Third-Year Clerkship

A third-year medical student assists a laboring patient

From the OB-GYN Clerkship Director

Carly Jennings, MD

A message from Dr. Carly Jennings, OB-GYN Clerkship Director: Obstetrics and gynecology offers the unique ability to care for women throughout their lifetime. We provide care to women from pediatrics/adolescent-aged individuals through their reproductive years and on into the menopausal timeframe. We are able to blend a lasting doctor-patient relationship with the women we serve. And, often this relationship may carry over several generations of women within a family. Our specialty offers a unique blend of medicine and surgery and several sub-specialties within this field.

While not every student on the rotation may choose obstetrics and gynecology as a field of practice, almost everyone will take care of women in some aspect during their medical careers. One of our goals is to introduce students to the breadth of the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology. We also want to help instill our passion for women's healthcare.

We hope that all of our medical students enjoy their experiences on the rotation and have fun learning.

Clerkship Contact Information:

Lauren Luger, 402-559-8133
Carly Jennings, MD

Dr. Jennings helps a medical student during a birthing simulation. Practicing a birth prepares the students to participate in the obstetrics rotation.

Clerkship Structure

The OB-GYN M3 clerkship at UNMC offers a robust and engaging six-week experience that immerses students in the breadth of obstetrics and gynecology. The rotation is divided into four focused clinical blocks. This structure ensures exposure to both routine and complex care across diverse patient populations and settings.

Two weeks in obstetrics
Two weeks in outpatient clinic
One week in gynecologic surgery
One week in gynecologic oncology.

Medical Student Education

Each Wednesday afternoon is dedicated to education, beginning with department-wide Grand Rounds followed by tailored faculty presentations that reinforce clerkship objectives. These sessions promote active learning and provide space for discussion, reflection, and clinical reasoning. Students consistently report that the Wednesday curriculum is one of the highlights of the rotation, citing its relevance and the opportunity to engage directly with faculty.

The clerkship is surgery-intensive, offering students the chance to scrub into procedures and observe the technical aspects of OB-GYN practice. From labor and delivery to complex oncologic surgeries, students gain firsthand experience in a field that blends medical management with operative care. Feedback from learners reflects high satisfaction with the rotation’s organization, teaching quality, and opportunities to participate meaningfully in patient care.

Custom-designed e-modules
- Aligned with APGO objectives and integrated into the Canvas platform
- Cover key topics such as ethics, clinician bias, gender care, and electronic fetal monitoring
- Highly rated by students for clarity, relevance, and clinical applicability
Weekly didactic lectures
- Delivered by experienced faculty
- Reinforce core OB-GYN concepts and prepare students for clinical practice
Simulation-based training
- Offers hands-on experience in procedural skills
- Enhances confidence and readiness for real-world patient care
Positive learner feedback
- Students consistently praise the structure, quality, and usefulness of the curriculum
- E-modules and Wednesday education sessions are frequently cited as highlights

Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics: This includes access to the uWISE (Undergraduate Web-Based Interactive Self-Evaluation) platform, which is a nationally recognized learning tool developed by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO). It supports the standardized OB-GYN curriculum and helps students build foundational knowledge through:

Interactive quizzes that reinforce key concepts in obstetrics and gynecology
Self-paced learning that complements clinical experiences and didactic sessions
Targeted preparation for the NBME OB-GYN shelf exam
Alignment with APGO Medical Student Educational Objectives, ensuring consistency across institutions

Students consistently report that uWISE improves their confidence, retention, and readiness for both clinical practice and exam performance.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists membership benefits:

The Medical Student Tool Kit with educational and career resources
Clinical guidelines and practice updates
Mentorship opportunities with OB-GYN professionals
Advocacy resources and exposure to real-world issues in women’s health

This free membership supports learning, professional growth, and preparation for residency.