Curriculum

The Department of Urology at Texas Tech University Health Science Center offers a fully accredited 5 year postgraduate residency training program. We accept one resident per year.

We offer a comprehensive experience encompassing all fields of urology to provide our residents with the training to succeed in any environment. The focus of this program is primarily clinical, with a robust and broad exposure to and participation in all aspects of clinical urology including endoscopy, pediatrics, oncology, female pelvic medicine and reconstruction, trauma, men’s health, and infertility. Residents directly participate in all aspects of urologic care from evaluating patients in clinic to assisting and ultimately performing urologic procedures and surgeries. Our program sites including University Medical Center, UMC Children’s Hospital, Covenant Medical Center, and Covenant Children’s Hospital.

This year is completed in coordination with the TTUHSC Department of General Surgery. Residents will spend six months with General Surgery completing rotations such as Surgical Intensive Care, Vascular, and Elective General Surgery. They develop skills to work in the healthcare environment as a team and are introduced to basic open and laparoscopic techniques. The remaining six months are spent on the urology service as an introduction to urology. Residents participate in general urology clinic and begin to develop their bedside procedure and endoscopy skills.

The 2nd year resident spends a significant proportion of the year focusing on pediatric urology at both of our children’s hospitals. They learn about diagnosis of a wide assortment of pediatric urologic problems as well as the surgical and non-surgical management of those conditions. The residents additionally continue to spend time in the adult urology clinic with a focus on oncology. They continue to develop their operative skills with a focus on more technically challenging endoscopic procedures and simple open procedures.

This year focuses on adult urology. Residents expand their bedside procedure skill set with additional focus on ultrasound, cystoscopy, and urodynamics.

The PGY4 resident spends the majority of their time in the operating room performing general urology and urologic oncology cases. They begin to advance their open and robotics operating skills and begin mentoring junior residents on endoscopic procedures. They additionally spend time in the female urology subspecialty clinic and gain exposure to pelvic medicine, reconstruction and neuro-urology.

This year focuses on training residents to function independently both in the outpatient and inpatient settings. The 5th year resident functions as the Chief Resident and is charge of the inpatient service and leading the junior residents and medical students. They move to a primary surgeon position in the vast majority of procedures and continue to advance their teaching skills involving junior residents.