Mission

The mission of the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) Urology Residency Program is to produce Urologists of the highest quality with the knowledge, clinical acumen, and surgical skills to advance the Urologic care for military members, their families and the community.

Vision

Graduate excellent Urologists and military officers to deliver exceptional Urologic care within the military health care system.

Aims

• Graduate Urologists who will be leaders within the military health system contributing to the advancement of the medical and surgical treatment of Urological diseases and conditions.  
• Develop scientist-physicians through basic science and clinical outcomes research experiences during residency in order to expand our battlefield capabilities and long-term Urological care outcomes for all patients. 
• Develop residents who will be lifelong learners in the art of Urology medicine, as well as dedicate their skills in caring for patients within the immediate area and globally.

Every Wednesday from 12:30 – 3 p.m. Various activities include: 

• Preoperative case presentation 
• Journal Club
• Grand Rounds (Faculty and Residents)
• Morbidity & Mortality
• Resident Case presentations
• American Urological Guideline reviews
• Military unique curriculum
• Urology specialty review (Oncology, Pediatrics, Reconstruction, Infertility, Stone Disease)
• Quarterly surgical skills lab 
• Semi- Annual combined case conference with University of Texas (San Antonio) 
• Annual Visiting professorship 

There are no elective rotations in our Urology residency program.

• Urology call is considered home call (no overnight in-house residents)
• Two-tier resident call system (junior resident with senior resident)

• PGY 2: primary call with PGY 4 or 5 as back-up call
• PGY 3: primary call solo or PGY 5 back-up call
• PGY 4 or PGY 5: occasionally takes solo call

• Call is typically every 3rd or 4th night (averaged over a month)

• Our residency program is located at the DOD’s only Level 1 trauma center and is intimately involved the mission of delivering excellent care to civilian and military genitourinary trauma patients within our hospital, which includes the diagnosis, surgical treatment, and long-term management of these complex urological trauma conditions.  These experiences prepare our residents for potential deployed setting missions. Our program also reviews genitourinary trauma principles and guidelines within our didactic learning throughout the year.  
• Our program has a quarterly military unique curriculum to educate residents on the responsibilities of being a military officer. These include discussions of deployment situations, writing performance reports and evaluating patients for profiles.  We have former medical corps officers present on military health care topics and the impact of military health care delivery within the global military strategic policies.  
• Our program participates in humanitarian missions in order for our residents to gain unique urological surgical experiences in austere locations such as Honduras and Dominican Republic.

PGY 2 residents participate in the annual American Urological Association basic science course.

We do not have a dedicated research year but many of faculty members are engaged in basic science or clinic-based research projects which are residents are highly encouraged to participate.  Our PGY 3, 4 & 5 residents are expected to submit a research project to the annual tri-service Urology scientific meeting (Kimbrough) and encouraged to submit to regional and national Urology meetings.  In addition, a scholarly research project is a SAUSHEC requirement for graduation.

Our residents participate within quality improvement patient safety (QIPS) projects focused on improvement initiatives within our Urology clinic and patient care.  We encourage our residents to participate in activities within the SAUSHEC QIPS programs.  Our program conducts a monthly Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) conference for Urological surgeries.

Our residency program focuses on professional development of our faculty and residents. Our faculty are encouraged to attend the Uniform Services University faculty development events throughout the academic year, as well as Urological conferences.  Similarly, our residents are educated on the principles of professional development during our didactic sessions. They are encouraged to attend national Urological conferences.  Our faculty and residents have given podium and poster presentations at various national Urological conferences.

• Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC)
• Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgery Center (WHASC)
• Urology San Antonio (USA) Group
• Baptist Health System
• Methodist Healthcare System
• University of Texas in San Antonio (UTHSC-SA)/ VA San Antonio 
• University of Texas in Austin / Dell Seton Medical School (UT-Austin, Dell)
• CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital

Our residency program offers rotations to 3rd and 4th year medical students. Our 3rd year rotations are 2-4 weeks long. Our 4th year (sub-I) rotations are typically 4 weeks. Our rotations offer students an opportunity to learn about all facets of Urological disease and treatments from clinic procedures to operative cases. Students have the opportunity to participate in all didactic and simulation activities.

To schedule a rotation, please contact: dha.jbsa.brooke-amc.list.saushec-uro@health.mil. 

All 4th year medical students interested in applying for Urology will have an interview with our residency program leadership as well as most faculty members. Virtual interviews are available as well.  For more information please contact dha.jbsa.brooke-amc.list.saushec-uro@health.mil.

Program graduates take the American Board of Urology board exams (written and oral).  These exams are offered annually.  To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to take written board certification exam the month following graduation, and after passing may take the oral board examination 18 months following graduation. To be eligible to take specialty board exams, graduates must complete all pre-requisites required by the American Board of Urology which can be located at the ABU website.

Our program hosts medical students throughout the year.  We encourage our residents to participate in other residency program didactic session to provide education on Urological topics (i.e. foley catheter placement and care in the Emergency Room, etc.).

Our residents participate in Grand Rounds presentations, Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) presentations as well as in Genitourinary tumor board.

• Endourology 
• Urologic Oncology
• Infertility/Andrology
• Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
• Urological Reconstructive surgery

Our residents are paired with a faculty member who serves as their mentor for the academic year. Our program has dedicated monthly mentorship time scheduled into our didactic schedule.  

• The staff model a well-balanced lifestyle and leadership as “near peers” to our residents.
• Annually we have invited experts to speak on financial management.
• There is monthly protected and assigned mentoring program for the residents with faculty.
• We discuss fatigue mitigation/taxi voucher/behavioral & physical health resources.
• We schedule residents one afternoon off per calendar (quarterly) for personal medical visits.
• We have monthly program physical training (PT) sessions.
• We have quarterly off-site recreational activities with faculty and residents.