Episode # 3 • 17 Jan 2025
From OB/GYN Generalist to Specialist: Returning to Fellowship
Within six months of starting general OBGYN practice, one gynecologic surgeon says she felt like “a jack of all trades and a master of none,” and a few years later she left her job to become a fellow again. On this episode of BackTable Women’s Health, Dr. Joseph Chen, a complex benign gynecologic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente East Bay, is joined by Dr. Jessica Shields, program director of the Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship at Lahey Clinic, to discuss what it takes to return to training after years in practice. They cover why some OBGYNs choose subspecialty training over a high-volume gynecology practice, how to apply to fellowship as a practicing physician, and what changes when an attending becomes a fellow again.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
03:47 - From Generalist to Fellowship Applicant
06:26 - Subspecialty Training Versus a High-Volume Gynecology Practice
09:49 - Applying From Practice and How Program Directors Review Applications
13:57 - Building a Competitive Application While in Practice
16:48 - Returning to Training as a Former Attending
19:41 - Finding a Focus in Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain
21:59 - Match Competitiveness and Whether Fellowship Is Necessary
25:14 - Resident Readiness for Independent Surgery
28:12 - Should OBGYN Residency Be Longer?
30:13 - Perseverance and Closing Remarks
Resources
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More about this episode
Dr. Shields shares the case log lesson from her own interview day, the order in which she now reads applications, and how attendings without protected research time can show commitment through courses, hospital committees, and mentors. The conversation moves through life as a fellow after being an attending, the patient with pelvic pain who steered her toward endometriosis care, why the complex benign gynecology match remains competitive, and whether fellowship is needed for a gynecology-focused practice. Drs. Chen and Shields close on resident readiness for independent surgery, whether OBGYN residency should be longer, why daily repetition sets fellowship apart, and the perseverance that carried her from a missed match to the fellowship she wanted.
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