Exploring the Demands of Urology: On-Call Compensation, Frequency, and Variability

We investigate and analyze the available information regarding on-call patterns among urologists in the US.

The AUA Workforce Workgroup collaborated with the AUA Data Team to analyze information from the 2022 AUA Census. Extracted data were analyzed to identify variability across gender, subspecialty, hours worked per week, AUA section, salary, and practice setting. We used χ² tests to compare the groups with respect to each factor and defined statistical significance as a P value less than .05.

There were significant differences by gender and several other on-call factors including being required to take call to maintain hospital privileges (reported by 76% of female urologists vs 67% of male urologists; P = .026), getting paid for weekend call (28% of females vs 38% of males; P = .030), and making over $500 per day when taking weekend call (18% of females vs 32% of males; P < .001). Other differences existed between AUA sections in percentage of physicians receiving over $500 for weekday or weekend calls (P < .001). Lastly, practice setting differed in likelihood of being paid over $500 for weekday call (44% reported by private practice urologists, 7% reported by academic urologists, 14% reported by institutional urologists; P < .001).

These results underscore the substantial variability in on-call responsibilities and structure within the AUA workforce. Further research and regular participation in future censuses are recommended to continue to characterize these trends.