BackgroundThe traditional gynecological teaching model is not conducive to the cultivation of trainee doctors’ clinical skills, thinking patterns and doctor‒patient communication ability. This study aims to explore the effect of the application of the hybrid BOPPPS (bridge-in, objective, preassessment, participant learning, postassessment, summary) teaching model in clinical internships in gynecology.MethodsThis observational study was conducted among final-year undergraduate medical trainee doctors at Jiaxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital from September 2020 to June 2022. Members of the control group were introduced to the traditional teaching model, while members of the experimental group were introduced to the hybrid BOPPPS teaching model. Trainee doctors’ final examination scores and teaching satisfaction were compared.ResultsThe control group consisted of 114 students who entered the university to pursue undergraduate degrees in 2017, and the experimental group consisted of 121 students who entered the university to pursue undergraduate degrees in 2018. The final examination scores attained by trainee doctors in the experimental group were higher than those attained by trainee doctors in the control group (P < 0.05). The final theoretical exam scores attained by members of the control group were significantly higher than their preassessment scores (P < 0.01). The scores differed significantly between female and male subjects before the internship (p<0.05) but not after the internship (p>0.05). In total, 93.4% of trainee doctors in the experimental group thought that the hybrid BOPPPS teaching model helped them improve their case analysis ability, and the difference in this measure between the experimental and control groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). A total of 89.3% of trainee doctors in the experimental group supported the promotion and application of the hybrid BOPPPS model in practice in other disciplines.ConclusionThe hybrid BOPPPS teaching model helps improve trainee doctors’ learning environment, stimulate their interest and initiative in learning, enhance their clinical practice ability and increase their satisfaction; therefore, this model is worth promoting and applying in practice in other disciplines.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-023-04455-2.