[ Learn more about the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine ]
As part of your MD education at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, your OB-GYN clerkship rotation will expose you to medical and surgical principles of patient care. You will deliver babies and learn how reproductive changes across the life cycle affect a woman’s health and the manifestation and treatment of diseases. What you learn about reproductive health and skills during this clerkship will enable you to care for women throughout their lives, and the principles you learn will be integral in whatever area of medicine you ultimately practice. In 2019, 9 Feinberg seniors matched with OB-GYN residencies. The Chicago-based medical school admits a class of about 160. The entering class in 2019 had a median GPA of 3.91 and a median MCAT score of 520.
[ Learn more about Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine ]
Nine of UCSF’s seniors matched in OB-GYN residencies in 2019, one of the most popular non-primary care specialties at this sought-after medical school. UCSF’s entering class average GPA sits at 3.8 and the entering class in 2019 had an average MCAT score percentile ranking of 94, a sign of how selective the school can be for its 155 seats. It routinely receives more than 7,700 applications and had an especially great track record of admitting students traditionally underrepresented in medicine. During the six-week Obstetrics and Gynecology core clerkship, students provide antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care of pregnant women. They participate in the operating room with ambulatory as well as major surgeries and can also gain competency in the well-woman exam, contraceptive counseling and osteoporosis counseling.
[ Learn more about UCSF School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about UCSF School of Medicine ]
The UM Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology provides a hands-on approach to learning by doing. A physician specializing in obstetrics or gynecology often is considered a woman’s primary care provider, and with this in mind, students are encouraged to learn not only obstetrics and gynecology, but women’s health in general. During the six-week clerkship, most students will encounter a multitude of clinical problems in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. The clerkship includes labor and delivery, gynecologic surgery and outpatient clinics. Students are assigned to either the University Hospital or a partner site for the clinical portion of the six-week rotation. Michigan saw 13 of its 2019 seniors match into OB-GYN residencies. The entering class in 2019 had an average GPA of 3.78 and a class average MCAT percentile of 90.77.
[ Learn more about the University of Michigan Medical School ]
[ Learn more about the University of Michigan Medical School ]
All medical students at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania spend six weeks on the core OB-GYN rotation. The course emphasizes care of the pregnant woman, normal labor and delivery, common obstetric and gynecologic problems, preventive care, screening for and treatment of gynecologic malignancies, as well as family planning and sexuality. During the core rotation, medical students are assigned to one of two hospitals and spend equivalent time on labor & delivery, the gynecological services, and outpatient clinics. Four Perelman seniors matched with OB-GYN residencies in 2019. Getting into the Perelman School of Medicine means a high GPA and a 95th percentile or higher MCAT score—the medians were 3.89 and 521 respectively for the entering class in 2019.
[ Learn more about Perelman ]
[ Learn more about Perelman ]
Four UPSOM students matched into OB-GYN in 2019, with several others choosing sub-specialties. The 4-week OB-GYN clerkship at UPSOM emphasizes health care for women of reproductive and postmenopausal ages. Students rotate through three clinical segments, including outpatient services, obstetrics (labor and delivery suite), and gynecology (private service and university service). Daily schedules include teaching rounds, evaluation of outpatients, preparation of patients for surgery and assisting at surgery and deliveries, postoperative and postpartum care and the clerkship takes place at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Class of 2023 had 147 matriculants from just over 7000 applications. Those selected had a median MCAT score of 517 and a mean GPA of 3.75.
[ Learn more about the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine ]
In the 2019 residency match, eleven WashU students chose to pursue a residency in OB-GYN. Third-year students rotate through a six-week required clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology, and fourth-year students have an opportunity to pursue additional electives such as a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Outpatient Care Subinternship, an Endocrinology-Infertility Subinternship, and OB/GYN Ultrasound-Genetics, plus Special Topics in Reproductive Health. Located in the Midwest in St. Louis, Missouri, WashU is a top-ranked medical school.
[ Learn more about the Washington University School of Medicine ]
[NEXT: Predicting Top Medical Specialties for 2019 ]
[ Learn more about the Washington University School of Medicine ]
[NEXT: Predicting Top Medical Specialties for 2019 ]
Take a free practice test
How would you do if you took the MCAT today?
Take a free practice test
How would you do if you took the MCAT today?