The Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) Residency Program is a four-year postgraduate program encompassing all aspects of obstetrics and gynecology, designed to provide progressively increasing patient care and surgical experience and responsibility.

The Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program goals are to train superb, inquisitive physicians who are equipped to become leaders in gynecology and obstetrics, and to produce confident OB/GYN specialists who are well-rounded in clinical practice and research, and can improve the standards of women’s health in the Republic of Kazakhstan and internationally.

The clinical curriculum relies upon the ACGME Program Requirements for Obstetrics and Gynecology Residencies and fulfills the ACGME Competencies and Milestones required for all residencies.

Program aims are:

• To educate and train skilled, superb, and inquisitive physicians according to the six ACGME core competencies in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, and Systems-Based Practice), and OB/GYN Milestone Project
• To make confident OB/GYN specialists who are well-rounded in clinical practice and research, and can improve the standards of women's health in the Republic of Kazakhstan and internationally.
• To provide program graduates with the foundation competencies in Obstetrics and Gynecology to continue their post-graduate medical training in OB/GYN sub-specialties (Gynecologic Oncology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Urogynaecology, Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery).

Graduates of the NU SOM OBGYN Residency program will be entitled as Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology. They will have opportunities to work as general OBGYN specialists in OBGYN outpatient clinics, gynecology inpatient units of multidisciplinary hospitals, maternity hospitals, and tertiary care OBGYN Centers.

By the end of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program, the residents should achieve the graduation target in the majority of the ACGME-I Milestones for Obstetrics and Gynecology, as follows:

1. Medical Knowledge (MK)

Residents must demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care. Residents must demonstrate proficiency in their knowledge of:

• reproductive health care and ambulatory primary health care for women, including health maintenance, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, consultation for co-management, and referral;
• health care, from puberty through adolescence, the reproductive years, menopause, and the geriatric years;
• the fundamentals of basic science as applied to clinical obstetrics and gynecology; applied surgical anatomy and pathology; physiology and pathophysiology related to reproductive function;
• basics of risk-benefit analysis, epidemiology, statistics, data collection and management, and use of medical literature and assessment of its value;
• the behavioral and societal factors that influence health among women of differing socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

2. Patient Care (PC)

Residents must be able to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health. Residents must demonstrate proficiency in:

• evaluating a patient's complaint, providing an accurate examination, employing appropriate diagnostic tests, arriving at a correct diagnosis, and recommending appropriate treatment;
• the essential areas of obstetrics and gynecology, including:
• normal physiology of the reproductive tract;
• high-risk behaviors, such as multiple sex partners, no contraception, no protection from sexually transmitted disease, or substance abuse;
• diagnosis and non-surgical management of breast disease;
• medical and surgical complications of pregnancy;
• delivery, including the use of obstetric forceps and/or the vacuum extractor;
• gynecologic surgery;
• care of critically-ill obstetric and gynecology patients;
• obstetric and gynecologic pathology;
• the care and management of care of menopausal women;
• diagnosis and management of pelvic floor dysfunction, including surgical correction;
• reproductive endocrinology and infertility;
• family planning, genetics, and abortion;
• psychosomatic and psychosexual counseling;
• the management of complications of non-reversible methods of contraception and the performance of these procedures; and,
• geriatric medicine, including ambulatory primary care problems.
• the full range of commonly employed obstetrical diagnostic procedures, including ultrasonography and other relevant imaging techniques;
• counseling women regarding nutrition, exercise, health maintenance, high-risk behaviors, and preparation for pregnancy and childbirth;
• counseling women who have undergone genetic amniocentesis; continuous management of the care of women of all ages;
• appropriate use of community resources and other physicians through consultation when necessary;
• behavioral medicine and psychosocial problems, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and substance abuse;
• emergency care; and, community medicine, including health promotion and disease prevention.

3. Interpersonal and Communication Skills (ICS)

Residents must demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals. Residents must:

• communicate effectively with patients, families, and the public, as appropriate, across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds;
• communicate effectively with physicians, other health professionals, and health-related agencies;
• work effectively as a member or leader of a health care team or other professional groups; act in a consultative role to other physicians and health professionals;
• maintain comprehensive, timely, and legible medical and administrative records;
• provide counseling, engage in shared decision making, and obtain informed consent for procedures, including alternative treatments, risks, benefits, complications, and peri-operative course of those procedures;
• inform patients and families about a medical error that caused harm, incorporating risk management in this process;
• lead interprofessional and interdisciplinary health care teams to achieve optimal outcomes; lead effective transitions of care and team debriefings;
• respond to requests for consultation in a timely manner and communicate recommendations to the requesting team;
• organize and participate in multidisciplinary family/patient/team member conferences.

