Residency Training
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The Department of Urology has an approved training program for residents. It is a four-year program with two residents being accepted each year after completing a pre-requisite year of general surgery. The eight residents participate with the full-time faculty in the daily instruction of our medical students. First year urology residents are given responsibility for patient care and they also attend the urology clinic, which meets daily. They assist in the operating room and also perform a variety of endoscopic and other operative procedures. Each year, over 2,000 urologic procedures are performed, encompassing all types of open and endoscopic urologic surgery. Approximately 13,000 outpatients are seen in our department each year. The average inpatient census is approximately 15 with 1,900 new admissions per year. Pediatric urology represents 20 percent of admissions. The residents perform all surgical procedures and receive extensive teaching in ultrasound and urodynamics and other state of the art diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.
Formal didactics include two urology conferences each week, Tumor Board, teaching rounds and x-ray conferences. Basic and clinical research has focused on prostate cancer, metabolism, infection, uropharmacology, and reproductive biology. We have one of three NIH research urology training programs in the United States and an O'Brian Center Grant.
University of Virginia Academic Enhancement Track
The University of Virginia (UVa) has a long and distinguished history of training academic urologists. Over the past 15 years, nearly 70% (20/29) of our graduating residents have completed a fellowship and attained academic positions at prestigious institution. Most urology programs have abandoned the full research year due to changing financial conditions, professional attitudes, and incorporation of a research year into fellowship training programs. However, many fellows and junior faculty pursue additional non research training during or after fellowships to better prepare for a successful academic career. To accommodate those residents wishing to pursue an academic career and attain leadership skills in this competitive health care environment, we have developed a novel second advanced track during residency. Our standard track consists of a year of pre-urology and four years of urologic training for a total of five years. Beginning July 1, 2010 we will initiate a second track, entitled Academic Enhanced Track (AET). Candidates can match to either program since many students are uncertain whether they wish to pursue academics.
The AET track is a one year advanced clinical training program embedded into the middle of our five year residency. The impetus for this voluntary additional year is a desire to train world renown urologic thought leaders. Current urologic residencies provide basic education in research methodology, principles of evidence-based medicine, and literature review, they provide rudimentary exposure to scientific method, business practices and statistics. As a consequence, residents trained today lack skills crucial for evolution into independent researchers or leaders. Many of our former residents and most current urology luminaries attain dual degrees such as an MBA, MPH or MS. It is our belief such training is best initiated earlier in the education trajectory and fellowships should focus on specialty training.
The aim of this additional training year is to expose the resident to basic principles of clinical research, health services, and health policy taking advantage of UVa Schools of Business, Law, Government and Public Health. Although the resident will be allowed to pursue an individualized curriculum with coursework in the UVa School of Law and/or Darden Business School, this year is not intended to result in a JD or MBA. Such full degrees are often unnecessary yet a basic introduction to topics or skills in such programs could offer tremendous benefit to academic leaders. If a conferred degree is expected as a result of this training year, it will be a Masters of Public Health or a Masters of Science in Clinical Research. We anticipate that this resident will be stimulated by the exposure to pursue further academic training at the conclusion of residency.
Application
Information
The Urology Residency Program applicants will be using ERAS on-line.
All information including the application can be accessed through the
ERAS Web Site ( www.aamc.org/eras ). If you require further information,
please contact Melissa Gonzalez at University of Virginia, P.O. Box
800422, Charlottesville, VA 22908 - Telephone : (434) 982-6279 or by
email at mg6vz@virginia.edu.
Interviews this year will be held November 10, 2012 and December 1, 2012.
The interviews will begin at 8am and last all day.
All Residency Applicants, please see ERAS for all further information with reference to applying.
Approximately 35 applicants will be
chosen to be interviewed. We will be choosing two applicants for our
Residency Program match for each year.
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William D. Steers , M.D., F.A.C.S.
Chairman, Department of Urology
University of Virginia
Contact for outside rotation information:
Medical Student Affairs
