The newly graduated Canadian urologist: Over-trained and underemployed?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.188Abstract
Introduction: There are two prevailing perceptions among urology residents (1) fellowship training is becoming a requirement after residency, and (2) there are few job opportunities after graduation. In this study, we examine postgraduate training patterns and employment choices of urology residents.
Methods: All Canadian urology program directors provided a summary of fellowship training and employment of Canadian residents graduating between 1998 and 2009. Logistic regression models were used to detect linear trends.
Results: In total, 258 Canadian urology residents graduated over the study period, with a median of 22 (interquartile range 21-22) graduating per year. Of these, 72% completed a fellowship. Of these fellowships, 62% included protected research time. The most common subspecialty area was minimally invasive surgery (MIS)/endourology (39% of fellowships). There was a significant increase in fellowship training over time (p < 0.0001); this was mostly due to an increase in MIS/endourology fellowships. The number of urologists obtaining graduate degrees after medical school has increased significantly over the study period. Almost all graduates are employed. Of the employed graduates in total, 34% are academic urologists. Among all graduates, 50% are practicing within 100 km of their residency site, 16% are practicing in the United States and 22% are in rural practice. There has been no significant change over time in the proportion of residents practicing within 100 km of their training program, practicing rurally, leaving their province of training, practicing in the United States, or choosing academic practice.
Conclusions: Fellowship training, especially in MIS/endourology, has become significantly more common. Graduate degrees are more frequently being obtained. We did not find evidence that there has been a significant change in a urology resident’s ultimate ability to obtain employment upon graduation.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
You, the Author(s), assign your copyright in and to the Article to the Canadian Urological Association. This means that you may not, without the prior written permission of the CUA:
- Post the Article on any Web site
- Translate or authorize a translation of the Article
- Copy or otherwise reproduce the Article, in any format, beyond what is permitted under Canadian copyright law, or authorize others to do so
- Copy or otherwise reproduce portions of the Article, including tables and figures, beyond what is permitted under Canadian copyright law, or authorize others to do so.
The CUA encourages use for non-commercial educational purposes and will not unreasonably deny any such permission request.
You retain your moral rights in and to the Article. This means that the CUA may not assert its copyright in such a way that would negatively reflect on your reputation or your right to be associated with the Article.
The CUA also requires you to warrant the following:
- That you are the Author(s) and sole owner(s), that the Article is original and unpublished and that you have not previously assigned copyright or granted a licence to any other third party;
- That all individuals who have made a substantive contribution to the article are acknowledged;
- That the Article does not infringe any proprietary right of any third party and that you have received the permissions necessary to include the work of others in the Article; and
- That the Article does not libel or violate the privacy rights of any third party.