Two-year fellowship program recognized by the Endourological Society.
1st year: Research year with clinical experience.
2nd year: Clinical. Thus at any given time, there will be one senior and one junior fellow within the program.
The fellowship program will commence on August 1st of each year and terminate on July 31st, twenty-four months later. This change is meant to enhance the overall experience of fellows. This will allow chief residents to focus on Part I of their medical board exam. Since this is a two-year fellowship program, chief residents will qualify for Part II of their medical board exam, which is taken during their senior year of the fellowship program.
GOALS:
- To train and mentor academic endourologists and urologic laparoscopic/robotic surgeons;
- To consolidate Tulane Urology's position as a leader in the field of endourology, endo-oncology, urologic laparoscopy, and urologic robotics; and
- To enhance the overall experience of residents and fellows training in endourology and laparoscopy by increasing activity in both the clinical and academic arena.
Faculty members are well versed and experienced in the principals and applications of minimally invasive urologic surgery, including basic and advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery.
ADJUNCT FACULTY:
- Wesley Bryan, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor
- John Ryan Glass, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor
- Pablo Labadie, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the Endourology/Laparoscopy/Robotic Fellowship, the resident will demonstrate competency in:
- Preoperative and postoperative care for patients undergoing endourological, laparoscopic, and robotic procedures;
- Patient selection criteria;
- Patient exclusion criteria for above-mentioned procedures;
- Participation in all teaching conferences;
- Mentoring junior urology residents;
- Ureteroscopic procedures for calculus and non-calculus indications;
- Nephroscopic procedures for calculus and non-calculus indications;
- Basic and advanced urologic laparoscopic procedures; and
- Basic and advanced urologic robotic procedures.
AVAILABLE RESOURCES:
- Tulane Medical School Vivarium equipped with:
- Five laparoscopic animal tables and radiographic imaging;
- Laparoscopic simulation laboratory with computer-enhanced work stations and pelvic trainers;
- Two OR-1 endolaparoscopic operating suites;
- One da Vinci robot;
- Well-equipped uroradiology suites with highly experienced uroradiologists;
- Two in-house fixed lithotripter units (Donier-HM 3 and Medstone);
- Fully furbished molecular biology laboratories; and
- All required urologic and laparoscopic technology available under one roof.
In addition, the resident will be provided:
- Funds for research projects and authorized travel; and
- Opportunities to collaborate with
- Two full-time PhD researchers in our department and with
- Faculty in the Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine for outcomes research.
CURRICULUM:
Year One: Research Year
- The junior/first-year fellow will participate in ongoing research projects;
- Coordinate and conduct prospective clinical trails under the mentorship of the faculty;
- Coordinate and conduct basic science research projects;
- Coordinate and conduct animal research along with the faculty;
- Maintain the database of all patients in ongoing research projects;
- Maintain the database on quality-of-life questionnaires; and
- Provide clinical care for patients, including
- ESWL procedures at MCLNO and one half-day rotation at Tulane University Hospital & Clinic.
Year Two: Clinical Year
The senior fellow in the second year of his/her fellowship will have the following schedule:
- Scrub with faculty on all cases. If several cases are running simultaneously, the senior resident has to choose the most beneficial case. In select cases, the junior faculty will cover the other case;
- Cover cases as a junior faculty at the VA and MCLNO campuses;
- Since periodic review of the surgical logs will be made, ureteroscopic, nephroscopic, laparoscopic, or robotic cases will be delegated on a priority basis to maximize experience;
- Undergo periodic evaluation by the faculty, which will ensure strengthening of case logs; and
- Have two half-day rotations at Tulane University Hospital & Clinic.
The senior fellow will be working as a junior faculty and will be independent in judgment-making on his/her patients. However, decision for surgical procedures and coverage for these will have to be obtained with one of the three above-mentioned faculty mentors.
PARTICIPATION IN TEACHING ACTIVITIES:
- Participate in weekly preoperative conferences (Wednesday a.m.);
- Participate in bi-weekly combined (with LSU/Ochsner) Pyelogram Conference (1st & 3rd Wednesday p.m.);
- Participate in monthly Journal Club (2nd Wednesday p.m.);
- Participate and organize monthly Death & Complications Conference (4th Wednesday p.m.);
- Attend monthly faculty meeting, usually after Pyelogram Conference, on the 3rd Wednesday of each month;
- Have bi-weekly conferences with above-mentioned faculty to evaluate research projects and overall fellowship experience; and
- Present quarterly topic-based didactic lectures to the department.
EVALUATION AND PROGRESS REPORTS:
The fellows will be evaluated every six months. These evaluations are held in January and July of each academic year. Any strengths and/or deficiencies will be identified, and remedial measures will be instituted.
The methodology for evaluation is as follows:
The department uses a standardized questionnaire, which will be completed by the relevant faculty and subsequently collated and utilized for the counseling sessions. The areas of evaluation include medical knowledge, professional and personal behavior, input from nursing and OR staff, surgical and endoscopic skills, rapport with patients and family, teaching and mentorship skills, and availability and promptness in conducting duties, etc.
After the counseling sessions, the faculty will continue to monitor the areas that may be considered deficient or weak.
BENEFITS:
- Faculty title: Instructor in the Department of Urology;
- Health, life, malpractice, and disability insurance;
- Paid leave for three weeks; and
- Support to attend the SES/AUA, AUA, and WCE, if abstracts are accepted.
- Travel to at least one major conference is expected.
