Obstetrics

An obstetrician is a doctor who has specialised in delivering babies. Obstetricians are highly trained and have spent many years learning their skills. For example, Dr Lenore Ellett studied to be a doctor over six years at Monash Medical School. Once she decided to study to be an obstetrician she applied to enter the Obstetrics and Gynaecology training program. She was fortunate enough to be accepted into this competitive training program.

The Obstetrics and Gynaecology training program is a further six years of study and involves several examinations and a commitment to medical research. Obstetricians are taught how to operate as well as how to deliver babies at a normal vaginal delivery. Thus an obstetrician is also a trained surgeon who is able to perform a caesarean section, a forceps delivery and complicated gynaecological procedures such as a hysterectomy