Status quo of urological residency training in Germany-a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis

Abstract

Urological residency training is adecisive step on the urological career path. The aim of this review is to develop strategies and approaches to actively shape, improve and further develop urological residency training. With the help of astrengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, the status quo of urological residency training in Germany is analyzed in astructured manner. Strengths of urological residency training incorporate the attractiveness of the specialty itself, and the residency training curriculum in urology ("Weiterbildungscurriculum Urologie", WECU), including the networking of inpatient and outpatient training and accompanying internal and external further training. The German Society of Residents in Urology (GeSRU) also provides anetworking platform for residents. Weaknesses include country-specific differences and alack of checkpoints during residency training. Opportunities for urological continuing education arise from freelance work, digitalization, and technical and medical progress. In contrast, the aftermath of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic, with still limited staff and surgical capacities, an increased psychosocial workload, and the rising number of outpatient treatments in urology pose threats for urological residency programs. With the help of aSWOT analysis, factors for the further development of urological residency training can be identified. In order to provide high-quality residency training in the future, strengths and opportunities should be consolidated and weaknesses and threats should be addressed at an early stage.