Should i do urology

A article in Forbes is one of many showing that physicians spend more time on computers than we do with patients. I had no idea that was the case in medical school. One of the reasons I chose medicine was that I hate working on computers, and I thought choosing medicine was a way to avoid having to spend hours typing on a keyboard.

Also by Dr. Rosevear: Locum work a refreshing break from the daily grind. Maybe if I worked for some monster hospital system with a huge IT support staff to help, life would be better.

But as a small-town independent urologist, working with four different EMRs is probably the least favorite part of my job. Hospitals are big businesses.

When I was in residency, I received almost daily flyers and emails from various hospitals promising ridiculous amounts of money as an employed physician. While I freely admit that I have made too many mistakes to count, not taking one of those jobs and instead starting off at a much lower salary as an associate in a small urology group was one of the best decisions of my life.

All the employed physicians I know have taken a huge pay cut when it came time to renegotiate their contract, and they all report that the bureaucracy associated with these large hospital systems is not only stifling but less efficient and negatively impacts their productivity.

If there is one piece of advice I could give residents and medical students, it would be to approach any hospital employment position with trepidation. While exceptions exist, if an offer seems too good to be true, in the long run, it likely is.

Next: "The number of procedures I do is limited, and probably should be" 4. The number of procedures I do is limited, and probably should be. Both during medical school and in residency, one of the aspects of urology I loved was that one day I might scrub in on a major robotic oncology case and the next I could be assisting with a pediatric reconstruction case.

The variety of cases I saw and the breadth of the pathology that urologists treat drew me to the field in the first place.

Urologists are best trained to treat any condition involving the urinary tract and the male reproductive system. Other healthcare professionals may be involved in your care-a urologist may work with an oncologist to treat prostate cancer, or with a gynecologist to treat pelvic pain in women.

However, if you have a urologic condition, the urologist will be at the head of your medical team. Sometimes a patient will be referred to a urologist by another health care professional, as Valerie was.

But often people go straight to a urologist for treatment. Your primary care doctor may be able to treat some minor urologic issues. However, if your symptoms do not go away-like in Valerie's case-it is best to see a urologist and get to the root of the problem. If you know your symptoms or condition involve the urinary tract or male reproductive system, you may choose to see a urologist as your first step.

To find a urologist in your area and even narrow your search by type of urologic condition, visit UrologyHealth. Urology offers patients a wide range of treatment choices, letting patients work with their urologists to find the best solution for them.

Surgery may be the best choice for some people. Drugs or behavioral therapy such as bladder re-training may work better for others. Some people may improve most using a mix of two or three treatments. You and your urologist can work together as a team to address your own needs. Lisa Hawes explained, "the wealth of choice in urology allows us to truly personalize treatment for each patient. As with all doctors, urologists must complete an undergraduate degree and four years of medical school.

But did you know the training doesn't stop there? After medical school, a urologist will have five or six more years of training called residency. Residency programs may include one or two years of surgical training. After that, there may be three or four years of clinical training in urology. In clinical training, residents follow a patient from their first visit to the urologist through to the end of their treatment.

All urologists will have both surgical and clinical training. Next, some urologists may choose to do one or two more years of training called a fellowship.

Fellowships allow doctors to focus on a specific branch of urology, such as urologic oncology cancer , female urology, pediatric urology, male infertility, sexual health and erectile dysfunction, or kidney stones. Urologists must also pass a licensing exam, and be board-certified by the American Board of Urology.

Even licensed and board-certified urologists are constantly learning and improving their skills. To keep their licenses and stay up to date in the latest knowledge, urologists are required to take education courses each year.

If you have an immediate, visceral reaction any time you set foot in the OR, that's a bad sign. On the other hand, if you stand in the OR and think "hmm, this is really boring," you actually may be right. Being a third year medical student in the OR means a lot of retracting and a lot of being ignored. The key is to try and imagine yourself as the surgeon. If you still think "this sucks," it's on to something else. Surgical training can be brutal. Mornings are early. Afternoons become evenings.

And sleep is hard to come by. Urology training programs are all either 5 or 6 years depending on whether there is a year of research , and all programs include one to two years of general surgery training.

It is a difficult residency, at least for the first three years, and you have to factor that into any decision. Of course, becoming a cardiologist or gastroenterologist also involves six years of training, which is to say that medical training takes a long time no matter what you go into.

It is important to put this topic out there. Dealing with genitalia and issues surrounding genitalia is not for everyone. You need to feel comfortable talking about and "handling" these issues. You can probably get used to anything with time, so it's hard to say that this should have a huge impact on your decision. Urology is a male dominated field. For those who are looking for more of an even split among the sexes, urology doesn't really fit the bill.

Data from published in the Journal of Urology Bradbury stated that women made up 4. These numbers have certainly grown with time, but women remain a significant minority. Women are certainly coveted by residency programs, as there is a tremendous need in the community for urologists who are female. Visit Society of Women in Urology website for more details. Skip to main content. Surgical Procedures: Lithalopaxy VI. Surgical Procedures: Adrenalectomy XI.

There are many reasons to pursue a career in urology. At least seven, in fact: 1 Surgery.