Urology Residency Program

Directions

The Madigan Urology Clinic is located in Madigan Army Medical Center and can be reached by taking I-5 Exit 122 and turning onto Beaumont Avenue into the Medical Mall Purple Parking Lot. The Urology Clinic is located on the 2nd floor of the Hospital Tower along the West Corridor past the dental clinic and located next to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

About

The urology residency program at Madigan Army Medical Center was created in 1971 by Colonel John N. Wettlaufer, M.D. We have a proud history of fostering academic excellence and the program has enjoyed an exceptionally high pass rate on the American Board of Urology’s Certifying Examination. Graduates and faculty from this program have gone on to be-come leaders in Army medicine and the Urology community. Our faculty has expertise in all areas of Urology to include Male Infertility and Andrology, Pediatrics, Reconstructive Urology, Female Urology, Laparoscopy, Robotics, Endourology and Oncology. Our faculty are actively involved in teaching and research. Our program is looking for motivated physicians who desire a well-rounded urology residency grounded in academics, surgical experience, and clinical research. Research and leadership experience are desirable in applicants, but are not requirements to apply.

The Madigan Urology Clinic is a fully staffed, state-of-the-art, 13,400 square foot facility with the capability to perform the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic urologic procedures. Three urology procedure tables and four cystoscopy suites with full video capability allow us to perform procedures and surgery in our clinic to include extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, laser lithotripsy, flexible cystoscopy and ureteroscopy, transurethral surgery, urodynamics, and biofeedback. Each resident is provided with his/her own office that is equipped with a personal computer. The urology service is well supported by administrative personnel, nurses, urology technicians, social workers, and research staff.

The Madigan Urology Service accepts one applicant a year for the fully accredited five-year residency program. Applicants must graduate from an accredited school of medicine in the U.S. or Puerto Rico. The Joint Service GME Selection Board meets annually in November to select applicants. Information about eligibility and applications can be found at MODS under GME/DELAY.

PGY-1 / Internship

The first year of Urology training (PGY 1 or Internship) is divided into 13 four week blocks. The intern will spend six months with the Urology Service, three months with the General Surgery Service, one month with the Vascular Service, one month with the Plastic Surgery Service and two months on an outside rotation at the University of Washington Medicines Regional Burn Center in Seattle under the direction of Dr. Tam N. Pham (Site Director) for an in-depth exposure to the evaluation and management of complex burn injuries. During the Urology rotation at Madigan, the intern will spend one half day in academic conferences and the rest of the time split between procedure clinic, outpatient clinics, and the operating room. The first year of training provides an organized educational experience with faculty guidance and close supervision of the resident in order to begin to learn the practice and delivery of urologic care and surgery.

PGY-2

The PGY 2 resident begins full-time training in urology. The resident must obtain a medical license during the PGY 2. During the ensuing years of training, residents receive an intensive exposure to adult and pediatric urology and are expected to demonstrate increasing clinical and surgical acumen and accept increasing responsibilities. The PGY 2 will spend the first three months at MultiCare Health System in Tacoma doing a rotation in general urology, endourology and minimally invasive urologic oncology. For the final nine months of the year, the PGY 2 resident will, under the supervision of the faculty, manage his/her own clinic patients, learn procedures, perform endoscopic and open surgery, and will take primary call for the Urology Service.

PGY-3

The PGY 3 year begins with a dedicated research rotation that is six months in length either at Madigan Army Medical Center or at an approved elective research location (i.e. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle). At Madigan, they will have the opportunity to perform basic science or animal research in the laboratory supported by the Department of Clinical Investigation and/or clinical projects as part of the Urology Service. After completion of the research rotation, the resident will spend the next three months with the transplant service at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. During this rotation, the PGY 3 will learn the principles of transplantation and immunosuppression. The resident will gain exposure to organ harvest as part of the transplant team and participate in renal transplants (living and cadaveric) as well as donor nephrectomy. The last three months of the PGY 3 academic year are spent on a rotation in pediatric urology which is performed at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle.

PGY-4

In the PGY 4 year, nine of the twelve months are spent rotating at affiliate hospitals. The PGY 4 resident will spend the first two months at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle completing a trauma rotation. This resident will then return back to Virginia Mason Medical Center to complete a three month Female and General Urology Rotation to increase knowledge in the principles of female urology and voiding dysfunction. The next four months will be at MultiCare Health System for a rotation in general urology, endourology and minimally invasive urologic oncology and the last three months are spent back at Madigan where the PGY 4 will begin the transition to becoming the Chief Resident.

PGY-5 / Chief Resident

The PGY 5 resident is the Chief Resident. The Chief Resident spends the entire year at Madigan where he/she assumes the responsibility for running the inpatient and outpatient services, coordinating the operating room schedule, and mentoring and supervising the junior residents, rotating interns, and medical students. It is during this year that the Chief Resident will refine his/her clinical and operative skills in anticipation of becoming an independent provider and in preparation for the American Board of Urology’s Certifying Examination.

Urology is a challenging and rewarding surgical specialty. We look forward to seeing you at Madigan!