What Pushes and Pulls Underrepresented in Medicine Students to a Career in Urology?

Abstract

Medical students must make the daunting choice of which specialty to pursue in residency and their future careers. Their decision-making process will be influenced by personal interest, exposure to and perception of specialties, and the type of career they seek. While students may be drawn to urology for its broad variety in procedures and subspecialties, or its unique mix of surgery and medicine, there are factors that may deter students' interest in the specialty. Hawks-Ladds et al evaluated factors influencing student interest in urology based on AUA Census survey results from 2019 to 2021. 1 We highlight factors impacting female and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students and describe opportunities for residency programs to further bolster interest.For URiM and female students, attempting to enter a surgical specialty field such as urology can be intimidating. 2 The authors point out that the disparity in gender and ethnic diversity in urologists can dissuade URiM and nonmale medical students. Mentorship has been demonstrated as the determining factor for greater student interest in urology between medical schools. 3 Having concordant mentorship has been shown to be of higher importance for URiM and female students. 4 This is because students find their lived experiences are better understood by those with similar backgrounds. The lack of ethnic and gender diversity among