FMOB Fellowship

Simply put, there is a shortage of obstetric providers in the United States to meet the healthcare needs of our country. And the problem is getting worse. According to a recent report by the March of Dimes, 2.2 million women live in maternity care deserts (a 5% increase from 2020) and 6.9 million women live in areas with low or no access to maternity care (a 2% increase)^*. Many of these areas are in the Midwest, including Missouri. Meanwhile, fewer and fewer residents in Family Medicine (around 8%) are choosing to practice obstetrics when they graduate. Most of the areas with limited access to maternity care do not have a practicing Obstetrician within reach. But almost all of them do have a Family Physician. Family Medicine doctors are vital to the provision of obstetric services, especially in underserved and rural areas. Training opportunities for Family Physicians who are interested in providing obstetric care are critical so that they will have the skills and competence to provide pregnancy care in the communities that need it most. CoxHealth Family Medicine Residency wants to do its part to reverse this trend by providing an exceptional training opportunity in obstetrics for Family Physicians.

^{*Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S., 2022 Report, March of Dimes.}

CoxHealth is a referral center for the Southwest Missouri region that performs 3,300 deliveries per year. We have in-house OB hospitalists and specialists in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Gyn/Oncology, and Neonatology. As an unopposed training site, our Family Medicine-Obstetrics Fellowship offers high acuity, high-volume training. Our fellow can expect to work significantly one-on-one with our OB Hospitalist group in the OBED and will perform at least 100-150 primary cesarean sections during their training. The fellowship experience will be tailored to the interests of our fellow and can also include training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, colposcopy/LEEP, Gyn/Oncology, outpatient Women’s Health, obstetric ultrasound, NICU care, neonatal resuscitation, and Family Medicine continuity clinic. We have six FMOB faculty with C-section privileges, two OB/GYNs, and one Women’s Health NP on faculty. We also have many private practice OB/GYNs to learn from. Our FMOB Fellow will serve rotationally as junior faculty supervising our 30 outstanding Family Medicine residents who provide prenatal care and deliver babies from our residency clinic and partnering FQHC, many of whom are underserved and marginalized. You will find the CoxHealth FMOB Fellowship, faculty and residents incredibly supportive, engaging, and fun as you continue on your professional journey.