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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Urology

Curriculum

In this competitive program, urology residents gain experience providing clinical and surgical care of pediatric and adult patients by rotating through five hospitals in the school’s Indianapolis campus. Each hospital has at least one junior and one senior resident in urology. Upper-level residents also rotate at one suburban hospital. The department helps residents accomplish their goals by:

  • Providing abundant clinical training material for resident experience in all aspects of urology with a focus on cancer, reconstruction, pediatrics and minimally invasive surgery.
  • Providing opportunities to operate and master surgical judgement and techniques.
  • Promoting the development of critical diagnostic and analytic qualities, both in patient care and in reading and interpretation of medical literature.
  • Providing opportunities for basic science research as well as clinical and surgical research projects corresponding to the individual resident’s interests.
  • Assisting in the development of teaching, writing and speaking skills to enhance career options.

Clinical Training

The program includes abundant clinical training for resident experience in all aspects of urology with a focus on cancer, reconstruction, pediatrics and minimally-invasive surgery. Surgical training for residents at IU School of Medicine Department of Urology is extensive. Operative volumes in many index cases are above the 90th percentile nationally and include cystectomy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and holmium laser enucleation of the prostate. All tertiary urologic care for the state of Indiana (a population of 6.7 million) and the surrounding counties is provided by this department, since there is no other academic urology department in the state. Referrals for complex testis cancer patients come to this department from all over the world.

Each of our hospitals have daVinci Xi surgical systems and there is also a Single Port daVinci system at IU North. There is an excellent amount of robotic training for residents of every level. 

Training Sites

IU Health Methodist Hospital is a large hospital and level 1 trauma center. Full-time faculty and private practice urologists are based at this hospital, providing residents with exposure to all areas of urology with a focus on reconstructive surgery, stone disease, and minimally-invasive surgery.

University Hospital first opened in 1970 with several major renovations taking place since then. The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center opened in 2008 and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer hospital in Indiana. This teaching hospital with 400 beds is the site of the world’s largest contemporary retroperitoneal surgery for carcinoma of the testis. 

Riley Hospital for Children is home of the Department of Urology Pediatric Urology division, which is consistently ranked in the top five in the country by U.S. News & World Report. This facility has 350 beds, 14 operating rooms, radiology suites and neonatal facilities, making it one of the largest and most up-to-date children’s hospitals in the country.

Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital is a level 1 trauma center with 400 beds that offers a wide variety of experiences in general urology and trauma in both adults and children. Eskenazi Hospital is a county hospital and was built in 2013, replacing Wishard Hospital.

 

The Indianapolis VA Hospital has a total of 550 beds and offers residents experience in inpatient surgical and consultation services as well as the developments of outpatient evaluation and treatment. The urology clinic includes full-time staffing with the newest equipment for all types of cases. 

IU Health North Hospital is a state-of-the-art suburban facility that opened in 2005. Senior residents rotate at IU North, focusing on refining their surgical skills as an upper-level resident. 

Call Schedule

First-year residents rotate through Riley Hospital for Children, University Hospital and Clinic rotation (Q4 on call in-house). They also spend time at IU Health Methodist Hospital (Q3 on call from home during the week, with one to two weekends on per month).

Second-year urology residents rotate through the VA Hospital and Eskenazi Hospital (Q3 on call from home during week, working one to two weekends per month) and University Hospital (Q4 on call in-house). They also have a three-month flex rotation with four home calls per month and one weekend per month.

Third-year urology residents rotate as the chief resident at IU Health Methodist Hospital (Q3 on call from home during week, with one weekend per month). They also spend time at Riley and IU North with backup home call and have a flex rotation without call responsibilities.

Chief residents rotate through the VA Hospital and Eskenazi Hospital with back-up home call during the week and on weekends. They also serve as backup home call at University Hospital and round one weekend per month.

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What is the Flex Rotation?