few questions about urology

[cluelessnoob]

Hey all,

I'm an MS3 considering urology and I just had a few questions regarding urology that will hopefully help me out in terms of choosing a residency.
1. What is the bread and butter procedure of urology?
2. What is the best thing about urology?
3. What is the worst thing about urology?
4. As of right now, I am pretty uncomfortable performing prostate exams. With more experience, do people feel more comfortable and get better at doing it?

Thanks.

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[armybound]

Cystoscopy is probably the mainstay of general urology.

Best/worst depends a lot on who you ask. There's a wide variety in urology. Lifestyle generally good. Compensation is generally good. Worst thing is dealing with pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, and other female urology issues.

Why are you uncomfortable? Your finger's in their butt, not vice versa.

 

[DoctwoB]

Hey all,

I'm an MS3 considering urology and I just had a few questions regarding urology that will hopefully help me out in terms of choosing a residency.
1. What is the bread and butter procedure of urology?
2. What is the best thing about urology?
3. What is the worst thing about urology?
4. As of right now, I am pretty uncomfortable performing prostate exams. With more experience, do people feel more comfortable and get better at doing it?

Thanks.

Based on my limited experience.
1. In the clinic your most common procedures are diagnostic cystoscopy, ultrasound guided prostate needle biopsies, urodynamics, and vasectomies. In the OR there is a lot more variation. Common small cases include cystoscopy/stent placement/retrograde pyelograms, trans-urethral prostate resections / laser vaporizations, ureteroscopy +/- laser lithotripsy. Common large cases include prostatectomies (though this may decrease in the future), nephrectomies, incontinence surgery like slings/AUS's, scrotal cases like hydroceles, etc.

2. Best thing for me is wide variety of procedures/modalities (open, robotic, lap, endoscopic, and percutaneous), patients generally have good outcomes and improved QOL from our procedures, lifestyle is reasonable for a surgical field.

3. Lay people have no idea what you do (most don't even know you're a surgeon) and there's a lot of dick jokes.

4. You will definitely get more comfortable with experience.

 

[mestielest]

1. In office setting: cystoscopy, transrectal guided prostate biopsy, BPH medical treatment, OAB and incontinence medical treatment, vasectomy
Small hospitals: additional to office procedures TUR-Prostatectomy, TUR-Bladder Tumor, Ureterorenoscopy and stone treatment
Large hospitals: additional to above nephrectomies and other oncologic cases depending to experience of instutition
Referral centers: Radical prostatectomy, radical cystectomy and RPLND for some instutitions

2. Same as DoctwoB. Urologic surgery has very good results compared to other major surgical specialities. Even radical prostatectomies could be discharged after one night in experienced centers. Urologists are usually warm and happy people.

3. Some people doesnt know what we do. Some people think that we are "neurologist" and some other ones think that we could not get into another field and at last we falled in with a field that only looks to peoples genitalia So comedians exist that make jokes about urology in every show

4. Find the hole and get your finger inside! thats all you need )) Like all examinations you will be better with time.