Curriculum
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Clinical training
The clinical portion of the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Arizona provides you with extensive diagnostic, medical, and surgical training. You will gain hands-on experience diagnosing and managing patients who have a variety of benign and malignant gynecologic diseases.
The faculty members have excellent relationships with other departments, including radiology, interventional radiology, general surgery, colorectal surgery, pain medicine, gastroenterology, and urology. This enhances the clinical care of gynecological patients and broadens your medical and surgical exposure. Surgical pathologists and operating teams work closely together, facilitated by the proximity of the pathology laboratory and operating suites.
While you will care for patients with a broad spectrum of common and rare gynecologic conditions, your Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship training will focus on:
- Surgical training
- Fibroid care
- Endometriosis care
- Pelvic pain care
Surgical training
You will be trained by experts in vaginal, hysteroscopic, laparoscopic, robotic, and open surgery. Learn traditional surgical techniques as well as innovative approaches including single-site surgery.
You will also be trained to perform office procedures including hysteroscopy and trigger point injection. The department performs more than 1,000 surgical procedures each year, ensuring a robust hands-on educational experience.
Fibroid care
Patients are referred from all over the globe to receive a comprehensive approach to fibroid care including medical, surgical, and innovative treatments.
As a fellow, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with interventional radiology and reproductive endocrinology and infertility experts to offer patients the full spectrum of fibroid care including uterine fibroid embolization, radiofrequency fibroid ablation, and hysteroscopic, laparoscopic, robotic, mini-laparotomy, and open myomectomy. Working with experts in radiology, fellows will receive instruction in interpreting a variety of imaging modalities.
Endometriosis care
As an internationally renowned center for endometriosis care, you will learn about the diagnosis and management of superficial and deep infiltrating endometriosis with and without urinary and bowel involvement, including complex cases with multiple comorbidities.
You will participate in a multidisciplinary endometriosis board in which imaging and treatment are reviewed by radiology and gynecologic surgery.
Pelvic pain care
You will be part of a multidisciplinary team including physical therapy, pain medicine, gastroenterology, radiology and interventional radiology, integrative medicine, and psychology to provide top-of-the-pyramid care to patients suffering from a variety of pelvic pain disorders.
You will participate in a multidisciplinary Pelvic Pain Conference monthly and learn additional evaluation and treatment options for complex presentations of chronic pain from a team of experts.
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Rotations
Rotations with all faculty will be offered, including dedicated rotations for minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS), urogynecology (FPMRS), and gynecologic oncology. You will also have the opportunity to learn about reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI), interventional radiology (IR), pain medicine, urology, and colorectal surgery.
Call frequency
Your call schedule will vary but will be approximately every fourth night and fourth weekend shared between the four MIGS fellows. There are no obstetric responsibilities or call coverage.
Evaluation
To ensure you acquire adequate knowledge and develop technical skills, your performance will be monitored carefully during the course of the fellowship. You will be evaluated formally by your supervising faculty member after each clinical rotation.
During the rotation, MyTIPReports are completed frequently to give fellows formative feedback for surgical procedures and pathology-focused milestones.
You will also receive summative feedback every six months when faculty review the AAGL FMIGS Milestones to ensure each fellow is progressing in a level-appropriate manner. In addition, you will regularly evaluate the faculty and your educational program to ensure that the program is meeting your needs.
Teaching opportunities
You can expect to take an active role in teaching your peers, allied health staff, visiting residents, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students, and visiting students from other medical schools at the patient's bedside, during surgical procedures, and through formal didactic lectures. As an internationally renown enterprise, Mayo Clinic attracts local and international observers with whom fellows often develop mentorship relationships and memorable connections.
Career development
You will meet regularly with faculty members, administrators, and the program director to discuss career goals.
Mayo Clinic alumni are also invited back to give presentations about their transition after fellowship graduation and guidance about the job search. While your training at Mayo Clinic will prepare you exceedingly well for a successful career in academic medicine, our faculty have diverse backgrounds and will offer practical guidance for each fellow’s individual trajectory.
Mayo Clinic also recruits many of its staff physicians from its own training programs, thus, job opportunities may be available at one of Mayo Clinic's group practices. As your two-year training is robust and comprehensive, it is no surprise we have a 100% success rate in post-graduate employment.
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