AUA Census Highlights State of Urology Workforce

BALTIMORE, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than half of the identified 11,703 practicing urologists in the United States are over the age of 53 and nearly 23 percent are aged 65 years or older. These findings further confirm existing data that demonstrate an aging of the urologic workforce, especially in non-metropolitan areas of the United States. These data and other key highlights from the inaugural American Urological Association (AUA) 2014 Annual Census will be presented during a special plenary session on May 19, 2015 at 10:15 a.m. CT., during the AUA's 2015 Annual Meeting, being held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.

The AUA Annual Census presents a comprehensive portrayal of the urologic workforce in the United States, with analysis published in the 2014 report, The State of the Urology Workforce and Practice in the United States, which also includes up-to-date information about urologist demographics, workforce characteristics and practice patterns. Census findings are based on weighted responses from the 2,204 practicing U.S. urologists (that represent the entire U.S. practicing urologist workforce) who completed the census instrument.

Additional key findings from the AUA Census include:

• The states with the highest number of practicing urologists include California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
• Sixty-four percent of practicing urologists in the U.S. work in private practice and one third (33.9 percent) practice in institutional settings such as hospitals or academic medical centers. Of the group in private practice, more than one third (34.47 percent) belong to single urology specialty groups and 17.4 percent belong to a multispecialty groups.
• Practicing urologists aged 45 or older are statistically more likely to be in private practice.
• Practicing urologists below the age of 45 are more likely to be employed by other entities (e.g., hospitals or health systems).
• The median number of hours that practicing urologists work per week is 55. Nearly 30 percent of urologists report working more than 60 hours per week.
• The median number of patients that U.S. urologists see in a week is 80.
• Higher percentages of females are observed in the younger age groups of practicing urologists (< 45 years of age), suggesting that a growing number of females are entering the urologic workforce in the United States.*
• Forty percent of U.S. practicing urologists have completed supplemental fellowship training, with 12.6 percent completing two or more fellowships. More urologists report fellowship training in oncology than in any other subspecialty area of study.

"This inaugural Census provides a great deal of critical information, particularly regarding the growing shortage of urologists in many areas of the country in the face of a growing aging population that will require more, not fewer, urologic health services," said AUA Data Committee Chairman J. Quentin Clemens, MD. "But these data also demonstrate that today's urologist is more prepared for and working harder than ever to care for patients.

"Future Census publications will expand on these initial findings, report longitudinal trends and identify cross-sectional variations across the specialty that can inform efforts to improve patient care."

Copies of the full report can be found on the AUA Web site at www.AUAnet.org/Census Report.

*Urology Residency Match data indicates an increasing number of female medical students applying to and matching in urology programs.

About the American Urological Association: The 110^th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association takes place May 15-19 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.

Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Contact:
Wendy Waldsachs Isett, AUA
443-845-4031, [email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association

Related Links

http://www.AUAnet.org