29-1064.00 - Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Updated 2011

Summary Report for:
29-1064.00 - Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Physicians who provide medical care related to pregnancy or childbirth and those who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases of women, particularly those affecting the reproductive system. May also provide general medical care to women.

Sample of reported job titles: Physician, Obstetrician/Gynecologist (OB/GYN), Medical Doctor (MD), OB/GYN (Obstetrician / Gynecologist), OB/GYN Physician (Obstetrics and Gynecology Physician), Obstetrics Gynecology Physician (Ob Gyn Physician), Gynecologist, Obstetrics Gynecology MD (Ob Gyn MD), Attending Physician, Physician Gynecologist

View report: Summary Details Custom

Tasks

Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical histories, reports, and examination results.
Treat diseases of female organs.
Care for and treat women during prenatal, natal, and postnatal periods.
Prescribe or administer therapy, medication, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
Perform cesarean sections or other surgical procedures as needed to preserve patients' health and deliver babies safely.
Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.
Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary.
Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioner when necessary.

Tools & Technology

Tools used in this occupation:

Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products — Bipolar electrosurgical forceps; Cauterizing equipment; Electrosurgery units

Medical oxygen masks or parts — Infant oxygen masks; Neonatal airways; Patient airways

Surgical clamps or clips or forceps or accessories — Placenta forceps; Serrefine clamps; Sponge forceps; Tissue forceps

Surgical needle holders for general use — Curved needle holders; Straight needle holders

Surgical scissors — Episiotomy scissors; Mayo scissors; Microscissors; Uterine scissors

Technology used in this occupation:

Calendar and scheduling software — Scheduling software

Electronic mail software — Email software

Internet browser software — Web browser software

Medical software — Allscripts Professional EHR; AS Software AS-OBGYN; Computer Systems Company R4 ACERT; eClinicalWorks software

Word processing software

Knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry — Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Therapy and Counseling — Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Personnel and Human Resources — Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Chemistry — Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Science — Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities

Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Work Activities

Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Work Context

Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Physical Proximity — To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?

Freedom to Make Decisions — How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

Exposed to Disease or Infections — How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?

Duration of Typical Work Week — Number of hours typically worked in one week.

Structured versus Unstructured Work — To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?

Frequency of Decision Making — How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

Job Zone

Title	Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Education	Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related Experience	Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job Training	Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Job Zone Examples	These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, wildlife biologists, school psychologists, surgeons, treasurers, and controllers.
SVP Range	(8.0 and above)

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
100	Doctoral or professional degree

Interests

Interest code: ISR

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Work Styles

Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.

Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Work Values

Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Recognition — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Related Occupations

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Wages & Employment Trends

National

Employment data collected from Physicians and Surgeons.
Industry data collected from Physicians and Surgeons.

Employment (2010)	691,000 employees
Projected growth (2010-2020)	Faster than average (20% to 28%)
Projected job openings (2010-2020)	305,100
Top industries (2010)	Health Care and Social Assistance Self-Employed

State & National

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011 wage data and 2010-2020 employment projections . "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2010-2020). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Sources of Additional Information

Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

Physicians and Surgeons . Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition.

Summary Report for: 29-1064.00 - Obstetricians and Gynecologists