Curriculum

Curriculum

Program Design

PGY-1: During PGY-1, categorical urology residents are under the auspices of the Division of General Surgery as interns. Interns learn all aspects of basic pre-op and post-op surgical care, pathophysiology of basic surgical diseases, and assist in surgery appropriate for their level. There are rotations in Trauma Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Surgical ICU, and Colorectal Surgery. Interns also spend six months on the Urology service: five months of general urology in the Albany Medical Center clinic and one month in the VA clinic, including performing prostate biopsy and cystoscopy, and seeing clinic patients.

PGY-2: Four months during PGY-2 are devoted to a research component, where residents have the opportunity to work with world-class researchers at Albany Medical College, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, or the University at Albany School of Public Health. During this block, they also spend time at Albany Stratton VA Medical Center (located near Albany Medical Center), gaining skill with cystoscopy, prostate biopsy, and office management of common urologic diseases.

The other eight months are spent on the adult Urology service at Albany Medical Center, where residents gain invaluable experience in the evaluation and management of acute and chronic urologic diseases, as well as reinforce their learning of basic surgical techniques.

PGY-3 and PGY-4: These years are spent on both the adult and pediatric Urology services, and on the VA rotation. On all of these rotations, residents function as the senior resident and gain additional experience in both the outpatient management of patients as well as in endoscopic, laparoscopic, robotic, and open surgery.

PGY-5: Residents spend their final year as chief resident at Albany Medical Center. Responsibilities include day-to-day oversight and management of the inpatient and consultation services, reading assignments, and coverage of surgical cases. Chief residents coordinate the teaching activities for both residents and medical students. This includes conference preparation and active mentorship to the junior residents. They assist and perform all urologic procedures.

Throughout the PGY-2 through PGY-5 years, residents are paired with different faculty mentors and gain a complete range of operative and office-based experience in pediatric urology, infertility, endourology, neurourology, female urology, and urologic oncology.

Conference Schedule

Our internal monthly conferences focus on resident education, presentations on the history of urology, topic review, and discussion of current urological care, including review of complications that occur during administering patient care for a given month. Faculty and residents present future and ongoing research projects, and chief residents also present interactive clinical cases and management. Additional topics and activities include:

• Endourology
• Men's Health
• Morbidity and Mortality
• Pediatric Urology and X-Ray
• Tumor Board - Genitourinary Oncology Case Management (GU Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology)
• Cadaver Labs
• Case(s) of the Week
• Guest and Visiting Professor Lectures
• Journal Club
• Urology Grand Rounds
• Urology Research

Our residents also regularly attend annual conferences, including:

• American Urologic Association (National)
• Northeastern Section of the AUA (Regional)
• Albany Medical College Resident Research
• Current Concepts in Men's Health (Saratoga, N.Y.)
• Upstate Resident Competition (Skaneateles, N.Y.)