Excellence & Mentorship for patient-centered & quality-driven practice
Meet the highest standards of obstetrics and gynecology with our program and be prepared for full scope practice. Our programs will allow you to achieve your goal of private practice or subspecialty training.
ABOUT THE
PROGRAM
The purpose of our four-year training program is to educate our residents in the entire breadth of the discipline of obstetrics and gynecology and to foster a lifelong commitment to the promotion of women’s healthcare.
The OB/GYN residency program at Ascension Sacred Heart has been in existence since 1964, having originated as a community-based residency program and evolving into today’s University of Florida sponsored program. Our four-year, fully accredited program includes five residents at each level, coming from all across the United States and representing numerous medical schools. Our residents are a strong, diverse group who strive to provide distinction in patient care and academic performance.
In addition to general obstetrics and gynecology, our program includes rotations through all of the subspecialties, including maternal-fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy), gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, ambulatory medicine, and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Our full-service obstetrics/gynecology clinic provides a wide range of experience and pathology. You can learn more about each of these rotations below.
Residency training at Ascension Sacred Heart has many advantages over the larger, less personal residency programs available elsewhere. Due to our smaller size, our program affords close interaction among all residents and faculty and provides more opportunity for individual instruction. This allows us to have just the right balance between freedom of action by the residents and supervision by the faculty, while maintaining an emphasis on quality patient care.
Mission Statement
The University of Florida College of Medicine mission is to strive to improve health care in Florida, our nation, and the world through excellence and consistently superior leadership in education, clinical care, discovery, and service. To support our institution’s mission, the University of Florida-Pensacola, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program will educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge, and are responsive to community needs of Northwest Florida and Southeast Alabama, with service to elder, rural, minority, and vulnerable populations. Our Residency Program’s mission is to train well-rounded, obstetric and gynecologic generalists who consistently model the University of Florida expectation for clinical excellence, superior leadership, and compassionate care in a region of most need.
We also are mission minded in our care and service to the elder, rural, minority, and vulnerable populations in Northwest Florida and Southeast Alabama where no access to obstetric and gynecologic care is available in many counties. For the University of Florida mission, our educational program improves the obstetric care and gynecologic health in our region. Our focus is community care educational training in an underserved region. The training of our resident physicians places emphasis on academic, clinical, and surgical excellence within the community setting which meets the standards of our university. We focus on recognizing and combating health disparities of our region and providing university-level care in a region that otherwise would not have access.
Program Aims
The University of Florida-Pensacola Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program aims to lead the nation in preparing compassionate physicians who deliver the highest quality, 21st century, patient-centered medicine to communities of greatest need. The community training will be accomplished by advancing the science of care and developing innovative educational programs in these communities. The program aims to provide unique and individualized resident physician education, and to continue a legacy of compassionate, holistic, and state of the art clinical and technical skills.
We are firmly committed to helping generalist OB/GYN’s become comfortable practicing in rural and suburban settings.To confirm that we are helping our residents realize their full potential and fulfill the university’s mission, we track the following: 1. The number of graduates who practice in smaller suburban or rural communities. 2. The number of graduates who hold leadership roles in their practicing hospital and communities. 3. ABOG Qualifying Exam pass rates. 4. ABOG Certifying Exam pass rates.
257 Cesarean Deliveries
255 Spontaneous Deliveries
17 Operative Vaginal Deliveries
63 Obstetric Ultrasound
53 Transvaginal Ultrasound
144 Total Hysterectomy
94 Laparoscopic Hysterectomy
61 Operative Hysteroscopy
32 Abdominal Hysterectomy
19 Vaginal Hysterectomy
88 Laparoscopy
66 Cystoscopy
64 Surgery for Invasive Cancer
36 Incontinence and pelvic floor
29 Early Pregnancy Management
LIFE AS A RESIDENT
Acquire cognitive knowledge, technical skills and interpersonal experience throughout the program. Upon graduation, our residents are fully prepared for the general practice of obstetrics and gynecology with opportunity for further training in a subspecialty discipline.
Obstetrics
Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola delivers more babies than all other hospitals in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties combined. Our Maternity and Women’s Center includes an active and busy antepartum service, supported by the Regional Perinatal Center and staffed by our maternal-fetal medicine faculty. As the only local hospital with an OB/GYN onsite 24/7, Ascension Sacred Heart also offers Northwest Florida’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit led by board-certified neonatologists and our partners in the pediatric residency program.
OB Hospitalist Program
Ascension Sacred Heart offers Northwest Florida’s only OB hospitalists and the region’s only OB Emergency Care Center.
This service ensures that women who are in labor or who are experiencing complications are seen right away by an in-house, board-certified OB/GYN, who can provide care until the patient’s own doctor arrives at the hospital. The OB/GYN hospitalists don’t take the place of the patient’s personal physician, but they work with OB/GYNs in our community to provide a safety net for situations when the baby can’t wait. By providing a faster and more specialized response through our OB Emergency Care Center, Ascension Sacred Heart enhances the safety and health outcomes for both mother and baby.
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola is Northwest Florida’s Regional Perinatal Center. Led by our maternal-fetal medicine faculty, the Regional Perinatal Center is one of only 11 such centers in Florida and provides the highest level of medical care to women with high-risk pregnancies and their babies.
Our physicians have a wide range of experience in treating and managing various medical complications of pregnancy, including diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, placenta previa, premature rupture of the amniotic membranes, preterm labor and RH disease.
