Trainee experience

The fellow will work one-on-one with our physicians and physician assistants in clinic and will provide the first-assist role when in the OR. The fellow will be expected to perform the following skills over the 12 month fellowship:

• In-office technical skills:
  • GYN complete history
  • Complete a breast and pelvic exam
  • Obtain a Pap smear
  • Diagnose vaginitis via a wet mount
  • Prepare a wet mount
  • IUD placement (ParaGard and progesterone containing)
  • Perform an endometrial biopsy
  • Nexplanon placement
  • Vulvar biopsy
  • I&D of vulvar abscess
  • Drainage of a Bartholin cyst with Word catheter placement
  • TCA application
  • IUD removal
  • Colposcopy
• Operating room skills:
  • Foley catheter placement
  • Cystoscopy
  • Suturing
  • Docking the robot
  • First assisting
  • Trocar placement
  • Utilization of energy device
  • Patient positioning in OR
  • Camera management during laparoscopy
  • Hysteroscopy D&C
  • LEEP
  • Utilization of the laser

Clinical training and rotations

The PA fellow will be required to present a journal article to the MedGyn department quarterly. Journal article topics can pertain to any gynecologic interest. Dates will be determined based upon PA fellow schedule.

During MedGyn rotations certain topics must be discussed. You are required to have these subjects signed off on while on rotation. You will be provided the list of topics during your orientation.

The last two months of the fellowship the PA fellow will operate their own patient clinic. The first month will be at 50% capacity of patient appointments with the last month at 100% capacity of patient appointments.

The PA fellow has CME opportunity. In order to graduate from the PA fellowship, the PA must be able to perform colposcopy. Therefore, the fellow will be required to attend the ASCCP comprehensive colposcopy course with dates and location to be determined.

Schedule and hours

During the medical gynecology rotations, typical work hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. While on surgical rotations (urogynecology, gynecology oncology, and minimally invasive surgery), the typical work schedule will include 10 hour days.

The fellow will be required to take call to include every fifth weekend and one day during the work week every other week.

Department and faculty

Faculty members are chosen for their commitment to teaching, as well as their clinical practice and research. Many have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields.

Visiting professors and lecturers

A hallmark of higher education excellence is the breadth and depth of information and experience provided to you by faculty and visiting experts. Each year, many prominent professors visit Mayo Clinic to lecture in their areas of medical and scientific expertise.

As a fellow of Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, you are encouraged to learn from these valuable resources by attending all relevant conferences, lectures, and seminars prepared for students, residents, fellows, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and consulting staff.

Facilities

Mayo Clinic in Arizona operates two campuses, with the Otolaryngology Physician Assistant Fellowship based almost entirely at the Phoenix location.  This premier campus features the state-of-the-art Mayo Clinic Hospital designed and built exclusively by Mayo Clinic, to deliver advanced, integrated care across disciplines.  

Nationally recognized by U.S. News and World Report, Mayo Clinic is ranked among the top 20 hospitals in the United States and has held the distinction of being the No. 1 hospital in Arizona for more than a decade.  The Phoenix campus serves as a high-performance training ground where fellows engage in complex surgical care, inpatient management, and outpatient continuity across the full spectrum of ENT conditions.

During the fellowship, the majority of your time is spent at the Phoenix location.

Evaluation

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences uses these evaluative tools:

• Written examination
• Demonstration of skills
• Self-assessment exercises
• Faculty reviews