Urology Fellowship: First Year

The first year is primarily dedicated to clinical experience, exposing the fellow to clinical management of pediatric urology patients and honing both surgical skills and decision-making. Fellows gain clinical exposure at Lurie Children’s Hospital, a 360-licensed-bed facility. The Pediatric Urology division is responsible for 15,000 clinic visits and more than 2,000 surgical cases each year. The fellows are involved in patient care in both inpatient and outpatient settings and the fellow can expect to progress in independence throughout the clinical year. 

Learning Environment 

The clinical fellow participates in all aspects of the operating room and in the care of inpatients, but is also encouraged to engage in outpatient clinics. 

Operating Room 

The fellow experiences a large volume of surgical opportunities that include general pediatric urology, complex hypospadias, complex urinary and genital reconstruction, laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgery and endoscopic stone management. The number of surgeries is expected to total roughly 600 cases. 

Inpatient Service 

To foster leadership skills and maintain consistency of care for the inpatients, the clinical fellow has primary responsibility for the inpatient urology service. Quality care, safety and education are our top priorities, and the fellow is a valued resource for the rotating residents. In addition to the fellow, the urology service is composed of a dedicated full-time inpatient APP and rotating residents from Northwestern, Loyola, University of Illinois at Chicago, Rush and Franciscan Health.    

Outpatient Clinics 

The clinical fellow participates in a monthly fellow clinic. During this clinic, the fellow works one on one with the program director to gain experience and receive feedback on clinical skills as well as to ensure compliance with and understanding of billing and coding.