The University of Tennessee undergraduate campus is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, approximately 350 miles east of Memphis.  The UT Memphis campus contains all the colleges of the University of Tennessee related to health care; including the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Allied Health.

 

Our urology residency program is five years in duration, with the first year being involved in General Surgery.  The last four years are spent in Urology.  The pre-urology year is provided by the University of Tennessee in Memphis from the Department of Surgery.  Supervision of the PGY-1 year resident is a joint responsibility of the Departments of Surgery and Urology.  Rotations during this year are established by the Department of Urology but do include trauma.  Currently we accept two residents per year. 

 

Should you match into our urology residency, you will automatically be placed into the pre-urology general surgery segment.  It is not necessary for you to apply separately or to interview with the Department of Surgery, although such an interview can be arranged if you so desire.  It will be necessary, however, for you to remain in the match for the pre-urology general surgery match.

 

During the four years of urology, there are multiple clinical rotations utilizing various hospitals.  These clinical rotations are as follows: (1) Regional Medical Center (MED) Hospital rotation known as The MED; (2) Methodist University Hospital; (3) Veterans Administration Hospital, VA Urologic Spinal Cord-Stone Center; and (4) LeBonheur Children's Hospital.  All of these facilities are within walking distance of each other with the exception of Methodist University Hospital, which is approximately 5 minutes away by car.  Free parking is provided.

 

Our academic office is located at 910 Madison Avenue. Room 409 in the 910 Madison Building located on the UT campus.  Each resident has access to computers, phones, a urologic library, copy machine, fax machine, secretarial support and other ancillary personnel. 

 

First year (PGY-2) urology residents will be assigned for 12 months at the Veterans Administration Hospital.  Second year (PGY-3) urology residents are assigned six months each at The Med and six months at Methodist University Hospital.  Third year (PGY-4) urology residents are assigned six months each to the pediatric service at LeBonheur Childrens Hospital and six months at the VA Urologic Spinal Cord Injury and Stone Center.  The fourth year (PGY-5) urology residents serve as chief for 4 months each at the Methodist University Hospital, VA Hospital and The Med.

 

The Memphis Veterans Administration Hospital, with 1,000 beds, is one of the largest veterans hospitals in the country.  In addition, connected to our Veterans Hospital, is a recently completed Veterans Administration Spinal Cord Injury Hospital, with an additional 130 beds.  Of note, the urology portion of the VA Hospital is approximately 15,000 square feet.  In this space, we have state-of-the-art equipment, including five operating rooms.  Each operating room is equipped with OEC urologic fluoroscopy tables, Holmium laser, cryosurgery, transrectal ultrasound, renal and abdominal ultrasound equipment are all available, as well as other state-of-the-art urologic equipment for endourology and laparoscopic urology.  One of the operating rooms is specifically designed with radiographic equipment for percutaneous surgery.  One of the other rooms, besides the five operating rooms, contains a second generation Dornier lithotripter for ESWL.  We also have state-of-the-art video urodynamics performed at the Neurourology suite in the VA Hospital.  Our VA Hospital is also a regional referral center for stone disease and for prostate cancer.

 

The University of Tennessee staffs a fully accredited level one trauma center at The Regional Medical Center, known as The MED.  It currently ranks as the second busiest trauma center in the United States.  All genitourinary trauma is managed by the Department of Urology.  Residents also run the MedPlex Urology Clinic which is mostly charity based.

 

The Methodist University Hospital has 800 bed complexes, primarily utilized for care of private patients, as well as maintaining a very active charity service for resident education. 

 

The LeBonheur Children's Hospital has 350 beds and the St. Jude's Cancer and Pediatric Hospital has greater than 300 beds, as well as being a state-of-the-art research facility.

 

The urology department has 5 full-time faculty members. Dr. Robert Wake is Chairman and Program Director.  The remainder of the faculty, with the exception of three full-time pediatric urologists, are involved in adult urology with special interests in uro-oncology, laparoscopic and endourology, female urology, neurourology, erectile dysfunction and infertility.  All urologic sub-specialties are covered.  Residents are certified for lithotripsy, laparoscopic urology, endourology, various types of laser surgery, as well as all other aspects of training at the completion of this program.

 

All aspects of urological surgery are available in sufficient volume to provide excellent training.  In fact, in the majority of index cases, we exceed the 90th percentile.  Staff supervision is provided in all of the rotations.  However, the residents actually perform the cases in over 90% of the surgical procedures performed at the various institutions, particularly at the VA Hospital, the Methodist University Hospital and The Med.

 

Our conference schedule is best evaluated by your perusal of the enclosed representative schedule.  Changes in this schedule occur only for advantageous reasons, such as visiting professorships.  At least once per year and usually twice per year, we have exciting visiting professors.  Also, every other year, we have a major reunion for the urology residents from previous years, which allows everyone to stay in contact to see how everyone who had come through the program is continuing to succeed.  First year urology residents enjoy their time when they instruct the first year medical students in the gross anatomy lab.  This is done when the students begin dissection of the abdomen and continues through dissection of the pelvis and perineum.  Each PGY-2 urology resident instructs four students on one cadaver.  This occurs during November and December for a period of approximately six to eight weeks.  Following a one-hour lecture on the relevant anatomy, the dissection is performed three mornings weekly from 9:00 a.m. until noon.  Although slightly disruptive to the routine schedule, we have found this to provide an extremely valuable review of genitourinary anatomy, which results in more rapid adaptation by the resident to urological surgical procedures.

 

Hopefully after reflecting upon the contents of this information, you will continue to have an interest in our urology program.  If so, please complete and submit an application through ERAS.  Our deadline for accepting applications is October 1.  Interviews are granted by invitation only.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

 

The criteria for selection of career urology residents are based upon:

 

 ▪ Medical school transcripts

 ▪ Personal Statement

 ▪ Letters of Recommendation

 ▪ USMLE Scores Part 1 & 2

 ▪ Personal Interviews

     2008 Interview dates are November 3,10,17 & 24.

 

 

Should you have any questions following submission of your application, please contact Trish Phelan, Education Coordinator, at (901)448-1026.  Our fax number is (901)448-1122.