Increasing urology exposure among undergraduates: A U.K. Perspective Authors’ response

The authors acknowledge the interest and thoughtful reflections shared by Mr. Floyd in response to our recent study.¹ Given that junior doctors in the U.K. enter a separate training route for ophthalmology, which does not incorporate the core surgical pathway, this specialty was omitted.

The authors fully acknowledge that many doctors undertake urology training in the U.K. after completing their medical degrees abroad. Our study addressed the exposure deficit at the undergraduate level in the U.K., focusing on trainees graduating from U.K. medical schools. We envisage that implementation of a revised undergraduate curriculum, adopted uniformly by U.K. medical schools, may serve to address many of the issues described in our findings.

Urology is a field rich in advances and opportunities and it is, therefore, our obligation to educate and inspire the next generation. As mentioned in our paper, we agree with Mr. Floyd about an evolving need for simulation-based training and workshops augmented with problem-solving and non-technical skills rather than traditional didactic lectures.² Although the value of bedside teaching and assessment cannot be overlooked, this should be in conjunction with simulation and hands-on-training in keeping with modern teaching and training.³