Urologists can become AUA members to show their commitment to furthering their knowledge and education. The AUA offers board-certification preparation courses, access to research journals and continuing education opportunities. Urologists can become fellows with the ACS to receive ongoing education, leadership training and other career resources.
To join, they must have at least a year of practice experience, plus board certification. To practice legally, urologists must also have a state medical license, which they can receive by meeting education requirements and passing an exam. As medical professionals, urologists must have a variety of skills, including:. Urologists can work in hospitals, university medical centers, urology centers or private practices. They spend their time in the office consulting with patients, doing surgeries in the operating room or performing tests and nonsurgical procedures such as X-rays and urinalysis.
They often use specialized equipment and technologies such as lasers and laparoscopes. Many urologists work long hours and some weekends and might be on call for emergencies. While their work environment can be fast-paced and stressful, the job can be rewarding. Urologists follow a strict and challenging path to becoming licensed medical professionals. They often spend more than a decade gaining the education and training they need to practice.
Follow these steps to become a urologist:. Complete an undergraduate degree in pre-medicine or a science field such as chemistry or biology. These courses will give you the foundation for your medical degree. Most students take the MCAT exam in the spring of their junior year of college. You must pass this nearly eight-hour standardized test to apply for and get accepted into medical school.
Earn a four-year medical degree to gain the basic medical knowledge and skills you will need to be a urologist. After graduating from medical school, you must spend another five years as a urology resident in a hospital setting. Here you will work with patients and learn surgical skills specific to urology.
While not required, you might choose to complete a fellowship in the urology subspecialty of your choice. These typically take another one to three years.
Certification with the ABU can give urologists more job opportunities and greater earning potential. Many employers prefer to hire urologists who are board-certified, which requires completing a residency and a certain number of training hours, plus passing an exam. Contact your state medical board to learn about medical licensing requirements in your state of practice.
You will need this license to practice legally. You can apply for urologist jobs after completing your residency, fellowship or board-certification. Urologists may in fact work in a clinic that offers various medical services and procedures to patients.
They examine patients using equipment such as x-ray machines and fluoroscopes, to determine the nature and extent of the disorder or injury. They treat lower urinary tract dysfunctions using equipment such as diathermy machines, catheters, cystoscopes and radium emanation tubes.
Urologists treat urologic disorders using alternatives to traditional surgery such as shock wave lithotripsy, laparoscopy and laser techniques. They order and interpret the results of diagnostic tests, such as prostate specific antigen screening, to detect prostate cancer. Specialists in urinary tract stones treat kidney stones, which are formed when urine becomes too concentrated and chemicals that usually dissolve, crystallise instead, sometimes causing severe pain. Kidney stones can be removed surgically and can usually be prevented from reoccurring.
Female urologists diagnose and treat urinary incontinence, pelvic outlet relaxation disorders, and genitourinary trauma. Finally, some doctors specialise in erectile dysfunction or impotence and help men who have difficulties achieving or sustaining an erection. They provide urology consultations to physicians or other health care professionals, and refer patients to specialists when the condition is outside their area of expertise.
To specialise in this area, a number of years of post-graduate study will be required. Consult the HPCSA website for the most up-to-date information relating to this area of specialization.
Urologists also perform surgeries when necessary. To become a urologist, students will obtain a Doctorate degree in medical science with a focus on urology and reproductive health.
This involves 4 years of undergraduate training as well as 4 years in a medical graduate program. Students studying to become doctors and surgeons work as resident surgeons in a hospital as part of their training before graduation. Once a student works as a resident in a urology center, they will be required to take a state board certification that will license them to practice medicine. Training for a transplant surgeon includes performing surgeries on the male reproductive system such as vasectomies, and diagnosing urinary conditions such as kidney stones or various types of infections.
A urologist must be able to work independently and conduct a surgery on their own from start to finish. They will determine exactly what needs to be done to a patient and decide just how much help they need in the operating room. They will choose staff to work with them on each surgery as nurses or assistants, as well as caring for the patient after surgery. Urologists will need to understand the proper sanitation and sterilization procedures before, during and after surgery, as well as be able to handle the sometimes unpleasant smells or sights that come with surgery.
Urologists must be able to handle extremely stressful and high pressures situations, as surgeries can sometimes spiral out of control relatively quickly or the patient may respond negatively.
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