The "Art" of Obstetrics

As a resident constantly striving to do right by my patients as I learn the practice of medicine, I've recently become keenly aware of a major source of frustration in my training-- there is something so maddening about constantly being told different ways of practice. Never has this become more self-evident to me than on OB.

Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love delivering babies. The joy! The beauty! The pride and excitement on parent's faces! I wouldn't trade it for the world. But with the good comes the bad. And working at a county hospital where extremely high-risk patients come through the doors every day, OB's learn to anticipate the absolute worst. And of course, that influences our practice.

Here's a little taste of the ping-pong of different approaches that I am confronted with every day...