The effects of fellowships on residency training in obstetrics and gynecology.

The impact of subspecialty fellowships on resident training deserves examination. Program directors responded to a nationwide survey assessing their opinions, their residents' views, and the Residency Review Committee's comments about fellowship effects on the residency. The directors agreed that the fellows' teaching and research contact enhances training. Competition between fellows and residents for scarce, nonroutine surgical cases detracts from this relationship. Residents reportedly benefit from fellows, yet they resent deferring select surgical experiences to them, such as microsurgery and radical pelvic surgery. The majority of the programs the Residency Review Committee reviewed received positive or neutral comments. Programs that grant their fellows junior faculty status and emphasize research over clinical duties recognize the full benefits of a combined residency-fellowship program.