The American Urological Association Releases Key Findings on Residents & Fellows from the 2021 AUA Census

BALTIMORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association is pleased to share its analysis on urology residents and fellows from the 2021 AUA Census results. The analysis is an important source of information for residents, fellows, resident program directors as well as healthcare workforce planners and policy makers and it provides insights into the experiences, needs, choices and expectations of urologists in training.

"This analysis of the AUA U.S. Census data gives us a much-needed window into the future of the urology workforce," said Amanda North, MD, chair of the AUA Data Committee. "It will help the AUA address the needs of the next generation of urology practitioners, researchers and leaders."

• Approximately 31% of urology residents and fellows are non-white. This demonstrates a growing trend towards a more diverse urology workforce compared to current practicing urologists, whose population is 16.7% non-white.
• 51% of residents and 45.8% of fellows reported that diversity was a consideration in choosing a training program. The presence of other trainees of the same race, gender, religion or sexual orientation positively influenced their program choice.

• Nearly half of urology residents and four out of five urology fellows plan to practice in academic medical centers.
• Ninety 6% of urology trainees plan to practice in urban or suburban areas.
• Only 16.2% of urology trainees were exposed to a rural urology practice in their training. Of those whose training did include a rural urology rotation, more than half reported that the experience made them more likely to consider a job in a rural setting in the future.
• The three most helpful strategies to encourage residents to establish a practice in rural locations include lobbying for government-subsidized student loan forgiveness for urologists who establish a practice in rural areas, providing a rural urology rotation during residency and targeting recruitment of rural medical students for urology residency training.
• Among residents, those with educational debt are more likely to report choosing private practices as their future practice setting, especially as the amount of educational debt increases.

• The top factors influencing the choice of future practice settings for both residents and fellows are a satisfactory work-life balance, geographic location and compensation.
• It was reported that 49.5% of residents and 55.6% of fellows faced difficulty attending personal medical, mental or dental appointments.
• The top benefits or resources that are believed to help improve well-being and work-life balance are meal plans, ability to attend health appointments during work hours and paid family leave.
• The percentage of professional burnout is relatively higher in residents (48.2%) and lower in fellows (32.5%), compared to practicing urologists (36.7%), as reported in 2021.
• The highest professional burnout rate in residents was seen during PGY2 of residency (68.8%), which may be the reason that urologists in training were most likely to revisit their career or specialty choice during the second postgraduate year (PGY2) of residency.

Committed to providing a definitive basis of data regarding the urology community, the AUA launched its first Annual Census in 2014. It not only defined and estimated the practicing urologist population, but for the first time in the history of urology, reported the workforce and practice characteristics of the entire population of practicing urologists. Today, the Census remains a novel data source that explores the urological profession and reports both cross-sectional variations and trends. Results from the survey provide an array of information aimed at bridging knowledge gaps, meeting increased research needs and ultimately, improving patient care.

The full 2021 Residents and Fellows Report can be found on the AUA website at auanet.org/CensusReport.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 24,000 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.

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SOURCE American Urological Association