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Introduction:Simulation-based medical education continues to gain popularity as the clinical environment requires exemplary patient safety while simultaneously maximizing the learner’s educational experience. There is a current lack of urology-focused medical student education curricula in the literature. Here, we present the findings of a didactic and simulation-based medical student advanced “urology boot camp” curriculum, which was designed for learners interested in pursuing careers in urology.Methods:Twenty-nine fourth-year urology-dedicated medical students completing their subinternship at our institution during the 2018-2019 academic year participated in an advanced hands-on simulation “boot camp,” which taught both simple and advanced Foley catheter placement, manual and continuous bladder irrigation, and diagnostic cystoscopy. Knowledge acquisition was assessed through quizzes administered before and after completing electronic modules, and a post-simulation survey assessing learners' confidence in their knowledge and skill set, as well as their satisfaction with the curriculum.Results:Medical students demonstrated significant gains in knowledge from pre-test (mean 73.7%) to post-test (mean 94.5%, P < .001), which was consistent across each simulation procedure. Participants self-reported significant improvement in confidence with the procedures from before to after the educational intervention (P < .001). Students also found the curriculum to be beneficial to their understanding of the subject matter (P < .001), would recommend this curriculum to other medical students (P < .001), and thought it better prepared them to meet expected ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) milestones (P < .001).Conclusions:Findings from our advanced “boot camp” simulation curriculum demonstrated successful gains in knowledge and confidence following learning modules and hands-on simulation, indicating that this type of educational intervention could be beneficial in improving exposure to skills and developing confidence prior to urology internship and junior residency.

Introduction: Interactive simulation training during residency is a rapidly growing initiative due to work-hour restrictions, improved simulation model fidelity and an evolving technological field. We designed and implemented a simulation curriculum for urology residents. The objective of this study was to assess its impact on trainee confidence and knowledge.Methods: This was a prospective nonblinded case series analyzing the use of simulation education with entrance and exit surveys. We developed and implemented monthly workshops featuring fundamental urological procedures and skills. Residents from a single academic urology residency program received didactic instruction as well as supervised simulation training from an expert faculty member. Results:The majority of residents highly rated all topics and affirmed that they would repeat the simulation topic in the future. Overall, junior residents averaged a 27% gain in base knowledge (p <0.001), and senior residents reported a 15.5% gain in base knowledge (p <0.001). Didactic and mentored simulation portions of the sessions were considered equally valuable (p >0.5). Of the residents 84% felt the sessions better prepared them to be in the operating room and 94% reported that they would recommend the simulation sessions to a peer (p <0.001).Conclusions: Simulation is a valuable tool that prepares residents for operating room experiences. We have developed a robust simulation curriculum that serves as a feasible and valuable model for other training programs, and has led to increased resident confidence and knowledge in urological procedures and skills.

Objective:Recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) are a common urologic chief complaint. Although rUTIs are a significant burden on the healthcare system, until recently there were no published guidelines to delineate optimal management of this condition. The objective of this study was to describe the demographic profile of rUTI patients and summarize practice patterns at a single tertiary health center, as well as to assess whether our real-life practice patterns parallel the recently published guidelines.Methods:We conducted a retrospective record review of female patients presenting for diagnosis of uncomplicated rUTI/cystitis between October 2010 and September 2018. Analyses were conducted to investigate (a) whether pre- versus postmenopausal women differed in their risk factors for rUTI, (b) whether providers adjust their practice patterns when treating pre- versus postmenopausal women with rUTIs, and (c) whether certain treatment regimens led to lower rates of rUTI than others.Results:Of the 125 cases included in the final analysis, pre- versus postmenopausal women did differ in their risk factors for rUTI, specifically age, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and comorbidities. Although common treatments were found across menopausal status, providers did adjust their practice patterns when treating pre- versus postmenopausal women, including the use of postcoital suppression, conservative measures, cranberry juice/extract, and probiotics for premenopausal women and daily suppression and vaginal estrogens for postmenopausal women. rUTI after treatment (<40%) was highest after the use of conservative measures for all women and rates of rUTI after treatment generally did not differ as a function of menopausal status, but rather by treatment option.Conclusions:This single institution report sheds light on practice patterns at a major academic center, specifically as it compares to the new American Urological Association guidelines and the use of estrogen cream for postmenopausal women.