Urology Residency Lubbock

This year is completed in coordination with the TTUHSC Department of General Surgery. Residents will spend six months with General Surgery completing rotations such as Surgical Intensive Care, Vascular, and Elective General Surgery. They develop skills to work in the healthcare environment as a team and are introduced to basic open and laparoscopic techniques. The remaining six months are spent on the urology service as an introduction to urology. Residents participate in general urology clinic and begin to develop their bedside procedure and endoscopy skills.

The 2nd year resident spends a significant proportion of the year focusing on pediatric urology at both of our children’s hospitals. They learn about diagnosis of a wide assortment of pediatric urologic problems as well as the surgical and non-surgical management of those conditions. The residents additionally continue to spend time in the adult urology clinic with a focus on oncology. They continue to develop their operative skills with a focus on more technically challenging endoscopic procedures and simple open procedures.

This year focuses on adult urology. Residents expand their bedside procedure skill set with additional focus on ultrasound, cystoscopy, and urodynamics.

The PGY4 resident spends the majority of their time in the operating room performing general urology and urologic oncology cases. They begin to advance their open and robotics operating skills and begin mentoring junior residents on endoscopic procedures. They additionally spend time in the female urology subspecialty clinic and gain exposure to pelvic medicine, reconstruction and neuro-urology.

This year focuses on training residents to function independently both in the outpatient and inpatient settings. The 5th year resident functions as the Chief Resident and is charge of the inpatient service and leading the junior residents and medical students. They move to a primary surgeon position in the vast majority of procedures and continue to advance their teaching skills involving junior residents.

Fourth-year medical students can complete a Sub-Internship rotation in Urology.  During this rotation the student will work closely with attendings and residents.  They will participate on rounds, in clinic, and in the operating room.  We will ask each student to give one 30-minute Grand Rounds presentation on a topic of their choice.  At the end of the rotation the student may request letters of recommendation from faculty.  This sub-internship will act as an audition for a position in the urology residency program through the formal AUA match process.  The student will not be interviewed during the rotation and will not receive a formal interview during the match process.  The student will still need to apply to Texas Tech Urology through ERAS and the AUA Match.  Students who complete the urology sub-internship will be automatically included in ranking decisions.

If a sub-internship student wishes to have a formal interview they will need to inform the program director, in writing.

TTUHSC medical students will receive first preference on sub-internship rotations.  

Fourth-year medical students can also choose to complete a two- or four-week urology elective.  There is no requirement for a Grand Rounds presentation.

Surgical training, plus a great work-life balance

Residency is a challenging and rewarding time. At Texas Tech Urology, the rigors of surgical training are balanced by a great work-life balance, a spirit of camaraderie and teamwork among the resident group, and a commitment to mentorship among the faculty.

Clinical activities are centered at a single institution--University Medical Center (UMC) Hospital in Lubbock.

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 Here, the residents work as a team to care for patients. “We help each other until the work is done," says chief resident Rob Grand. "Although there is only one resident per year, on-call resident is never on an island, and that is our culture.”  Residents at Texas Tech are not spread out covering multiple hospitals and learning to navigate multiple health systems and electronic medical record systems.

The logistical simplicity of the program makes life easier for residents. In Lubbock there are no difficult commutes, no traffic, and easy parking. Residents note that this may save 45-60 minutes per day that can be used to exercise, sleep or study—precious time when you are a resident!

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While time demands of surgical training are significant, trainees need time for personal relationships, family, exercise, and hobbies. "In four years of residency, I've not missed any of my kids’ soccer games,” reports PGY4 Allen Medway. “That may not have been possible at other programs.”  This is particularly impressive given that three of Dr. Medway’s six children play organized soccer!

“Our small size allows individualized surgical instruction,” according to Pediatric Urology Faculty Dr. Matthew Timberlake. “Without a cyclical hospital rotation schedule, we really get to know the learning styles of each resident. We appeal to strengths and target areas for improvement.”

Yet, for all of the logistical and balanced life perks, there is no trade off in surgical experience, case diversity, and volume. Texas Tech provides urologic care to a 200 mile radius, including the Texas Panhandle and Eastern New Mexico. Our patient population is extremely diverse, includes veterans, and often provides challenging, advanced clinical scenarios. 

Resident well-being is further supported by a culture of respect. The people of West Texas are known for their grace and warmth, and they are quick to express gratitude to their physicians. Residents and attendings alike are referred to as “Doctor” by the faculty and staff.  Our residents are our junior colleagues, not our subordinates,” according to Program Director Dr. Cynthia Smith, “We truly enjoy the process of molding the future of our specialty.”

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Resident life at Texas Tech is truly collegiate with a balance between life at the main campus and the hospital. I frequently bike through campus on my commute to the hospital. My brother an undergrad at Tech also happens to be my roommate and we spend our free time exercising at the Rec, playing indoor soccer with a plethora of students from all walks of life. Many of my close friends happen to also be colleagues. All of this easily makes this program an oasis in the vastness that is West Texas.

Jaime Camacho PGY5
Current Resident