• Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us
Prospective Students

Prospective Students

Prospective Students
  • Admissions
    Procedure & Timelines
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Admissions Procedure
    • Basis of Selection
    • COVID-19 Impacts on Admissions
    • Housing Information
    • Interview Process
    • Prerequisites
    General Information
    • Statement of Diversity
    • Mission Statement
    • Curriculum Resdesign
    • Honor Code
    • FAQs
    • Admissions Brochure
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Admission Procedure
    • Basis of Selection
    • Competencies
    • COVID-19 Impact on Admissions
    • DACA Applicants
    • DGSOM Mission Statement
    • FAQs
    • Honor Code
    • Housing Information
    • Interview Process
    • Statement of Diversity
    • Virtual Events
  • Outreach & Pipeline Programs
    Summer Pre-Health and Postbaccaluareate Programs
    • UCLA SHPEP
    • UCLA PREP
    • UCLA RAP
    Outreach and Recruitment
    • Conferences and Events
    • Stay Connected!
    • Contact Us
    • Conferences & Outreach Events
    • Summer Pre-Health and Postbaccalaureate Programs
    • Contact Us
    • Stay Connected
  • Financial Aid & Scholarships
  • Degrees & Programs
  • Curriculum
  • Student Life
    Why Choose UCLA
    • Research
    • Clinical Work
    • Service Opportunities
    • Global Health Impact
    • Why You'll Love LA
    Campus Life
    • Student Organizations
    • Annual Events
    • Day in the Life
    • Around Campus
    • Photo Galleries
    • Medical and Research News
    • Medical Student Council
    • Geffy Guide
    • Search Campus and Health News
    • Service Opportunities
    • Global Health Impact
    • Why You'll Love LA
    • Photo Galleries
    • Day in the Life
    • Around Campus
    • Medical and Research News
    • Search Campus and Health News
  • How to Apply
  • Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us

Prospective Students

Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

  • Health News
  • A Day in the Life
  • Around Campus
  • Medical and Research News
  • Health News
  • A Day in the Life
  • Around Campus
  • Medical and Research News
  1. Home
  2. Prospective Students
  3. Student Life
  4. Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

Share this

Day in the Life

Title

What Does a Urologist Do

Day in the Life

Date
05/05/2015
Article

Dr. Stephanie Chu, MD

Dr. Stephanie Chu, MD, didn't plan on becoming a urologist.

An environmental science major, she wanted to be a backpacking instructor.

Halfway through undergrad, Dr. Chu changed her mind. "I wasn't helping any particular person with environmental science, so I switched to environmental health," she says. "Then I took a first-aid class and loved it." So, Dr. Chu hung up her backpack and applied to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

What attracted her to urology? And exactly what does a urologist do?

A well-rounded specialty

Ten years ago, Dr. Chu's chosen specialty would have seemed as unlikely as her career path. But today, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), 25 percent of urology residents are women.

Despite common misconceptions, urologists treat more than the male reproductive system. "Urology also covers the entire urinary tract," says Dr. Chu. "Some urologists even specialize in vaginal reconstruction."

Dr. Chu says urology was a natural fit for her. "I wanted to do surgery," she explains. "But in many surgical fields, the treatment path is clear before surgeons get involved. I like participating in diagnoses and medical management. I like counseling patients, talking them through the big picture and helping them make informed decisions."

In urology, Dr. Chu found the surgical-medical balance she wanted, and a job that "never gets boring."

What does a urologist do?

A typical day for Dr. Chu varies. A second-year resident, she works with attending urologists at various UCLA hospitals and clinics.

When she's at a hospital, Dr. Chu arrives around 6 am. "I see patients on the urology service, review their information and discuss treatment plans with the attending [physician]. I propose what I'd like to do, and the attending agrees or disagrees, then explains why."

Next, Dr. Chu heads to the operating room, where her team performs three to seven surgeries. "The purpose of residency is to coach newly graduated doctors to become surgeons," she says. "Depending on how far along we are, we either observe, learn certain steps or participate while being proctored by the attending."

The surgeries urologists perform most often depend on the practice. DGSOM hosts a busy kidney transplant program, so urologists do hundreds of transplant surgeries each year. "Our urologic oncologists perform prostate, bladder and kidney cancer surgeries," says Dr. Chu. "We also have a kidney stone specialist, and a world-renowned urologist with a female pelvic reconstruction practice."

The coolest toys

Over the past decade, technology has shifted urology toward more minimally invasive procedures. Dr. Chu explains, "We can go into the urethra, through the bladder and look into the kidneys without making a single incision. Surgeries to remove prostates or kidneys, which once required open surgeries, can be done laparoscopically — with tiny, image-guided instruments — or robotically."

Using the da Vinci™ surgical system, surgeons sit at a console with their fingers in sensors, remotely controlling a robotic surgeon with multiple arms. "This gives surgeons more joints inside the body, allowing them to move in ways that would be impossible laparoscopically."

The result for patients: Less blood loss and scarring, and a faster recovery.

"That's another reason I love urology," says Dr. Chu. "We have the coolest toys."

Advice for future doctors

Urology might not seem like the most glamorous surgical specialty, but perceptions shouldn't factor into doctors' career decisions.

"When you choose a field, you'll be doing it for decades, so initial reactions are worth getting past," she advises. "I often hear, 'Why urology? That's gross.' If I were a neurosurgeon, people would say, 'Cool, you operate on brains.' But that coolness factor wears off quickly, so medical students should consider what they enjoy doing. They'll be happier, making them better doctors."

By Taylor Mallory Holland

 

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
  • Giving
  • Publications
  • Newsroom
  • Weekly Digest
  • Directory
  • Contact Us
  • Diversity
  • Emergency
  • Maps & Directions
  • UC Regents
  • Abuse Free
  • Volunteer
  • Biomed Library
  • Disability Resources
  • UCLA Health
  • Smoke-Free
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare