Effect of COVID-19 on Urology Residency Training: A Nationwide Survey of Program Directors by the Society of Academic Urologists.

Rosen, Geoffrey H; Murray, Katie S; Greene, Kirsten L; Pruthi, Raj S; Richstone, Lee; Mirza, Moben

PURPOSE Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has profoundly impacted residency training and education. To date, there has not been any broad assessment of urological surgery residency changes and concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Society of Academic Urologists distributed a questionnaire to urology residency program directors on March 30, 2020 exploring residency programs changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics are presented. A qualitative analysis of free response questions was undertaken. A post hoc analysis of differences related to local COVID-19 incidence is described. RESULTS The survey was distributed to 144 residency programs with 65 responses for a 45% response rate. Reserve staffing had started in 80% of programs. Patient-contact time had decreased significantly from 4.7 to 2.1 days per week (P<0.001). Redeployment was reported by 26% of programs. Sixty percent of programs reported concern that residents will not meet case minimums due to COVID-19. Wellness activities centered on increased communication. All programs had begun to use video-conferencing and the majority planned to continue using this. Programs in states with higher incidence of COVID-19 were more likely to report resident redeployment (48% vs 11%, P=0.002) and exposure to COVID-19-positive patients (70% vs 40%, P=0.03) and were less likely to report concerns regarding exposure (78% vs 97%, P=0.02) and personal protective equipment (PPE) availability (62% vs 89%, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS As of April 1, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in significant changes in urology residency programs. These findings inform a rapidly changing landscape and aid in development of best practices.