Survey of Microsurgery Training Availability in US Urology Residency Programs

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Surgical Education
• Microsurgery Training

Background:

• The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sets case minimums for urologic training.
• Currently, microsurgery is not a required component of urology residency training.
• This absence may stem from a perceived lack of exposure opportunities in residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the availability of microsurgery training within urology residency programs.
• To assess the extent of fellowship-trained faculty in microsurgery across these programs.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 138 Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited urology residencies.
• Contacted programs via phone and email, supplemented by website searches.
• Assessed microsurgery training using 3 questions, comparing with penile implant and artificial urinary sphincter training.

Main Results:

• Data were obtained from 134 programs (97.1% response rate).
• 104 programs (77.6%) reported fellowship-trained microsurgeons.
• Microsurgery faculty availability was comparable to penile implants (86.6%) and artificial urinary sphincters (88.8%).

Conclusions:

• Nearly 80% of urology residency programs possess fellowship-trained microsurgeons.
• Microsurgery training should be incorporated into ACGME minimum requirements.
• Programs lacking microsurgery faculty should seek fellowship-trained individuals to ensure equitable resident exposure.