Impact of Redeployment during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Urology Resident Education and Perceptions of the Equity of Redeployment Strategies
Asha Ayub, MD1, Arthur Mourtzinos, MD2, Alireza Moinzadeh, MD2, Laura MacLachlan, MD2.
1Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA, 2Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.
Background: During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, residents and attending physicians from various specialties, including urology were reassigned to COVID units. Didactic education was easily transitioned to virtual platforms, but the implications of decreased urologic surgical volumes on trainee education and attending and trainee perceptions of the redeployment require further investigation.
Objective: To assess urology trainees and faculty redeployment and ascertain if there are any concerns about the long-term sequelae of redeployment on urology resident education.
Methods: An anonymous 14-question survey was administered between May 26, 2020 and June 30, 2020 to urology program staff and trainees at all accredited U.S. urology residency programs.
Results: 81 faculty, residents, and fellows representing all the AUA sections participated in our survey. 90% of respondents stated their institution had a redeployment strategy. 59% of participants felt that their institution’s redeployment strategy was fair and equitable. However, a subgroup analysis comparing resident and attending responses, demonstrated a significant difference between faculty and residents who agreed that the redeployment plan was fair and equitable (67.9% vs 40.5%, respectively). The redeployment most often included residents (84%) and attendings (69%), followed by advanced practice providers (APPs) (63%) and fellows (52%). 48% of participants felt that deployed residents were still able to attend urologic education during redeployment. However, 31% of participants believed that COVID and redeployment will affect residents’ ability to reach the required surgical volume or competency goals for graduation.
Conclusion: In response to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, urology residency programs across the country sought to maintain trainee education in the midst of decreased surgical volumes and redeployment. Our study demonstrates a level of concern regarding the fairness of redeployment strategies, especially within resident respondents, and their impact on urology resident competency that should be considered in future redeployment strategies should they be necessary.
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