Residency
UCLA Urology Residency Program
The UCLA Urology Residency Program is a fully accredited 6 year program.
The UCLA Department of Urology is dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all members of our community. Our commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JEDI) is deeply woven into every aspect of and directly tied to our mission, including of improving urological health and health care while providing the best possible education, training, and patient care.
Join our current residents for a tour of each of our residency training sites:
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center >
- West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital >
- Harbor - UCLA Medical Center >
- Olive View - UCLA Medical Center >
- Santa Monica - UCLA Medical Center >
Get to know our current residents. Read their bios >
Our Residents spend one year in General Surgery, four years in General Urology and one year dedicated to basic or clinical research. Residents obtain comprehensive training in general urology, urologic oncology, female urology and reconstructive surgery, pediatric urology, calculus disease, renal transplantation, infertility and erectile dysfunction, and adrenal surgery. Residents receive broad training in open surgical techniques, endoscopic surgery, laparoscopic and robotic surgical techniques. Our residents gain training in performing and interpreting urodynamics, interpreting imaging studies of all modalities including ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, nuclear medicine studies, fluoroscopic studies, and more. Upon completion of training, UCLA Urology residents are proficient in all aspects of urological surgery.
Research is an integral part of the training experience in the UCLA Department of Urology. Our Department is fortunate to have excellent clinicians and researchers on faculty working on a wide variety of research projects. We firmly believe this has enabled us to build a comprehensive and cohesive academic residency program. The UCLA Urology Residency Program fulfills the requirements of the American Board of Urology and is fully accredited by the Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education. The Department of Urology collaborates broadly within the UCLA Health System as well as with many UCLA undergraduate and graduate departments in its research endeavors. The UCLA commitment to academics is demonstrated by the career choices of its residents. Recent graduates of the program have been granted many competitive fellowships, including American Foundation for Urologic Disease, Inc. (AFUD) Fellowships, Robert Wood Johnson Fellowships, and many other prestigious subspecialty fellowships across the country. Many former residents who have entered private practice in Southern California are active members of our Clinical Faculty. Others have joined the faculty of various medical schools.
Sample Resident Contract (PDF) | See where our residents are now
Residency Application Procedure
Applications should be made during the fourth year of medical school. After completed application packets have been reviewed, qualified applicants are invited for an interview in the Fall. Our program participates in the Urology Residency Match Program, administered by the American Urological Association (AUA), which now includes an integrated preliminary (PGY-1) year in the full course of training. Applicants participating in the AUA Match are no longer are required to register with the Main Residency Match to obtain the PGY-1 year of training. The UCLA Department of Urology interviews applicants on scheduled interview dates only. Interviews are by invitation only on:
Interview Dates:
- Saturday, November 23, 2024
- Saturday, December 14, 2024
The purpose of the interview is to allow the applicant to become acquainted with the Residency Program in order to make an appropriate decision and to facilitate the choice of residents by the UCLA faculty. The interview is intended to be a relaxed experience with ample time to meet the faculty and tour the facilities. Applicants will have the opportunity to discuss the training program with junior and senior residents. A formal presentation of the philosophy and objectives of the training program will be outlined for the applicants and individual interviews will be scheduled with the full-time faculty.
Application Requirements:
- Electronic Residency Application (pdf file)
- https://www.aamc.org/services/eras/
- A minimum of 3 Letters of Recommendation
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal Statement
- Medical School Transcripts
- USMLE Step 1 Score
- Dean's Letter
Selection & Appointment
Four residents are chosen each year to begin the General Surgery R1 year and advance to the Urology Residency Program beginning twelve (12) months later. There is graduated responsibility in the training program so that each resident performs duties and surgery commensurate with his/her ability and training. Residents are responsible for teaching and supervising those at lower levels.
A comprehensive organized educational program ensures that all residents are aware of recent developments in urology. This is achieved through monthly Journal Clubs where faculty and residents discuss recent research literature. Weekly didactic sessions cover the full spectrum of urology, with individual faculty members sharing their specific areas of expertise. Collateral reading material is provided for these sessions.
