The Road to Becoming a Urologist

Urologists are actually professionals who gives the treatment process for people who have diseases or injuries which involves the urinary tract. These professionals also treat conditions which are associated with the disorder of a male’s reproductive system as well as the female pelvic floor muscle. They however don’t treat a female’s reproductive problem because this is the field of a gynecologists. Urology is a specialty which will allow physicians in using both their medical management knowledge as well as their surgical skills in caring for their patients.

Their Responsibilities

Urologists will likewise diagnose and treat various medical conditions that includes having prostate cancer, urinary incontinence, recurrent bladder infections and also having weak pelvic floor muscles. They could also treat conditions like male infertility and problems like kidney stones. Some of the urologists choose to specialize much further and to narrow more their focus. Three subspecialties in urology are the female urology, oncology urology and pediatric urology.

An addition to completing a physical exam or medical history as part of the diagnostic process, the urologist also may perform certain tests. After the diagnosis is made, the urologist will then determine what is the right treatment to give. The type of treatment that will be given is based with the condition of the patient.

Urologists are surgeons as well, so they will perform different surgical procedures as a part of the treatment. There are some conditions that may need treatments through medication, surgery or both of it.

To become a urologist, one needs to have a four-year college degree, which is essential before you can apply for medical school. The medical college admission test is also a requirement in getting to a medical school.

Once that you have been accepted in med school, you will then undergo a four year training. In that time, you will undergo classes in medical ethics, genetics, neuroscience and in biochemistry. In the third and fourth year of med school, you will then apply the knowledge you gained in the real world when starting clinical rotations.

Also, there are mandatory clinical rotations like internal medical and psychiatry as well as elective rotations. Because urology is not usually a required rotation, you could choose this as an elective at the time of your fourth year in medical school so you will get a better understanding of the field.

After you have graduated from medical school, urology residency would be the next one. For those who are interested on a subspecialty of urology, a one to two-year post residency fellowship is required. After all the educational and training requirements are completed, physicians will then be eligible in taking the exam in becoming board certified in urology.