4. Professionalism (P)

Residents must demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles. Residents must demonstrate:

• compassion, integrity, and respect for others; responsiveness to patient needs that supersedes self-interest;
• respect for patient privacy and autonomy; accountability to patients, society, and the profession;
• sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population, including to diversity in gender, age, culture, race, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation;
• ability to coach others to improve punctuality and responsiveness;
• ability to offer assistance to others so that patient care duties are completed in a timely fashion;
• self-awareness of fatigue and stress, and the ability to mitigate the effects.

5. Practice-based Learning and Improvement (PBL)

Residents must demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate their care of patients, appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and lifelong learning. Residents are expected to develop skills and habits to be able to meet the following goals:

• identify strengths, deficiencies, and limits in one’s knowledge and expertise;
• set learning and improvement goals; identify and perform appropriate learning activities;
• systematically analyze practice using quality improvement methods, and implement changes with the goal of practice improvement;
• locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies related to their patient’s health problems;
• participate in the education of patients, families, students, residents, and other health professionals;
• participate in departmental or institutional quality processes or committees.

6. Systems-based Practice (SBP)

Residents must demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care. Residents must:

• work effectively in various health care delivery settings and systems relevant to their clinical specialty;
• coordinate patient care within the health care system relevant to their clinical specialty;
• incorporate considerations of cost awareness and risk-benefit analysis in patient and/or population-based care as appropriate;
• work in inter-professional teams to enhance patient safety and improve patient care quality;
• participate in identifying system errors and implementing potential systems solutions;
• report errors and near-misses to the institutional surveillance system and to superiors;
• analyze patient care options from a quality of life/cost-of-care perspective, and includes inpatient counseling;
• actively participate in quality improvement/patient safety projects.
• These overall learning outcomes represent the core of our residency program’s educational efforts. Our mission is to train physicians who will provide the highest quality care for their patients and who will make meaningful contributions to women’s health throughout their careers.

The clinical activities of the OBGYN Residency Program will be carried out in two main hospital sites - UMC National Research Center for Mother and Child Health (NRCMCH) and City Hospital #2 (CH2) during the first two years. Residents will have clinical activities in City Oncology Center and National Oncology and Transplantology Center in the third and fourth years as well.

STEP 1. Create your personal account

Register on www.admissions.nu.edu.kz portal to create a Personal Account. Read the instructions about the application procedure given in your Personal account.

STEP 2. Complete your Application Form and attach the required documents

Fill out the application form and attach the required documents:

1. Scanned copy of a National ID card or passport;
2. Scanned copy of secondary school or higher education institution certificate (attestat/diploma) with final academic performance or certificate from the school (spravka) according to the sample in the personal account;
3. Motivation letter in English;
4. Valid copies of certificates. The results of standardized tests must be sent directly to the University through test administrators.

STEP 3. Pay an application fee

The application fee is paid online via your personal account with a bank card.

The application fee is 10 000 tenge and it is increased 3 times from the established amount when paid within the last two weeks before the first officially approved deadline and/or during the extension period for accepting applications for participation in the admission process. This amount is non-refundable.

Step 4. Finish the registration process

Finish the registration process by pressing the “Submit application” button. After submission applicants can’t change their applications.

Step 5. Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates

Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates in your personal account in the section "Upload IELTS/TOEFL" and fill up the required information about the certificate.

Further steps

Check your e-mail for notifications from the NU Admissions Department and your personal account to learn about your application status.

If you experience any difficulties with the registration or online application, please contact info_admissions@nu.edu.kz. Refer to your IIN and/or Applicant ID while sending us your requests.

Online application deadline for the residency program: February 12, 2024 - June 10, 2024

All registered candidates can check the status of their application in the Personal account. Description of the status below is presented in the order of assignment to the candidate in the Personal account.

Application in processing. This is interim status, which means that the application is being processed. Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and inform the candidate on further steps/stages. Notification on final results will be sent to your email address.

Does not meet entry requirements. The status is assigned to the candidates who do not meet the minimum entry requirements. It is given after checking the application forms and the documents by the Admissions Department.

Disqualified. The status is assigned to candidates who are disqualified for gross violations of the conditions of the competition. For example, provided deliberately false information.

Rejected by Admissions Committee. At one of the competition stages, the Admissions Committee decided to reject the candidate’s application.

Transfer to another program. At the stage of an application screening the Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for consideration by the Admissions Committee of another program within the same School.

