Ob/Gyn

All third year students have a rotation in obstetrics and gynecology, though I've heard that most who enter this specialty knew very early on that they wanted to. Obstetricians deal with pregnancy while gynecologists deal with infertility and diseases of the female reproductive tract. Most Ob/Gyn's do both. It's considered both a surgical specialty (like urology) and a primary care specialty (like pediatrics, family medicine, or internal medicine). One of the problems with obstetrics is that lawsuits have made malpractice insurance incredibly expensive. This is one reason why fewer and fewer family practice doctors deliver babies. It is a big deterrent against obstetric practices for high-risk pregnancies. Ob/Gyn involves both surgical and non-surgical approaches with time in the office, OR, and delivery room. There can be emergency deliveries and night call. Many more females are going into Ob/Gyn. Training is 4 years, and subspecialties include reproductive endocrinology, gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, and urogynecology/reconstructive pelvic surgery.