WHAT THE BLEEP?
Urology is a speciality of mixed medical and surgical skills, with a diverse range of surgical procedures in both major and minor surgery using predominantly endoscopic and laparoscopic techniques also including the latest developments in lasers and robotics, it is a speciality at the cutting edge of medicine. The urologist is a surgeon who enjoys the range of medical and surgical skills the job requires to treat a diverse range of patients and conditions.
PERSONALITY
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Good hand to eye co-ordination and spatial orientation
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Both medically and surgically minded
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Able to communicate with men, women, children and the elderly.
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A sense of humour
AVERAGE WEEK
On average there will be a mixture of half day and full day surgical lists, urology clinics with time to review inpatients referrals, with additional time allocated for teaching, MDT and administration.
BEST BITS
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You get to treat a diverse range of patients and conditions from young men to elderly women from infertility and impotence to incontinence and malignancy.
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A huge range of surgical techniques makes the work varied and interesting.
CHALLENGES
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You can get the sense that you are being referred all patients who have a catheter put in while at hospital.
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Getting called while on-call to replace a suprapubic catheter.
WHAT THE FACT?
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During the late 16th and 17th centuries in France, male impotence was considered a crime, as well as legal grounds for a woman to divorce her husband. The practice would also involve inspecting the man's penis in the court before a verdict was made.
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The main use for a vasectomy when it was first practised was for eugenics. In 1902 an American surgeon sterilized 42 inmates of a prison as he thought this would reduce criminal behaviour in those individuals and prevent the birth of future criminals.