Urology

Sophie Baldwin, 1/19/24

Urologists diagnose and treat disorders in the male reproductive system, the male and female urinary tracts, and the adrenal gland. Urologists are surgically trained to operate on these systems and complete one year of a general surgery internship, followed by a urology residency. Typical cases for urologists could include removing kidney stones, restoring fertility, or treating cancer. While both male and female physicians can become urologists, the field of urology is largely male-dominated. Urology is a smaller field of medicine and is very competitive.

Fast Facts

• Salary: $422,000

• DO friendly? No

• IMG friendly? No

• Competitiveness: High

• Match rate: 77%

• Average step-one: 245

• Surgical? Yes

Becoming a Urologist

• 4 years of undergraduate

• 4 years of medical school

• 5 years of urology residency

• 1-2 years of fellowship (optional)

Work-life Balance

Since urology is a surgical specialty, it requires a lot of training time. Residency is five years long plus optional fellowship. After residency, the work-life balance of urology tends to be manageable. Many urologists opt for private practice, where they can work more around their own schedule. Urologists can typically choose their own balance of office-based and procedural-based patients for a mix of nonsurgical and surgical cases. Additionally, urology is one of the best-compensated medical specialties, making it a desirable field.

Fellowships

• Andrology (1 year)

• Endourology (2 years)

• Endourology and Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery (1 year)

• Trauma and Genitourinary Reconstruction (1 year)

• Urologic Oncology (2 years)

• Pediatric Oncology (1 year)

Job Satisfaction and Outlook

• 70% are satisfied with their career (AUA Journal)

• 54% report burnout (AMA)

• 7% projected job growth (2018-2028) (Zippia)

Sources

https://residency.wustl.edu/choosing-a-specialty/specialty-descriptions/urology/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/urology/home/orc-20336012

https://medadvisement.arizona.edu/specialty-categories/urology#:~:text=Recent%20NRMP%20data%20suggest%20that,those%20schools%20that%20provide%20rankings.

https://www.auajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.urpr.2015.06.001

https://www.zippia.com/urologist-jobs/trends/

https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/physician-burnout-which-medical-specialties-feel-most-stress#:~:text=In%20the%20Medscape%20survey%2C%20the,Nephrology%3A%2049%25. 

https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-students/specialty-profiles/what-it-s-specialize-urology-shadowing-dr-davuluri