"When people think of urology, they think urine. Even as a medical student,
I didn't know much about urology until I did my clinical rotations. It's a
huge world. You think, what can it really consist of -- urine? Checking the
kidneys? But urology covers a huge breadth of stuff," explains Dr. Joanna
Chon.
"It's amazing the problems you get to deal with. It's a fun, fun specialty
where you can operate and develop relationships with your patients and come
home feeling very satisfied with what you've done for the day."
Chon has a lot to say about her choice of medical specialty. "I went into
urology because I really like surgery a lot and urology has a great mix of
surgery and medicine. So you can do surgery, but also have this follow-up
with the same patients because they also have medical problems that bring
them back to the office," she says.
Why does Chon like surgery so much? "I love surgery because I'm a really
hands-on person. I like it because I think, 'Hey, I'm actually physically
doing something and seeing results.' I really like having that gratification.
You see great results in urology in general. A lot of people who have urological
cancers -- kidney cancers, bladder cancers -- a lot of times have great outcomes.
You operate on someone and improve the quality of his or her life."
Chon also knows which subspecialty of urology she wants to focus on. "I
plan to focus on female urology. There is a shortage of women in urology and
a shortage of people focusing on female urology in particular. Being a woman
urologist focusing on female urology is a great deal. It's fantastic. I have
gotten so many job offers. People are calling me wanting to hire me."
She does admit that being a urology resident is very demanding in terms
of time. Her day typically begins at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. and ends anywhere
between 7 and 9 p.m. Every third night, residents have to be on call. This
means that a resident can be at work for 36 hours straight.
"You definitely have to have stamina," says Chon. "You have to keep your
long-term goals in sight. I know that this is only a short time period when
I have to work this hard, and that's what keeps me going. Besides, the gratification
of learning and helping people along the way is incredible -- there's nothing
like it."
In terms of training programs for urologists, Chon cautions that, "training
programs are decreasing the number of students they accept, so that they don't
produce too many urologists. Urology training programs have always been a
little bit selective and competitive. Choosing urology is still the best decision
I've made and the best field to be in."
Though Dr. Kenneth Woods of Rosedale, California, has had a lot more experience
than Chon, he has similar things to say about why he went into the field.
"I chose urology over other medical specialties because I found urological
science to be mentally stimulating and thought it would keep me from being
bored. I also liked some of the urologists I met early on in my career. They
seemed to be happy with what they were doing."
Woods has treated more than 15,000 patients thus far in his career. However,
being a doctor in general is not much like what he thought it would be. "There
is a lot more paperwork than there should be," says Woods.
"I know I wish I were a lot more busy doing the types of surgery I have
been trained to do, and I could handle a lot more than I am doing now. Also,
there is a lot more dependence on parties to pay me and refer patients to
me than I thought there would be, and the hours are kind of long. But the
patients mostly are very grateful for my help, and I feel satisfaction in
providing excellent care for them."
Like Chon and Woods, Dr. M'Liss A. Hudson in St. Louis saw other doctors
enjoying their work as urologists and decided that was the specialty for her.
"I went into urology because the specialties in kidney function at my school
were well taught, and I thought the urologists there looked like they were
having fun. Urology is the best-kept secret in medicine."
Hudson also has advice for students about what to look for in a urology
training program. "A student interested in urology should look for a residency
program that is diverse and can offer training in many specialties, that has
a stable faculty and whose residents are happy with their training. Students
should always go talk to residents at the program they are looking into."
Beth Chevrefils, administrator for a urological association, says there
is a need for women urologists. "We have quite a few women who
come into the urology program for a couple of years, then transfer over to
gynecology," she says.
"That is the ideal blend for us because female urologist-gynecologists
are a little bit more sensitive to the issues facing women, especially those
in their 50s and older. These women doctors can relate to their patients when
doing things like bladder reconstructions. A urologist-gynecologist is someone
who really knows female urology.
"We do have an aging population and a demand for urologists right now.
Right now the problems of the elderly patients absorb a tremendous amount
of the doctors' time. We are always looking for more urologists!"