Pending. Candidate’s application is pending.

Waiting list. The Admissions Committee has finished reviewing the candidate’s application and made a decision to put you on a waiting list. Such candidates should expect notification from the University, as there is a possibility that if other candidates reject to study, they may be sent an invitation letter to study.

Recommended for admission to Zero Year of Graduate programs. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for the Zero Year of Graduate program. “Zero Year of Graduate programs” is a two-semester full-time program for candidates, who do not meet the language requirements for direct admission to Master’s programs, with intensive language, academic and research preparation for Master’s programs.

Recommended for admission to program. Admissions Committee has decided to recommend candidate for the program without going through the Zero Year of Graduate programs.

Recommended for conditional admission. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend a candidate for the conditional admission with a requirement to fulfill the condition by the deadline specified in the notification.

Withdrawn. Candidate decided to withdraw from the competition.

Accepted Program admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Accepted Zero Year of Graduate programs admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter to Zero Year of Graduate program, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Refused admission offer. The candidate was recommended for admission, but refused to study.

Refused in favor of another NU program. The status is applicable for those candidates, who applied for several graduate programs at NU. The status is assigned when the candidate chooses another program.

Deferred. The status is assigned to candidates who were accepted for the program, but decided to postpone their studies until the next year.

Did not submit the documents/Refused. The status assigned to candidates who did not provide originals of the documents by the stated deadline, which means that the candidate refuses to study at University.

Did not come to Orientation week/Refused. The status is assigned to candidates who accepted the offer letter, provided hard copies of documents, but did not participate in Orientation week. The vacant place, if available, can be offered to the candidates in the Waiting list.

Enrolled to program. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the main program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.

Enrolled to Zero Year of Graduate programs. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the Zero Year of Graduate program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.

The clinical curriculum relies upon the ACGME Program Requirements for Obstetrics and Gynecology Residencies and fulfills the ACGME Competencies and Milestones required for all residencies, as described previously.

PGY1

The “Intern” year (1st year residents) focuses on the clinical experience with patients affected with acute and chronic illnesses and admitted into several inpatient departments, with appropriate supervision from UMC Attending Physicians, NU SOM Preceptors and Faculty.

Indeed, all the clinical activities of our 1st-year Program will be carried out in 2 (two) hospitals:

• CF UMC, Clinical Academic Department of Women’s Health (UMC, CAD);
• City Hospital #2 (CH2)

The residents will pass through a series of 3-months rotations on inpatient departments (both obstetrics and gynecology):

• Obstetrics (UMC, CAD)
• Gynecology (UMC, CAD)
• Obstetrics (CH2)
• Gynecology (CH2)

PGY2

The second year will be devoted to acquiring additional clinical skills, develop more independence, and gain more experience in leadership and supervision.

Supervisory roles will be provided on inpatient and outpatient services, in both general and subspecialty OB/GYN teams.

These clinical skills are developed through a series of 3 months rotations on inpatient and outpatient departments (obstetrics and gynecology, REI, ultrasound/colposcopy):

• Obstetrics (UMC, CAD)
• Gynecology (UMC, CAD)
• REI (UMC, CAD)
• Ultrasound/Colposcopy (UMC, CAD)

Concomitantly, the residents will have their longitudinal clinical experiences, to be defined through an individual plan, taking advantage of both UMC hospitals/centers or other affiliated and certified centers.

Moreover, the residents will be encouraged to cultivate and broaden their potential research interests, through mentored and individual quality improvement and NU SOM scholarly research projects.

PGY3

The third year will be devoted to acquiring additional clinical skills, develop more independence, and gain more experience in leadership and supervision.

Supervisory roles will be provided on inpatient and outpatient services, in both general and subspecialty teams.

These clinical skills are developed through a series of 3 months rotations on inpatient and outpatient departments (obstetrics and gynecology, antepartum care, oncology):

• Obstetrics (CH2)
• Gynecology (CH2)
• Antepartum care (UMC, CAD)
• Oncology (City Oncology Center/National Center for Oncology and Transplantology)

PGY4

The fourth year will be devoted to acquiring additional clinical skills, develop more independence, and gain more experience in leadership and supervision.

Supervisory roles will be provided on inpatient and outpatient services, in both general and subspecialty teams.

These clinical skills are developed through a series of 3 months rotations on inpatient and outpatient departments (obstetrics and gynecology, antepartum care, oncology):

• Obstetrics (UMC, CAD)
• Gynecology (UMC, CAD)
• Adolescent gynecology (UMC, CAD)
• Oncology (City Oncology Center/National Center for Oncology and Transplantology)