Residency Program

Urology Residency Program

We seek to train well-rounded urologists with unparalleled surgical skill and global understanding of urologic diseases

The residency program in the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Department of Urology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC is a five-year continuum consisting of a one-year general surgery internship and four years of urology. We are committed to providing our residents the full-spectrum experience of treatment and management of urologic diseases continuing the Aresty Department of Urology legacy of surgical excellence while embracing the latest cutting-edge techniques and technologies. For those preparing a career in academic urology, we highly encourage participation in the robust offerings of basic, translational and clinical studies ongoing at the Aresty Department of Urology.

Program Overview

Message from the Chair

Application

Applications are submitted during the fourth year of medical school and are completed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) system. ERAS software opens for applicants to build and develop their applications in early July, and those applications are released to the programs for review in mid-September. Our program participates in the American Urological Association (AUA) Match Program. The AUA is an “early” Match program, and those results are announced in January.

Application Requirements:

Electronic Residency Application (pdf file)
3 Letters of Recommendation
USMLE (Step 1 score)
Personal Statement
Medical School Transcripts
Curriculum Vitae
Registration with the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP)
Dean’s Letter (MSPE)

Need help applying?

Contact

Shannon N. Piazza
Program Coordinator
shannon.piazza@med.usc.edu

Please contact Shannon Piazza to inquire about deadlines for submitting applications and required documentation through ERAS to USC. In general, ERAS applications are released to the programs mid-September and most of our interview spots are filled within a couple of weeks. The AUA Residency Matching Program ID Number is: 4800521021.

ERAS
NRMP

Surgical internship under the direction of General Surgery. This includes 3 months on the urology service (two months at Los Angeles General Medical Center, one month at Keck Hospital of USC).
First full dedicated year of urology. The goal of this year is to learn basic general urology, while also being exposed to urologic trauma at Los Angeles General Medical Center, the largest trauma center in California and pediatric urology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Most of the year is spent at Los Angeles General Medical Center on two separate services. The USC 1 service focuses on general urology. The USC 3 service focuses on managing stone disease and learning complex endourologic procedures. Both are under the mentorship of a chief resident, minimally invasive fellows and faculty attendings.

Los Angeles General Medical Center: USC 1 — 4 months
Los Angeles General Medical Center: USC 3 — 4 months
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles — 4 months
Part of this year is spent at Los Angeles General Medical Center on the USC 2 service, which focuses on urologic oncology and pediatric urology. At Keck Hospital of USC, the resident will rotate on the oncology and minimally invasive services (MIS) responsible for managing each service. In addition, at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, a national rehabilitation hospital, the resident gains exposure to the work up and management of the neurogenic bladder.

Keck: Oncology — 2 months
Keck: MIS — 2 months
Los Angeles General Medical Center: USC 2 — 4 months
Rancho Los Amigos — 4 months
This year continues the pediatric urology experience, where the PGY 4 will mentor the PGY 2 and work directly with the pediatric urology faculty at CHLA. The remainder of the year is spent at Keck Hospital with rotations on the Female Urology/Reconstruction service and MIS service learning the robotic and laparoscopic surgical techniques.

CHLA — 4 months
Keck: Female/Reconstruction — 4 months
Keck: MIS — 4 months
The chief residency and final year focuses on solidifying surgical techniques and providing mentorship to the junior residents. The majority of the year is spent overseeing the urology services at Los Angeles General Medical Center. One chief directs both the USC 1 and 3 services, mentoring both junior residents. The other chief runs the USC 2 service, managing the complex urologic cases and running the pediatric service with a PGY 3. The remainder of the year is spent at Keck Hospital running the oncology and MIS services.

Keck: Oncology — 2 months
Keck: MIS — 2 months
Los Angeles General Medical Center: USC 1/3 — 4 months
Los Angeles General Medical Center: USC 2 — 4 months

Residency Interview Process

All applications submitted through ERAS are reviewed by our residency selection committee utilizing pre-determined criteria, which include analysis of USMLE scores, transcripts, curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, your personal statement and your research record. The best applicants will be selected for a personal interview, which is held on one of three weekend dates. We will receive more than 200 applications for three positions, and every application will be screened by hand and given individual consideration. We are looking for bright, educated and well-rounded applicants to join our Trojan residency team.

Interview Day

If you are selected for an interview, you will be forwarded a specific itinerary for your interview day. In general, you will meet the program director in the morning with a brief overview of the residency program during which time he will also introduce the faculty to you. Next, you will participate in back-to-back interviews. You will interview with all core residency faculty. In between interviews, you will have an opportunity to speak with our current residents. The interview portion will end after all interviews have been conducted (early afternoon) and you will be served lunch and participate in a guided tour of the campus. An evening reception will be held either the night before or night of your interview.