Mission

The mission of Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Urology Residency program is to graduate highly competent, well-rounded Urologists capable of providing world-class clinical care to our war fighters and their families, and to provide that care in any environment, including forward deployed, austere locations.

Vision

Our program strives to graduate highly competent, well-rounded Urologists capable of providing excellent clinical care to military service members and their families. Graduates can
adapt and thrive in a variety of clinical settings, including forward deployed, austere environments. We constantly continue to develop the skills and capabilities of its teaching faculty, both through a
structured faculty development curriculum and by continuing to welcome the most challenging and complex Urology practice referrals in the military. We continue to develop our research capabilities in order to provide leading clinical, basic-science, and bio-mechanical research that will benefit the Urological community worldwide.

Aims

Our program believes in providing amazing opportunities, aims for excellence, thoughtfully considers wellness, and ensures a ready medical force. The aims of the Urology Program are the following:

• The program aims to continue to graduate highly competent, well-rounded Urologists capable of providing excellent clinical care to military service members and their families.
• The program aims to develop surgeons who can adapt and thrive in a variety of clinical settings, including forward-deployed, austere environments.
• The program aims to continue to develop the skills and capabilities of its teaching faculty, both through a structured faculty development curriculum and by continuing to welcome the most challenging and complex Urology practice referrals in the military.
• The program aims to continue developing its research capabilities to provide leading clinical, basic-science, and biomechanical research that will benefit the Urology community worldwide.

The academic program begins at the staff attending level down to residents, and medical students at all weekly conferences: Journal Club, Campbell's review, Pre-op Conference, core lectures, grand rounds, staff rounds, and Mortality and Morbidity. The supporting hospitals and outside rotations consist of the following: Kaiser, Rady Children’s Hospital, Sharp Transplant, and Scripps Mercy for general surgery. Rotations include pediatric urology, urology/gynecology, infertility, urology oncology, research, general urology, and outlying rotations at supporting hospitals, which includes a transplant rotation.

PGY-1 residents do have some overnight and weekend call requirements on off-service rotations (ie. ICU, Trauma, etc). Call on urology service is taken from home and typically q3-4.

Our academic year includes a robust military unique curriculum in effort to develop Naval Medical Officers who have insight and awareness of the challenges and situations that face our active-duty patients. To that end, our program has included team building exercises such as land navigation, weapons and aircraft familiarization, and maritime acclimatization. All residents also complete Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC).

• Urology Residents are required to maintain both Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification throughout their residency training.
• Urology Residents are required to attend the either the Combat Casualty Care Course (C4) in San Antonio, Texas or Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Tactical Combat Casualty Course (TCCC) at NMCSD in their PGY-4 or PGY-5 year of training.

Cadaver anatomy lab

Our academic calendar includes a quarterly Officer Professional Development hour in which both on and off-site speakers are invited to NMCSD to discuss topics such as leadership, professional development, or career enhancement. PGY-5 residents hold chief resident leadership positions in Department Research, Administration, Bioskills, Call, and Academics. These positions interface with the residency program director and assistance program director and help lead the residency program. Residents have the ability to attend the Navy’s Intermediate Leadership Course (ILC) held monthly in San Diego.

• All residents are required to complete one research project (from IRB through manuscript submission) while in residency.
• Residents are granted up to 10 TDY days per academic year to participate in conferences.
• Residents have numerous opportunities to complete research at NMCSD, or partner institutions such as Rady Children’s hospital, UCSD, Sharp, or Kaiser. The research chief resident assists with ensuring resident have ample research opportunities and meet requirements.

Residents are required to complete one performance improvement project while in residency. Other performance improvement projects are highly encouraged and completed throughout the year as residents see fit.

Our academic calendar includes a quarterly Officer Professional Development hour in which both on and off-site speakers are invited to NMCSD to discuss topics such as leadership, professional development, or career enhancement. Additionally, residents undergo ‘career development boards’ with a dedicated urology staff to prepare them for promotion and development as a military officer.

• Kaiser Foundation Hospitals
• Male Fertility and Sexual Medicine Specialists
• Rady Children’s Hospital
• Scripps Memorial Hospital
• Scripps Mercy Hospital
• Sharp HealthCare

Our program offers rotations to fourth-year medical students and select third-year medical students on a space available basis who are interested in applying to Urology. Rotations are four weeks (one block) long and include multiple clinical shifts, didactic opportunities, simulation experiences, and catered time for learning about the values and culture of the program.

Please visit our Medical Student Rotation informational page to see a listing of available medical student rotations offered at NMCSD.

If you would like to schedule an interview with the Urology Program, please email the program at: dha.san-diego.San-Diego-NMC.list.nmcsd-urol@health.mil

Program graduates take the American Board of Urology (ABU) qualifying examination and certifying examination. To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to take board certification following graduation. Board eligibility is described on the ABU website: The American Board of Urology | Board Certified Urologists

Residents are expected to assume increasing levels of responsibility as teachers to their peers in the department throughout their time.

Residents offered opportunity to teach courses and local, regional, national, and international conferences including Urology surgical skills, and lecture military and the Urology department.

• Endourology
• Fertility/Andrology
• General Urology
• Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery
• Pediatric Urology
• Reconstructive Urology
• Urologic Oncology

• Resident education is more than just medical knowledge and surgical skill acquisition. Teaching our protégé to be successful urologists requires nurturing, leading, supporting, and providing a positive role model. In brief, it requires effective mentoring. As mentors, we should encourage our mentees, assist with identifying and remediating deficits, promote, and guide scholarly activity, provide naval officer and urology career advice, and be supportive and empathetic.
• Each year, residents and faculty should commit to a mentee-mentor relationship. PGY-1’s will be assigned to a faculty mentor. This relationship should be mutual and consistent, preferably lasting throughout the residency training program to foster longevity. Should the relationship be ineffective, mentors and mentees can be changed. Mentees should choose mentors who best match their personality and professional goals. All residents, PGY 1-5, will have a mentor. Mentees should meet with their mentors twice a year. Meetings can be as informal as getting a cup of coffee

The program employs a range of departmental and institutional level resources to promote well-being among residents. The program has off-site team-building exercises as well as other resident well-being activities. The objective is to promote comradery and give residents an opportunity to relax and have a good time.