A resident will have 6 months of general surgical residency training during their first year of residency. Based on this general surgical training, the resident should be experienced in the care of patients who have had a wide spectrum of operative procedures, serious illness and trauma. The resident should be experienced in the operating room, be moderately facile with instruments and suturing and be able to perform general surgical procedures of minor to moderate complexity.
For Urology, the resident is expected to become familiar with all surgical procedures related to the genitourinary system. He or she is expected to read journal articles and textbook chapters related to the care of specific patients' diseases and surgical procedures. He or she is expected to become familiar with material and basic textbooks of urology, to study the AUA Update articles and to read and study regularly in The Journal of Urology. He or she is expected to be knowledgeable about the basic sciences related to Urology. Other reading and study may be assigned.
The annual in-service examination is administered by the American Urological Association (AUA) and is required for all urology residents, unless exempted by the Program Director because of extenuating circumstances. There is no defined pass/fail standard, but each resident will be evaluated relative to their national peer group. Residents will take the Urology in-service exam PGY1-PGY5 years. Scoring above the 80th percentile will be considered an outstanding performance; 50 to 80th percentile will be considered good; 20 to 50th percentile will be considered acceptable, but in need of improvement; and scoring less than the 20th percentile will be considered inadequate and suggest the need for remedial studies and possible disciplinary action.
Residents will be provided with a broad exposure to outpatient and inpatient urology and will have vast opportunity to gain experience with surgical techniques and procedures.
Residents are expected to dress and act professionally and be respectful with staff, fellow residents, nurses, patients, patient relatives and hospital employees. They should set an example of dedication to duty, honesty and patience. There is no place for losing ones temper.
By the end of the residency training, the resident will have a broad knowledge of the urologic literature and basic sciences related to urology. He or she will be a capable urologic surgeon who can practice urology independently. He or she will be prepared to enter private practice or pursue Fellowship training leading to a career in academic urology. Every effort will be made by the faculty to help the resident expand his or her experience, judgement, education, technical skills and ultimately his or her ability to become Board certified and function as a mature urologist.
Residents are expected to study research techniques and disciplines and will be expected to participate in one or more research activities. By the end of residency, each resident is expected to publish one paper which they contributed to substantially. There is no dedicated research block during residency but some rotations are lighter and have built-in academic days.