As a part of our commitment to providing high-risk pregnancy care to communities across the Gulf Coast, Ascension Sacred Heart offers care in a variety of settings:
- Satellite outreach clinics across Northwest Florida and South Alabama offer outpatient consultations, as well as genetic and preconception counseling.
- High-risk mothers are transported quickly and safely using AIRHeart helicopter ambulance, the area’s only helicopter service providing high-risk obstetrical care.
- For women requiring an extended hospital stay, our inpatient high-risk pregnancy unit at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola strives to provide a comfortable, soothing experience in the weeks leading up to your delivery, with activities such as a social hour when patients can meet other moms-to-be and share your experiences together.
Through our affiliation with the University of Florida College of Medicine, physicians are able to apply upon completion of residency training to the maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Gynecologic Oncology
With no fellows on this always-busy service, residents will gain first-hand surgical experience alongside Northwest Florida’s only gynecologic oncologists. Our gynecologic oncologists practice out of the Ascension Sacred Heart Cancer Center, which is affiliated with MD Anderson Cancer Network®. A program of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Network is a research-driven institute that is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the nation’s top cancer treatment center. Because of the excellent care that Ascension Sacred Heart and its physicians already provide, MD Anderson Cancer Network selected Ascension Sacred Heart as an ally in the fight against cancer.
As a result of this affiliation, Ascension Sacred Heart cancer patients are treated according to the latest clinical care guidelines developed by teams of specialists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Ascension Sacred Heart Cancer Center undergoes ongoing and rigorous review of its standards and practices to ensure it meets MD Anderson’s high standards of care.
Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery
Stuart Shippey, MD serves as a full-time core faculty member providing residents with the opportunity for training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery.
Reproductive Endocrinology
Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Barry Ripps serves on the faculty of our OB/GYN residency program, providing physician residents with the opportunity for training and education in fertility management.
Women’s Care Center
The Ascension Sacred Heart Women’s Care Center offers the highest level of obstetric and gynecologic care in a nurturing, friendly environment.
The Center is staffed by our resident physicians and board-certified attending OB/GYNs who oversee the coordination of care for all of the Center’s patients.
The Women’s Care Center also has a financial counselor on site to assist patients with signing up for insurance and other aid programs. Fees are charged on a sliding-scale basis depending on the patient’s income and family situation. No woman is ever turned away from care.
4th Year
Medical Students
If you are a fourth year medical student looking to complete a clinical rotation experience with the University of Florida Ob/Gyn Residency Program at Ascension Sacred Heart, please visit our Medical Students page for more information.
BENEFITS
As a member of the house staff, you will find that the pediatric residency program provides a very competitive benefits package, including health, vision, dental, life and disability insurance. Residents also have paid vacations, a yearly CME allowance and a research stipend to offset the costs of travel for abstract presentations at national meetings.
ANNUAL SALARY
First Year – $61,548
Second Year – $63,607
Third Year – $65,789
Fourth Year – $68,452
INSURANCE BENEFITS
- Major Medical Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Professional Liability Insurance
LEAVE
- Vacation
- Sick Leave
- Continuing Medical Education
OTHER BENEFITS
- Meal Stipends are provided for while at work and/or on call
- ECFMG Application Fee (if applicable)
- State of Florida licensure application process and fees
- Lab coats, scrubs, and business cards
- Varying membership and/or examination fees
Resident Educational Allowance
Residents are given a $600/year allowance, rolling over four years, which may be used for educational purposes including conference expenses, textbooks, journals or research-related expenses.
For more information about insurance benefits, please see the University of Florida College of Medicine benefits guide.
RESEARCH
The purposes of a resident research effort within our residency training program are multifaceted. Overall, these efforts will advance residents’ knowledge of the basic principles of research, including how research is conducted, evaluated, explained to patients, and applied to patient care.
Consistent with recommendations, implementation of the program should foster an atmosphere of inquiry and scholarship within the residency program, develop skills to assess quality of published clinical research, promote confidence in the reading of medical literature, and cultivate a career-long curiosity and passion for continued exploration and learning.
Faculty Objectives
- Establish and maintain an environment conducive to inquiry and scholarship with an active research component.
- Regular clinical group discussion, rounds, journal club, and conferences.
- Demonstrate a commitment to scholarship by one or more of the following:
- Publication of original research or review articles in peer-reviewed journals or chapters in textbooks.
- Publication or presentation of original research, case reports, clinical series.
- Participation in national committees or educational organizations.
- Encouraging, organizing and supporting resident efforts in scholarly activities.
Residency Skills
- Recognize the role of clinical research in the advancement of medicine.
- Develop systematic and sustainable approach to reading the medical literature to keep current throughout their career with an evolving standard of practice.
- Develop an appreciation for hierarchy of clinical study design and challenges to achieving clinically meaningful evidence; statistical power, biases, confounding variables, etc.
- Advance a working knowledge of levels of evidence as guides to determine research utility and incorporation into clinical practice.
- Understand function of institutional review boards.
- Develop/conduct a research project of publication quality:
- Develop and propose test hypothesis
- Design study to test hypothesis
- Seek IRB review and approval as indicated
- Conduct the study/enrollment
- Perform data analysis
- Prepare abstract/manuscript/presentation
- Serve as a discussant for other projects
program coordinator
Kadee Kennedy Roddy
Kadee.Kennedy@ascension.org
850-416-2418