AB101. 19. Medical students exposure to urology—are we doing enough to prepare the doctors of tomorrow?

Background: In light of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) and centralisation of Urology services there is increasing responsibility on interns to perform common urology procedures without immediate access to on site senior cover. However, interns lack knowledge of practical urology procedures and skills. We aim to assess medical student exposure to urology and assess intern confidence managing common urology issues before and after a simple teaching intervention.

Methods: A paper-based survey was circulated to all interns in our centre during the first 3 months of intern year. The questions focused on urology teaching in medical school, and their self-reported ability to perform urology procedures. The same survey was repeated after an interactive teaching session. The data was analysed using excel.

Results: Thirty-two responses were received, with all medical schools except University College Cork represented. Half of the group had a compulsory urology placement during medical training. Only 10 (31%) students reported receiving practical urology sessions in college, and only 4 (12.5%) were able to insert a urethral catheter independently. A single intern (3.1%) was independent in suprapubic catheter change, three-way catheter insertion and bladder washout but others rated themselves as “comfortable” with the technique. No interns considered themselves competent to independently perform a scrotal exam or counsel patients regarding prostate specific antigen (PSA) checks. There was an improvement in self-reported confidence levels in common urology skills following our intervention.

Conclusions: There is variable exposure to urology training in Irish Universities, and subsequently interns are not adequately prepared to manage common urology issues. Simple teaching interventions can improve this, however there is a need for an undergraduate urology curriculum with incorporated practical urology teaching sessions.

Keywords: Training; education; practical skills