See more, do less?-resident-reported training trends in reconstructive urology

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Surgical Education
• Medical Training

Background:

• Urologic surgical training is evolving due to robotic surgery, subspecialization, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The impact of these changes on resident training, particularly in reconstructive urology, is not fully understood.
• This study focuses on changes in resident-reported case logs for reconstructive urology, with a specific emphasis on female reconstructive cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe trends in resident-reported case log data for reconstructive urology surgeries.
• To specifically analyze changes in resident roles within female reconstructive urology procedures.
• To provide insights for urologic resident educators regarding evolving training landscapes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) reporting system (2010-2022).
• Analyzed resident-submitted case reports, categorizing procedures by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes.
• Examined resident roles (surgeon, assistant, teaching assistant, all roles) in reconstructive urology cases.

Main Results:

• Overall reconstructive urology cases logged by residents in "all roles" increased (0.82 cases/year).
• Resident-reported "surgeon" roles in reconstructive urology decreased (-0.77 cases/year), while "assistant" roles increased significantly (1.48 cases/year).
• For female reconstructive cases, "surgeon" roles declined (-1.1 cases/year), and "assistant" roles increased (0.32 cases/year).

Conclusions:

• A notable decrease in resident-reported "surgeon" roles in female reconstructive urology was observed over the past decade.
• This decline occurred concurrently with an increase in the overall volume of reconstructive urologic cases.
• Understanding these shifts is crucial for refining urologic surgical residency training programs and identifying root causes.