Identification of essential surgical competencies to be imparted in urological residency: A survey-based study

INTRODUCTION: There are variations in surgical procedures included in urology residency curricula across various programs. We conducted a survey of practicing urologists to determine which procedures are considered essential to a core urology residency curriculum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web-based survey was conducted between October 2016 and February 2017 using SurveyMonkey. The questionnaire, comprising a set of 5-questions, was sent to the members of the Urological Society of India. Respondents were requested to grade 37 of the most common urological procedures (competencies) into three groups. Group A, were those that the respondent believed were vital for the trainee to learn (must know). Group B, were those that the respondent thought were essential to acquire (good to know). Group C procedures were labeled as desirable to know by respondents. RESULTS: A total of 485 (15.75%) responses were received out of 3018 members contacted. 67% respondents were working in the private-sector. Out of the 37 listed procedures, 20 procedures received a median weightage of 1 indicating vital clinical competency for urology curriculum, 15 were identified as “essential to know” while two procedures were identified as “desirable to know.” CONCLUSIONS: Twenty surgical procedures were identified as‘must-know’ for a urology trainee. The choice of procedures was not affected by the region of the responder or his practice type, suggesting a wide consensus.