Gynecologist
Job Description
Obstetrician-gynecologists (OBGYNs) specialize in woman's reproductive health. They help their patients with family planning, pregnancy, childbirth, and other woman's issues.
They screen patients and test them for a list of complications and provide preventative care to catch cancer and other problems before they become serious.
They administer tests to help patients deal with complications that include fibroid tumors, infertility, preterm labor, and caesarean births.
Responsibilities
OBGYNs conduct a series of physical examinations and provide medical care for women's reproductive health. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Diagnose reproductive health issues
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Prescribe medication
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Administer treatments
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Monitor pregnancy
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Attend childbirth
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Counsel women on reproductive issues
Skills
| Communication | Must be able to clearly convey thoughts and ideas about patient's treatment plans and diagnoses. Must correspond with other medical professionals to ensure patient care. |
| Monitoring | Monitoring/Assessing patient to make sure they are responding well to treatment plans and make improvements or take corrective action when necessary. |
| Critical Thinking | Must use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Needs to be able to act autonomously and make difficult decisions that would benefit the patient or make corrections. Must consider all benefits and repercussions of potential actions and choose the appropriate one. |
| Complex Problem Solving | Must be able to identify complex problems and develop and evaluate corrective options and implement solutions. |
| Empathy | Must be able to empathize with a patient's pain and difficulties. Need to make people feel comfortable and meet them at their emotional level to humanize themselves since they deal with sensitive issues. |
| Trustworthiness | Must be trustworthy because you have people's lives in your hands and what you do could help or hurt them. They are entrusted with a great responsibility and must live up to it. |
| Operation Monitoring | Must be able to monitor gauges and dials and use medical software to give the best updated medical care. |
Working Conditions
OBGYN doctors generally work in private practices and hospitals; sometimes they go back and forth between the two.
OBGYNs can have irregular schedules and can work nights, weekends, and early mornings depending on the need and their on-call schedules.
Typically the work week for someone working full-time is 40 – 60 hours plus one to two nights of call per month. Many OBGYNs work 4 days per week, but those hours are longer.
Salary Outlook
| Estimated Annual Salary | Average Hourly Wage | Positions Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| $236,544.00 | $113.72 | 24,000 |