Urologic Residency Curriculum In Ultrasound Augments Resident Competency In Urologic Ultrasound

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: MRI / PET / Ultrasound;  Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 01 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - There is increasing interest in the development of curricula for urologic training from the medical student level through to post-graduate education.

Ultrasound guided therapies are likely to become more important in the management of patients with urologic disease. Therefore, providing our residents adequate training in this diagnostic and potentially therapeutic modality is important. Rukstalis and Simmons performed a retrospective analysis of individual urology resident case logs for ultrasound procedures in order to assess the outcome of specific curriculum changes.

A retrospective analysis was performed of self-reported case logs for individual urology residents at the Geisinger Health System Urologic Residency Program over 6 years. The case logs were examined for specific ultrasound CPT codes both before and after the institution of a structured educational curriculum in ultrasound.

Curriculum included lectures on ultrasound physics, indications for adrenal, renal, ureteral, bladder, prostate and penile ultrasound coupled with information regarding CPT coding and a quality improvement conference to verify appropriate documentation. The case logs of 9 urologic residents were reviewed and included 5 individuals who had satisfactorily completed their urology residency training and 4 individuals that were currently in training.

Four of the residents graduated prior to the 2006 introduction of the new curriculum. This group had a mean of 202 transrectal prostate ultrasounds and no other ultrasound procedures recorded. The 2006 chief resident completed 131 prostate, 59 renal, and one scrotal ultrasound. The 4 residents currently receiving training report a mean of 135 prostate, 73 renal, 3 scrotal and 2 bladder ultrasound procedures. The current chief resident is anticipated to complete the educational process with greater than 500 proctored urologic ultrasound procedures.

This group has nicely demonstrated how a structured educational curriculum can successfully result in the performance of the targeted skill to be learned. Performance of more than 400 proctored urologic ultrasound procedures over the course of a 4 year program should satisfy any regulatory agency expectations for skills verification in ultrasound.

Presented by Daniel B. Rukstalis, MD, and Jennifer Simmons, MD, at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) - May 17 - 22, 2008. Orange County Convention Center - Orlando, Florida, USA.

Reported by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Elspeth M. McDougall, MD, FRCSC

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