Career Expectations and Preferences of Urology Residency Applicants

To survey the characteristics, career goals, and practice preferences of current urology applicants.

An anonymous survey was emailed to applicants pursuing a residency position at the University of Florida for the 2017-2018 academic year Urology Match. The survey included questions on demographics, motivating factors to pursue urology, plans for fellowship training, and anticipated and desired practice patterns.

151 of 295 applicants completed the survey, mean age 26.9± SD 2.3. Males had a higher interest in academics/research, cancer, men's health, and minimally invasive surgery technology. Females had a higher interest in public health, surgery, and mixture of surgical and medical management. 64.1% planned on completing a fellowship. Males had a higher interest in urologic oncology and endourology. Females had a higher interest in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, andrology and sexual medicine, and pediatric urology. 76.9% anticipated having an academic affiliation, 68.9% working in an urban setting, and 98% working full-time, with no difference based on gender. For desired quality of life after residency, maximum number of hours considered acceptable was 51 to 60 (36.4%) and 61 to 70 (35.1%). Regarding an acceptable call schedule, most considered two to four nights per month reasonable. Most felt an acceptable starting salary was $250,000 to $400,000 and $200,001 to $350,000 for private practice and academic urology respectively.

Current urology applicants desire to work in academics, urban settings, and pursue subspecialty fellowship training. What they consider acceptable work hours, call schedule, and financial compensation appear compatible with the current practice of urology.

Urology. 2018 Oct 10 [Epub ahead of print]

Julia Han, Andrew Rabley, Alex Vlasak, Shahab Bozorgmehri, Vincent Bird, Louis Moy

University of Florida Department of Urology, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Electronic address: ., University of Florida Department of Urology, Gainesville, Florida, USA., University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.