How would you describe the culture of your residency?
Our program has always embraced diversity and inclusivity. We have demonstrated this by actively recruiting and placing diversity as a priority, and respecting the voices of our personnel that systemically have not previously had voices. The Department leadership has led by example in prioritizing the recruitment of diverse faculty to our program, and supporting initiatives that further promote a diverse and inclusive environment. We have initiated regular special journal clubs dedicated to professionalism and cultural competency, which allow for a safe and open forum for raising issues for the education of all our trainees and faculty. This has been a successful, well attended program, and rich dialogue is the start of any change to be made. This has benefited our program greatly and we look forward to continuing this practice to better serve our patients and each other.
How has your program supported resident wellness?
We continue to encourage use of all GME and ACGME wellness applications and offerings which, at Cleveland Clinic, is quite extensive. We use regular social check-ins and have frequent social activities to promote camaraderie and improve overall wellbeing. Residents are always supported if they have healthcare appointments during the work day.
How has your program supported diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) either at your institution or in the surrounding community?
We established a scholarship program for Under Represented Minorities in Medicine which allows two medical students to do a rotation in our program free of cost. We are hoping this eliminates the financial burden and economic disadvantage that minority medical students face. We are also looking more closely at the applications for women and URM candidates to ensure that we are representing the community we serve, maintaining the diversity of the program, and training future leaders of urology. With the most recent match, 40% of our residents are female. Our current intern class is 80% female.
What are unique features of your program that you would like to highlight?
Cleveland Clinic’s Urology Residency has a strong tradition of outstanding clinical/surgical and academic training. Our Program integrates 1-year of internship (6 months with us), 1-year of dedicated research time, and 4-years of focused training in clinical urology and renal transplantation. Our staff are committed to maintaining an academic environment that fosters the best possible graduate urologic training. Our program offers a variety of challenging clinical/surgical experiences as well as numerous opportunities for basic, translational, clinical and outcomes research. We offer a collegial atmosphere and ample support staff which enables residents to balance clinical/investigative training with family and personal interests outside the hospital. Urology is rapidly advancing, and we are at the forefront of progress, with strong programs in all subspecialty areas. We believe that our residency program is among the best and that it will enable our graduates to take their place among tomorrow’s leaders in clinical and investigative urology.
Is there any advice that you would like to share with the LMSA community?
The field of urology has prioritized diversity as evidenced by efforts at the national level. Although there is always more work to be done, we wholeheartedly believe in the mission of diversifying our workforce to provide the best possible care to our patients and ensure equal opportunity is given to students entering urology. The voices of the LMSA community must be heard to allow us to continue to grow and improve our commitment to our mission.
Contact:
Email: UrologyResidency@ccf.org
Name: Nikki Williams