Frequently Asked Questions
What made you pick Temple?
Temple is a really special place to train. It is an academic center in an urban setting with high volume and high risk patients. Our patients have a multitude of social, economic, and healthcare barriers and we not only learn medicine but how to navigate those barriers to provide optimal care to patients who need us most. If you are looking for a place to train with a diverse patient population and the ability to make a difference, Temple is your spot.
What is the culture like? Do residents hangout outside of work?
Have you seen our Instagram?! But really, one of the best parts of Temple OBGYN is the family feeling. All of our residents are super close across all classes and hang out outside of work all the time. Our partners are also often at our social events and know all of our coworkers very well, too! The culture with our attendings is one of camaraderie. They are all very dedicated to teaching and bettering us as physicians and surgeons. We work hard, but also share coffee, meals, and laughs together even on the longest and busiest days.
What does resident support and mentorship look like?
We have a formal mentoring program built in that matches attendings with residents (either by request or appointed based off interests) along with a resident-to-resident mentorship via our QaQi groups composed of one resident from each year who work together on a year long project each year.
Does your program work with midwives?
We currently have one midwife who works on our postpartum unit and on L&D. Our interns do deliveries of low-risk patients with her and this is a great opportunity to learn different techniques to perfect baby-catching skills. She is working with our department administration to try and start a midwife clinic to bring more low-risk volume to our OB practice!
Are there fellows in the department? Do residents get good lead surgeon exposure?
We work with Gyn Oncology fellows at both Temple Gyn Onc and Fox Chase Cancer Center. The case load can be heavy so sometimes we will run our own OR but if not, fellows will walk us through the cases. No MFM or Urogyn fellows mean that those cases go to the residents on service.
How early do you get OR experience?
Our standard is for upper years to guide juniors through cases. We do our best to double scrub all cases, not only so that more residents get opportunities to operate and be in the OR but also to refine our surgical teaching skills as we progress to more senior positions. If volume is high, residents may be one on one with an attending, but regardless you will be scrubbing for procedures from Day 1.
Where do most residents live?
Our residents live in a variety of neighborhoods but all live within about 10-15 minutes of the hospital in Center City, Spring Garden, Brewerytown, Fishtown/Northern liberties, and Fairmount. Many drive (we get free parking across the street from the hospital!) but many also take the subway up Broad St for a quick and easy commute.