Longitudinal Changes in the Operative Experience for Junior Urology Residents

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate longitudinal trends in surgical case volume among junior urology residents. There is growing perception that urology residents are not prepared for independent practice, which may be linked to decreased exposure to major cases early in residency. Methods: Retrospective review of deidentified case logs from urology residency graduates from 12 academic medical centers in the United States from 2010 to 2017. The primary outcome was the change in major case volume for first-year urology (URO1) residents (after surgery internship), measured using negative binomial regression. Results: A total of 391,399 total cases were logged by 244 residency graduates. Residents performed a median of 509 major cases, 487 minor cases, and 503 endoscopic cases. From 2010 to 2017, the median number of major cases performed by URO1 residents decreased from 64 to 49 (annual incidence rate ratio 0.90, P < .001). This trend was limited to oncology cases, with no change in reconstructive or pediatric cases. The number of major cases decreased more for URO1 residents than for residents at other levels (P-values for interaction < .001), which was also disproportionate to other levels of residency (P-values for interaction