UROLOGY NEWSLETTER WINTER QUARTER 2023
Dear Members of the UW Urology Community,
I want to be one of the first to wish you a Happy New Year and share my gratitude for the work you do to advance the mission and reputation of UW Medicine and the Department of Urology. Every year I am in awe of the commitment of the staff, residents, fellows, faculty and alumni to provide exceptional patient care and devote energy to their other professional pursuits.
The year 2022 provided many examples of how we as a team can achieve best outcomes. When the UWMC Surgery Pavilion closed emergently for two months in January and we had to vacate our busiest clinic, the choreographed movement of staff, urologists and patients to our UWMC NW campus looked like ballet. A clinical trial assessing removal of asymptomatic kidney stones at the time of symptomatic stone treatment depended on decades long collaboration with APL, Puget Sound VA and other centers to yield a high impact publication in the New England Journal of Medicine. In response to feedback on our recruitment process for residents, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee nominates a member to speak on behalf of the Department and genuinely describe our efforts, our shortcomings and our goals for creating an inclusive environment where all, including those from underrepresented ethnic, racial and gender backgrounds can break barriers and be heard.
Hospitals, clinics and laboratories across the country face a critical shortage of talent at all levels, an effect of the pandemic and other disruptive factors. With other healthcare systems in Washington and neighboring states at reduced capacity to deliver highly complex inpatient care, we expect that UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s will need to grow our urological workforce further to meet community needs. The environment where all individuals feel like their contributions are valued thus takes on even greater significance in the context of this employment environment.
Fortunately, we have a strong foundation on which to build. Department members have a high overall level of engagement; although we have work to do in terms of practice efficiency and EHR functionality, the culture of support for each other serves to counterbalance feelings of burnout which are highly prevalent in medicine overall and urology as a specialty. The Department’s financial stability will allow us to continue to make investments in resources to sustain the teaching and research experience of faculty members and trainees, which serves as a strong motivator and unifier for UW Urology. With ACGME approval and hospital support for our expansion to 4 residents per year every year, we will have the flexibility in resident complement to continue our WWAMI rotation, explore options for a night float system, and consider other educational innovations.
The Department of Urology can look ahead to 2023 as a year where we do even more to Heal, Comfort, Teach and Wonder. The depth and accomplishments of our applicants to the residency provide great promise for the future of our profession, and 4 of them will transform us further. That we each can apply our skills and find meaning in our shared purpose free from war, political violence, and risk to personal safety is remarkable. For me it creates a desire to do more for communities like Ukraine, and for those surrounding us here in King County. I hope that we can take time in 2023 to define and achieve our collective aspirations.
Sincerely,
Hunter Wessells, MD, FACS
Professor and Nelson Chair Department of Urology
University of Washington School of Medicine
