These organs are referred to collectively as the genitourinary system.
Concentrations
Urologists are seen by different people in different ways.
It is this physiological route that largely defines the practice.
Andrew Brookes / Getty Images
Urologists not only treat men and women but children as well.
Some are known conditions that are either persistent or severe.
Physical Examination
A physical exam is central to the diagnosis.
Blood Tests
Blood tests are commonly used to diagnose genitourinary disorders.
Most of the tests are unable to directly diagnoses disease but are rather used to support the diagnosis.
These include:
Urinanalysis
Urinalysisis critical to diagnosing urologic disorders.
The chemical analysis would measure factors likeproteinand glucose, high levels of which may suggest kidney disease or diabetes.
Increased nitrites or the presence of white blood cells may be suggestive a bacterial infection.
The presence ofblood in urinemay be detected visually or with a urine dipstick test.
A microscopic analysis may be useful in detecting epithelial cells (surface cells commonly shed with kidney cancer).
Urinary crystals may also be spotted and used to confirm the presence of kidney stones.
Aurine culturemay also be performed to confirm a bacterial infection otherwise undetected by blood tests.
As surgeons, urologists are trained to perform delicate and often complicated surgeries.
Laser therapy is commonly used to break up urinary stones or reduce an enlarged prostate.
Other surgeries, such as a suburethral sling, may be used to support a prolapsed bladder.
Some urologists are even involved inkidney transplants.
Training and Certification
The steps to becoming a board-certified urologist are similar to those for othersurgical specialties.
All urologists must first complete postgraduate education at an accredited medical school.
The first two years consist primarily of classroom or laboratory studies.
The second two years involve clinical rotations in medical facilities to gain hands-on exposure to different fields of medicine.
Some residency programs include a year of dedicated research.
You would do so by passing the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
Some states also require you to pass a state licensing exam as well.
The initial qualifying exam is taken immediately after residency and consists of 300 multiple-choice questions.
Board certification is essentially a stamp of approval of your skills as a urologist.
For some people, “breaking the ice” is all that is needed to overcome anxieties.
The next step would be to verify the doctor’s credentials.
If you have health insurance, double check that the office accepts it.
If also helps to know what labs and other facilities they use to check whether they arein-networkorout-of-networkproviders.
That is not to say it is not without its stresses.
Many people fear urologists because the practice involves intimate examinations or require urinary catheters to perform certain tests.
Urologists are ever-cognizant of these stresses and need a certain emotional resiliency to deal with them.
With that said, many urologists work normal office hours, often in high-paying individual or group practices.
Because they are so in-demand, urologists are among the highest paid medical specialists.
According to theMedscape Urologist Compensation Report,urologists across all specialties earned an average of $373,000 in 2018.
American Urological Association.The state of the urology workforce and practice in the United States 2018.
Harvard Health Publishing.Digital rectal exam.
American Cancer Society.Tests for testicular cancer.
U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus.BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen).
Chu CM, Lowder JL.Diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections across age groups.Am J Obstet Gynecol.
2018;2018:3068365. doi:10.1155/2018/3068365
Urology Care Foundation.What is urologic radiology?
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Urodynamic testing.
American Board of Urology.Qualifiying examination.
New York City, New York: McGraw-Hill.
(2018)Medscape Oncologist Compensation Report.New York, New York: Medscape, LLC.
