Strategies to Encourage Medical Student Interest in Urology
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EDUCATION (G BADALATO, SECTION EDITOR)
Strategies to Encourage Medical Student Interest in Urology Jubin E. Matloubieh 1
&
Manizheh Eghbali 2 & Nitya Abraham 1
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Purpose of Review Urology residency positions have steadily increased but applications have remained stagnant. This is an alarming trend given the aging general population and thus increased need for urologists. The purpose of this review is to describe barriers and suggest strategies to encourage medical students to pursue urology. Recent Findings Barriers to interest in urology include educational factors, such as timing of exposure to urology in medical school, USMLE scores, research experience, and deciding in time for an early match, as well as socioeconomic barriers, such as cost, being underrepresented in medicine, and gender. Steps the urological community can take include increasing involvement in medical school curricula, increasing faculty mentor availability, and broadening students’ range of urological experiences. Summary Strategies to encourage interest in urology fall into three categories: creating interest, supporting interest, and removing barriers for students considering urology. Ultimately, the goal is to garner excellent residents in a field that must expand to meet the needs of a growing and aging population. Keywords Urology . Medical student . Education . Residency socioeconomic barriers . Mentorship
Introduction In 2020, the American Urological Association (AUA) match had a record 354 urology residency positions, an increase from 285 in 2014. However, the number of applicants over the same period has remained about the same, with 441 applications and an overall match rate of 83% in 2020 (Table 1) [1]. Given the increased number of residency positions, the growing need for urological care due to the aging US population, and the relatively high happiness outside of work reported by urologists relative to their peers in other specialties, it is
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Education * Jubin E. Matloubieh [email protected] Manizheh Eghbali [email protected] Nitya Abraham [email protected] 1
Department of Urology, Montefiore Medical Center, 1250 Waters Pl, Tower 1, Penthouse, The Bronx, NY 10461, USA
2
Department of Urology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
surprising that the number of applicants has not increased in tandem with the increase in residency positions [2]. To further compound the issue of recruiting medical students into urology, urologists as a group are aging and approaching retirement age, which is projected to lead to a larger shortage of urologists by 2035 [3•]. A survey of the literature reveals barriers that deter students from urology include academic factors, the application process, and certain socioeconomic factors. On the other hand, factors that motivate students to enter urology include clinical exposure, educational tools, and me
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