Advancing the Future of Urology: Initial Experience and Program Design of an Innovative Incubation and Mentorship Program.

Abstract

Introduction: Urology faces a growing workforce shortage, with significant implications for patient care and access particularly in rural and underserved areas. There is a critical need to attract a large and multidimensional pool of trainees to address this shortage and meet the needs represented by this patient cohort.

Methods: A national, multifaceted mentorship program was developed by the AUA to attract a wide-ranging group of medical students to urology. The program includes both virtual and in-person elements, as well as the creation of a resource library and funding/incubator efforts for grassroots organizations.

Results: Within 1 year, the AUA student mentorship program has grown rapidly to include 822 active users representing 610 mentees and 212 mentors in the virtual platform. Several in-person events have been held, with 70 mentees and 50 mentors participating in the most recent in-person program at the 2024 AUA Annual Meeting. Feedback from both mentees and mentors has been overwhelmingly positive (93% of mentees and 88% of mentors would recommend to others), fostering a strong sense of community and engagement.

Conclusions: The creation of the AUA student mentorship program-an innovative, comprehensive, and international mentoring program-has demonstrated that a specialty society driven pipeline program can engage meaningfully with medical students and potentially help address future workforce issues.