An educational highlight of our residency

Andreas Christodoulides Nicosia General Hospital Strovolos (CY)

andreaschristodou-

Klara Smolić Fellow of Urology Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka Rijeka (HR)

klara.smolic@uniri.hr

The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) Trainee Week 2022 was held from 20 to 24 November 2022 at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. The programme brought together urology trainees from across Australia and New Zealand, as well as 10 foreign delegates for a week of interactive and informative sessions on urology-related topics. The week included a mix of plenary sessions, interactive workshops, case discussions, and social events.

The USANZ Trainee Week is a premier education programme held annually and hosted by a different team of renowned urologists and their associates. The programme is designed specifically for Surgical Education and Training (SET) urology trainees and compulsory for trainees in SET1 to SET4. The programme objectives are to update, standardise, and maintain urological clinical practice to the fullest.

The USANZ Trainee Week experience was unique. Planned and impromptu discussions, expert guidance and enrichment of proficiencies were blended with enthusiasm, team spirit, and humour. The whole programme was professional, educational, and fun.

The formal atmosphere was lightened up with a fun urological quiz made to look like a Jeopardy Quiz and a laughter-packed competition called “Masters of the Uroverse” where every team had different costumes. In addition, our hosts from USANZ organised an enjoyable trip to the zoo for all international delegates, where we had a chance to learn about the extraordinary Australian flora and fauna.

Final impressions

Words cannot begin to describe our USANZ Trainee Week 2022 experience. It is not every day one gets the chance to travel across the globe for educational purposes.

Programme content

The USANZ Trainee Week 2022 started with written and oral in-service assessment exams for the trainees which are meant to prepare them for their final exam at the end of the residency. As international delegates, we were able to listen to the oral part of the exam which consists of four different categories.

The plenary sessions covered a range of urology topics, including urologic oncology, functional urology, and urological trauma as well as some non-medical topics such as communication skills and burnout syndrome in medical professionals. The speakers were experienced urologists and researchers who presented the latest research and advancements in their respective fields. The plenary sessions were well-attended and gave the trainees valuable insights and knowledge.

As a recap, the programme’s schedule were as follows:

• Day 1: Practice examinations

• Day 2: Focus on retroperitoneal and testicular oncology, female urology, and uro-radiology

• Day 3: Activities centred on prostate cancer and LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms)

• Day 4: Focus on andrology, male infertility and sexual dysfunction, surgeons as people, and more

• Day 5: Concentrated on bladder cancer, uro-pathology, upper- and lower-tract trauma