Medical School Curricula and the Role of Third-Party Resources in Medical Student Urology Education

Abstract

To assess the quality and extent of the urology education provided to medical students both by third-party resources (TPRs) and by the curriculum provided by medical schools METHODS: TPRs were assessed by systematically comparing the content of the 4 most common resources (Anking, Pathoma, Uworld, and First Aid) to the American Urological Association's Medical Student Curriculum (AUA-MSC). Medical school curricula were assessed via a survey sent to the top-150 allopathic medical schools in the United States. The survey asked about clinical and pre-clinical exposure to urology received by medical students at their school. The TPRs for Step 1 together covered 73.3% of the AUA-MSC topics, and for Step 2 covered 81.9%. First Aid covered 49.5% of Step 1 topics and 58.4% of Step 2 topics, Uworld covered 58.6% and 67.9%, respectively, and Anking covered 61.8% and 58.8%, respectively. Pathoma covered 28.1% of Step 1 topics. Survey results showed that 33/39 (84.6%) of schools have required urology coursework in preclinical years, but only 3/39 (7.7%) have required urology rotations in the third or fourth years. Of those without required rotations, 35/36 (97.2%) indicated that they offer an elective rotation in urology. There is little emphasis placed on urology after the preclinical years of medical school, pointing to a need for greater exposure to these topics regardless of the student's selected specialty. This need stems from incomplete knowledge provided by TPRs compared to the AUA-MSC. Drawing attention to this gap can provide insight for those creating future iterations of medical curricula and shed light on areas in need of improvement, which would ultimately benefit both patients and providers.