A urology specialist is a surgeon who specializes in treating disorders and diseases that affect female and male urinary tracts and the male reproductive system. A surgeon who specializes in urology may treat patients who have conditions that affect such organs as the bladder and kidneys. He may also assist patients who have prostate gland conditions or male infertility.
There are many types of conditions that a urology specialist may treat. Among them are urinary incontinence and bladder cancer. A person in this field may also treat individuals with either kidney or bladder stones, testicular cancer, enlarged prostate glands, or impotence. This type of surgeon typically treats urinary tract infections in both sexes as well.
A urology specialist may work in a hospital or other type of medical care facility. Sometimes these surgeons decide to open their own practices instead. No matter where he works, however, this type of specialist typically consults with other doctors to provide optimal care for his patients. He may, for example, consult with a patient’s primary care doctor or oncologist to ensure the success of his patient’s treatment.
There are sub-specialties a urology specialist may opt to pursue. For example, he may decide to become a pediatric urologist, working only with children. Another urology specialist may focus on urologic oncology, working with cancer patients. Some may prefer to concentrate on female urology, dealing only with disorders of the female urinary tract while others specialize in performing kidney transplants.
Sometimes a urology specialist decides to work only with male patients, treating men with urinary infections or obstructions and prostate gland disorders. He may deal with matters related to sexual dysfunction or infertility as well. A specialist who treats men may also perform vasectomies, rendering male patients incapable of fathering children.
Though urology specialists are qualified to perform surgery, this doesn’t mean they are limited to it. A person in this field also diagnoses conditions and may provide medicinal treatment in addition to or instead of surgical care. He may also use a range of special equipment, such as catheters and diathermy machines, devices that heat bodily tissues, when treating his patients.
A person who pursues this career usually has many years of education ahead of him. He must complete high school and then attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree after four years of study. Following college, an aspiring urology specialist goes on to complete four years of medical school. Once all of this education is complete, an aspiring urology specialist then has five or more years of residency training ahead of him before he can become a urology specialist.
By Nicole Madison