To be eligible for employment as UK resident or fellow, GME residents and fellows must be citizens of the United States or hold a permanent immigration visa (‘green card’), Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or hold a visa. GME physician residents and fellows who require visas are sponsored on J-1 visas 15 through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). GME residents and fellows are sponsored on H-1B visas only in rare cases with extenuating circumstances. H-1B visas require justification from the applicant and program director, with both the candidate and the program responsible for associated individual and institutional fees. Non-physician GME residents and fellows can train on an Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa. Visa issues or questions should be referred to the GME office.

Resident Benefits include, but are not limited to, lab coats, retirement match, life insurance, and meal allowances. Find out more on our Resident Benefits page.

The residents are expected to acquire basic skills in patient care, including pre-operative and post-operative evaluation and management. Basic surgical principles and skills should be learned as well.  Each of the residents will spend 4 months in urology and the other 8 months will be spent in a variety of surgical specialties, including, but not limited to, surgical critical care, colorectal surgery, surgical oncology, transplant, and pediatric surgery.

The resident is expected to begin to develop a broad base of knowledge of urologic anatomy, physiology, and pathology. They are also expected to learn the basic diagnostic procedures performed by urologists. The hospital rotation will provide the opportunity for residents to improve their patient care skills and begin learning open, endoscopic, and laparoscopic urologic procedures. During this year, the resident should develop areas of interest for scholarly activity during the remainder of the training program.  The resident rotates on the UK pediatric urology service (4 months), VA (2 months), and back to UK for endourology (2 months), and flex service (4 months).  The flex service’s primary responsibility is Good Samaritan consults. 

This year focuses on refinement of basic diagnostic and surgical skills as well as expanding each resident’s cognitive abilities. Each resident serves as junior resident at the VA and UK adult urology services. During the Pediatric Urology rotation, the resident is expected to learn diseases and procedures that are specific to this area of subspecialty, including out-patient and in-patient activities. The resident rotates on the UK pediatric urology service (2 months), VA (2 months), and back to UK for reconstructive (4 months), oncology (2 months), and endourology (2 months).

During this year, the resident will receive broad exposure to more attending urologists and gain greater proficiency in complex diagnostic and surgical procedures. Areas such as lithotripsy, endourology, and laparoscopy will be emphasized. A wide experience in major open operative cases will also be expected.  The resident will spend 4 months in Pediatrics, 4 months in Community Practice, 2 months in Endourology, and 2 months in Reconstructive Urology.

The Chief Resident at each hospital, UK and VA, will be responsible for the administrative aspects of the daily coordination of in-patient and out-patient care by the resident staff as well as coordinating conference schedules. This will be done under the supervision of the Program Director and the faculty.

Each Chief Resident will gain extensive experience in the more complex procedures as well as broadening her/his overall knowledge base.  Each Chief will spend time at the VA (4 months), in oncology (4 months), in reconstructive (2 months), and in endourology (2 months).