A day in the life of an OBGYN

OB/GYN, shorthand for obstetrician/gynecologist, refers to two medical specialties. Although obstetrics, the branch of medicine focused on delivering babies, might be the oldest medical art, most obstetricians also practice gynecology since exclusively delivering babies would not typically provide much business. The profession requires diverse daily duties and it offers OB/GYNs opportunities to provide various types of surgical procedures and practice preventive medicine.

The Institute for Women’s Health is the largest and best OB/GYN practice in San Antonio, Texas. They are committed to offering exceptional women’s healthcare, from obstetrics and gynecology to fertility and more. They have more than 30 physicians who specialize in all areas of OB/GYN care, including menopause management and fertility treatment. They currently have eight clinics conveniently located throughout San Antonio. It is their mission to take a team approach to providing women of all ages with compassionate care in an inviting, comfortable and patient-centric environment.

The lifestyle and job description of an OB/GYN practitioner consists of:

Keeping Women Healthy

One of the first priorities for an OB/GYN practitioner is their patients. Overall, an OB/GYN provides medical and surgical care to women. Obstetrics involves taking care of women before and during pregnancy and at childbirth, as well as their fetuses and newborn babies, and performing procedures such as cesarean sections. Duties related to gynecology include diagnosing and treating disorders of the female reproductive system. They can diagnose conditions such as infection, endometriosis, and ovarian and breast cancers. OB/GYNs sometimes provide primary care. They also continually take courses to update their skills. Due to the nature of their practice, OB/GYNs are frequently on call, and their hours can be quite long, as they may have to help women through labors lasting longer than 24 hours. On average, OB/GYNs work 58 hours a week, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Everything that OB/GYNs do on a daily basis is all meant to improve their patient’s well-being. Caring about their patient’s health is one thing, but to gain their trust and create effective communication is important as well. OB/GYNs have the ability to make the “being pregnant” experience for their patients easier to cope with since it is probably the most challenging phase a woman can face in her lifetime. Without the help of OB/GYNs, one can only imagine how difficult it would be for women to maintain their health.

Multitude of Duties

OB/GYNs place a priority on encouraging patients to maintain healthy lifestyles. The Institute for Women’s Health does a good job having their OB/GYNs provide care and comfort to all their patients. In general, OB/GYNs provide information about exercise, nutrition and planning pregnancies. They also warn of the dangers of smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol excessively. After examining patients, they order the appropriate tests to nail down a diagnosis. Then they explain the test results, provide treatment options and monitor the patient's progress. Of course, OB/GYNs only recommend their patients to maintain their health because they want what is best for them. OB/GYNs, with further education, can subspecialize in fields such as critical care medicine, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, gynecologic oncology, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. When required, they refer patients to other specialists and consult with other health care providers when necessary.

Other Positions

If they are in private practice, OB/GYNs require business and administrative skills, such as bookkeeping, marketing and personnel matters, as do those who work in administrative capacities in hospitals or who run community health programs. OB/GYNs running hospital or community health programs may also need to be familiar with the public policy and governmental regulations concerning their hospital or community programs. Some OB/GYNs go on to teach in medical schools. In medical schools and for private corporations, they can also perform research on diseases and their treatments and write articles for medical and scientific journals.

Becoming Qualified

Aspiring OB-GYNs graduate from medical school and complete 4 years of a hospital residency program. These programs provides training in areas such as preconceptional health, pregnancy, postpartum care, genetic counseling, women's overall health, management of hormonal disorders, and surgery to treat pelvic organ and urinary tract problems. All doctors must be licensed in the state in which they work. State licensing requirements vary.

A Good Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that, for physicians and surgeons overall, employment will grow 24 percent between 2010 and 2020, faster than the average for all occupations, with growth best for specialties that treat conditions affecting aging baby boomers. The I Have a Plan Iowa website notes that OB-GYNs will be in demand as female baby boomers increasingly reach menopause. According to the BLS, in 2012, obstetricians and gynecologists made mean annual salaries of $216,760.