community PersPective

The many hats of a community urologist

Vladimir Kurgansky, MD

Lakeshore General Hospital, Pointe-Claire, QC, Canada

Cite as: Can Urol Assoc J 2016;10(3-4):81. http://dx.doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.3770

robotic surgery, nor radiotherapy, my relationships with

outside specialists have allowed me to make arrangements

so that patients who need these procedures can be treated

promptly outside the institution.

practice as a community urologist at the Lakeshore General

Hospital (LGH), which serves the West Island commu-

I also have an ofﬁce outside of the hospital, where I can

offer not only consultations, but also small procedures such

as cystoscopies, vasectomies, transrectal ultrasounds with

biopsy, testicular ultrasounds, and full urodynamics. This

arrangement allows me to provide the best possible care

for my patients.

As a community urologist, I provide followup for

patients with various urological conditions, including can-

cer, benign prostatic hypertrophy, overactive bladder, and

recurrent urinary tract infections. I have the opportunity to

get to know my patients personally and for me, this is a

very satisfying experience. However, in more complicated

cases, it has been important for me to collaborate with

outside experts. For example, in difﬁcult cancer cases, such

as invasive bladder cancer requiring radical cystectomy or

in complex urinary incontinence, I have been very fortu-

nate to have an excellent working relationship with the

urologists at McGill University; as such, my patients get

seen promptly and the treatment is done in an expeditious

manner. Furthermore, considering the LGH does neither

nity of Montreal. We serve an immediate population of

50 000, as well as a surrounding community of 150 000.

This is where I operate on my patients, do consultations

and take calls. I personally see all my postoperative patients

daily, as we have no residents.

One of the drawbacks to being in a community hospital

is the limited budget available to obtain and maintain the

equipment and instruments. In fact, budgetary constraint

is a problem experienced in healthcare institutions across

Canada. From my perspective, a good way to overcome this

shortfall is to be involved in fundraising. I was president of

the LGH Foundation Ball for two years and we were able to

provide the hospital with Holmium100 W and CO lasers,

ultrasound for anesthesia, and housing for the magnetic reso-

nance imaging machine.

I think it is important for community urologists to be

involved in some aspects of administration, as well as medi-

cal leadership. This not only improves our understanding of

the functioning of the hospital on a different level, it also

gives us a chance to be involved in improving the care of

our patients.

I consider it a privilege to be a community urologist. It is

an immensely rewarding experience, both personally and

professionally.

Competing interests: The author declares no competing ﬁnancial or personal interests.

Correspondence: Dr. Vladimir Kurgansky, Lakeshore General Hospital, Pointe-Claire, QC, Canada;

vkurgansky@uroservices.ca

CUAJ • March-April 2016 • Volume 10, Issues 3-4

2016 Canadian Urological Association