Residents are encouraged to attend medical meetings and to exchange ideas with prominent surgical and urological visitors. In recent years, UCLA urology residents have presented papers at the AUA Annual Meeting, The Society of University Surgeons, Society of Basic Urologic Research, American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Association for Cancer Research. Each year distinguished urologists from the United States and abroad come to UCLA as visiting professors, providing our residents with a rich learning experience. The major emphasis of the program is on the attainment of clinical and urological expertise. Upon completion of training, the resident is well qualified to enter either clinical practice or academic urology.
Program Description
The first 12 months of residency training are spent rotating through general surgery and other surgical subspecialties. Junior residency years are the 2nd and 3rd years of training. During these years the urology residents gain exposure to infertility, urodynamics, laparoscopic and robotic surgery, pediatric urology, and kidney transplant. In addition, residents are trained in the basics of handling the emergency room and hospital consultations.
Research is an integral part of the training experience at the UCLA Department of Urology. Our Department is fortunate to have excellent clinicians and researchers on faculty working on a wide variety of research projects. We firmly believe this has enabled us to build a comprehensive and cohesive academic residency program. The Department has laboratory space at the UCLA Medical Center and at the Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
These laboratories are directed by research associates, staffed with technicians and are supervised by Urology faculty members who are dedicated to research. Every year the Urology fourth-year (R4) residents choose a research project in one of these facilities and work with a faculty mentor to develop their specific project. During this research year, the residents are then given the opportunity to present four progress reports to the faculty members. During the R5 year, our residents take charge at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Olive View-UCLA Medical Center.
In the R6 year, our chief residents are responsible for the overall management of the Urology Service at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital. The R6 year provides a robust surgical experience.
Carol Evans
Senior Residency Coordinator
Department of Urology
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
BOX 951740
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Phone: 310-794-8492
Fax: 310-206-7186
Email: [email protected]
Clinical Services & Training Facilities
UCLA has established affiliation agreements with four hospitals and a stone treatment center in the Los Angeles area to provide training in all areas of Urology: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Olive View Medical Center, West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Urology residents are responsible for providing oncall coverage for the urology service at their assigned hospitals. Our residents take in-house call only as interns, and after intern year all call is from home. Each resident has a one-month vacation annually.
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Video >
UCLA attracts large numbers of complicated, unusual and difficult cases from the greater Los Angeles area and all over the United States. Patients at UCLA include private, clinic, adult, pediatric, male, female, renal transplantation, and lithotripsy patients. Medical student teaching is the responsibility of both the residents and full time faculty. UCLA has an active renal transplantation service including a large number of pediatric transplantation cases. There is ample opportunity to train in extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and to receive certification in this technique. Residents are also trained in laparoscopic and laser surgery.
West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital
Video >
At this hospital residents are encouraged to function independently, make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, and impart their knowledge to fellow residents and medical students. Carol Bennett MD, Chief of the Department of Urology, and members of the clinical faculty assist in surgery and teach in the clinic.
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Video >
This county hospital provides an excellent mix of adult male and female patients and excellent clinical experience in renal transplantation, trauma and pediatric urology. Harbor has an active transplantation service. Jacob Rajfer, MD is the Chief of the Department of Urology.
Olive View-UCLA Medical Center
Video >
This county hospital provides the residents with experience in general urologic treatment of pediatric as well as adult patients. Residents are encouraged to function independently, with guidance available from William Aronson, MD, Chief of the Department of Urology, and from members of the clinical faculty.
Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center
Video >
This facility works under the umbrella of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Here, residents will be exposed to wide variety of basic urologic pathology. Residents will partake in outpatient office based management as well as participating in both inpatient and outpatient urologic surgery.
Faculty
The full-time faculty of the Department of Urology maintain overall responsibility for the educational program. In addition, the Clinical Faculty, consisting of Board-certified urologists, teach residents and students in the outpatient clinics and assist in surgery. The Clinical Faculty also attend and contribute to rounds and teaching conferences of the Department. View Faculty List >