The Department of Urology at Northwestern McGaw is dedicated to providing exceptional urologic training. The program incorporates supervised clinical experience in adult and pediatric urology with laboratory and clinical research opportunities to offer residents a broad base for the future. The residency in urology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine is a six-year program. In July 2006, the Department of Urology began directing the program in its entirety. The first two years of training are in general surgery and urology, while the last four years consist of three years of clinical urology and a year of research. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hospital, and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center participate in the residency program. In the first two years of training, residents learn the essentials of patient management and basics in surgical technique through experience in urology, a general surgical preceptorship, and surgical intensive care. In the three years devoted solely to clinical urology, residents learn enhanced clinical skills in inpatient, outpatient, and office settings with adult and pediatric urology patients. During the final two clinical years, the resident is the most senior member of the housestaff on all rotations, allowing for significant patient care and operative experience. Residents obtain subspecialty experience in endo-, neuro-, female, and laparoscopic urology as well as in urological oncology, infections, erectile dysfunction, and male infertility. At a major pediatric tertiary referral center, they see complex hypospadias cases, ureteral reimplantations, pyeloplasties, and other more routine pediatric urologic problems. Additionally, mentoring in clinics during each rotation at each hospital is an established and important aspect of the residency program. Residents dedicate a full year to research, during which they are encouraged to design and implement a basic science or clinical research project. They are allowed to work with scientists within or outside of the department. During this year, residents have minimal clinical duties. The experience enables residents to immerse themselves in research and learn more about their potential career interests. The urology conference schedule consists of four hours of clinical conferences per week: (1) grand rounds, an adult and pediatric clinical case conference; (2) genitourinary (GU) oncology conference, a multidisciplinary patient care conference involving the urology and pathology departments and the hematology/oncology and radiation therapy divisions; (3) preoperative conference, a review and discussion of the next week's planned surgeries; and (4) resident education conference, embracing a GU pathology course and GU radiology review and a reading conference for review and discussion of assigned textbook and journal readings. All residents on the Northwestern campus attend these conferences. Children's Memorial Hospital holds separate case conferences. Research-oriented conferences include a weekly multigroup laboratory meeting and a weekly basic science seminar series featuring invited speakers. A number of citywide and regional meetings give residents additional educational opportunities. The residency program offers three positions each year. Candidates apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Anthony J. Schaeffer, MD
Herman L. Kretschmer Professor of Urology
Chair, Department of Urology Stephanie J. Kielb, MD William E. Kaplan, MD
Children's Memorial Hospital Anthony J. Schaeffer, MD
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Christopher M. Gonzalez, MD
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center For more information, contact Education Coordinator Kelly Ross, Department of Urology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Tarry 16-703, Chicago, Illinois 60611-3008, 312/503-3238; fax 312/908-7275 or visit the Department of Urology Web site. E-mail: k-ross@northwestern.edu
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Urology