Urology training in Germany: international comparison of educational concepts and satisfaction

Abstract

The training of residents in urology is challenged by global trends in surgical education, increasing technological developments, subspecialization of the field and working hour regulations for physicians. Currently, there is no standardized curriculum in Europe and significant international differences exist in the education of residents. We aimed to comprehensively map the state of urological training in an international comparison. Aselective literature review was conducted using the following keywords: "urology, training, residents". Recent surveys have shown that urology training in Germany is subject to relatively few regulations on content, time and space when compared to other countries. Alack of astructured curriculum is considered as the main factor leading to dissatisfaction of the residents. Increasing work load, lack of surgical training and limited flexibility in family or research planning have been mentioned as barriers for successful training. Structured and validated competence assessments and not "minimum numbers of operations" may help improve surgical training. An objective nationwide examination at the end of residency may be useful for international benchmarking.