Definition
Urology is that branch of medicine and surgery concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment in adults and children of abnormalities and diseases of the genito-urinary tract of the male and the urinary tract of the female.
Objectives of Training
The objectives of the residency program are as mandated by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Specialty Training Requirements
A minimum of five years of approved training. This period must include:
- Two years of core training in surgery
- Three years of approved residency training in urology, one of which must be in a senior residency position. Senior residency is defined as a year in which the resident is regularly entrusted with the responsibility for pre-operative, operative and post-operative care, including the most difficult problems in urology. The senior resident shall be in charge of a urological unit: no other resident shall intervene between the senior resident and the attending staff urologist.
- Three clinical years in urology are required to allow residents to become proficient in both open and endoscopic procedures.
- Experience at a community based teaching unit should be undertaken during the residency.
The five-year program outlined above will permit most residents to become proficient consultants in urology. It must be regarded as the minimum training requirement and additional years of training may be required by the program director to ensure that clinical competence has been achieved. Residents interested in research and other academic aspects of the specialty will require additional training to accommodate those career goals.