Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob L. Greenberg | 200810-N-DA693-1155 SAN DIEGO (Aug. 10, 2020) Lt. Cmdr. Christine Herforth, a urology...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – The training of surgical subspecialties is a unique endeavor that requires both didactic knowledge and the ability to diagnose a surgical problem to treat a patient.
Urologists assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego’s (NMCSD) Urology department excel when it comes to training their replacements.
“We understand that our military career is finite,” said Capt. Sean Stroup, NMCSD’s Urology department head. “It’s important that we train our replacements. Our collegial atmosphere fosters care and the fluid exchange of information.”
Stroup and the senior urologists’ training model focuses around the many urological subspecialties. Microvascular, endoscopic, open and robotic surgeries are all disciplines that require extensive knowledge and hands-on expertise. Their training model develops through graded experiences, by increasing the difficulty of procedures for residents.
“We determine where they’re at, their baseline knowledge, then teach until they develop a mastery,” said Stroup. “Urology department residents are here for five years. Their first year is spent as an intern, then four years of urological training. More junior residents can work under the instruction of a senior resident, who is being guided by the attending surgeon. As a resident progresses [in their training and abilities], they’re allowed to do larger parts of more complex cases.”
NMCSD’s urology training program is one-of-a-kind. It is the only fully-military program in the Navy.
“Operations are a team approach, with lots of hand-offs,” said Stroup. “There is constant mentorship and guidance from senior urologists to learning residents. We’re shoulder-to-shoulder in many cases, and with only about 41 urologists in the entire Navy, many have trained here.”
Stroup said the team atmosphere contributes to the department’s collective talent.
“We have fellowship-trained faculty members within all of urology’s subspecialties,” said Stroup. “Their extensive expertise and diverse experiences contribute to our success.”
Many of NMCSD’s Urology department’s residents have attended military service academies, then served as interns. Life experience, such as being a shipboard general medical officer, flight surgeon attached to a squadron or deployed with a Marine expeditionary unit, are factors that separate these residents from their civilian counterparts.
“[The residents’] early, career experience in terms of leadership, making medical decisions and interacting with superiors helps bring a level of maturity to the program,” said Stroup. “Our residents are being trained to be a ‘one of one’ urologist, meaning they will need to function as the only urologist wherever they’re deployed. They’re trained to be confident that they’ll deliver top notch urological care in an environment where they may be the only specialist available.”
Through graded experiences, residents gain independence. On humanitarian missions, like Pacific Partnership, residents will understand how the military can deliver care in austere environments. At NMCSD, a mix of cases with varying complexity gives residents a unique experience that other programs may not have. Cancer care, urologic reconstruction and infertility treatments expose residents to a wide array of procedures they’ll encounter upon completion of their residency.
“Our faculty are extremely talented, work well together and have a significant amount of achievements,” said Stroup. “Three Urology department faculty members are associate professors at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, more than any other department [at NMCSD].”
Approximately 20-25% of all cancer diagnoses at NMCSD are urological, whether it is prostate, kidney, bladder or testicular-related. NMCSD’s Urology department is the referral center for the entire Pacific Rim for testicular cancer care.
From an innovation standpoint, NMCSD has always been on the cutting-edge of robotic surgery. After getting its first robotic surgical system in 2008, NMCSD’s urologists developed a novel approach to retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, a procedure related to testicular cancer, and were the first to publish that technique.
Both Stroup and a colleague, Cmdr. Michael Santomauro, have been invited to speak as American Urological Association (AUA) exchange scholars, speaking in both Europe and Brazil, respectively. Currently, two Urology department staff members are chairpersons for AUA’s Young Urologists Committee, and have significant involvement in their professional society.
Additionally, all NMCSD urology residents are mandated to be Green Belt-certified in ASQ’s Lean Six Sigma course, which is a requirement unique to this department.
“It’s vital for our residents to have that training because of the direction healthcare is going,” said Stroup. “The Navy is a high-reliability organization, and understanding those robust, process improvement methodologies will make them better urologists.”
Patients being treated by NMCSD’s urologists can be assured that they will continue to receive the high level of care they’ve come to expect.
NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere.
Visit navy.mil or facebook.com/NMCSD for more information.
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2020 09:57 |
| Story ID: | 376423 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 353 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMCSD’s Urologists Lead in Comprehensive Training, by PO2 Jacob L. Greenberg, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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