Over the past 2 years, I’ve had the privilege of attending the AUA Annual Urology Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. This conference is intended to bring urologists, advanced practice providers, patient advocates, and other stakeholders from across the country together to advocate for their patients, practices, and the future of urology. For myself and many others, the highlight of the Summit is meeting with members of Congress to discuss the AUA’s legislative priorities.

As we waited to begin our congressional meetings, I felt the same sense of excitement and nervous anticipation that I experienced when I first walked through the heavy wooden doors of Capitol Hill years ago as a Senate intern and then later as a health policy consultant. In preparation, I had pored over the details of our policy asks. However, when it came time to discuss the AUA’s legislative agenda with lawmakers, the conversations kept returning to the same question: how will this policy affect patients and providers?

I realized that while the specifics of proposed policy changes are important, what is most salient and influential in garnering support for legislative action is what drew me to medicine in the first place—the human connection so deeply ingrained in clinical care. And it is this emphasis on the real-world impact of policy that makes advocacy so very important.

As a urology resident at a large urban academic center, I’ve seen how policy, financial, and logistical factors can alter patient outcomes just as much as medical maladies. Frequently as residents, we are the primary point of contact for patients struggling within the confines of the health care system. Whether it’s a patient without insurance coverage presenting to the emergency department after months of hematuria only to be diagnosed with a new bladder mass or a long-time clinic patient suffering from refractory overactive bladder who cannot receive treatment without prior authorization, I am brought back to the words of a speaker from last year’s Summit, “Advocacy begins when the patient walks through your office door.”

While my focus in residency has primarily been dedicated to learning medical management and surgical skills, the opportunities I’ve had through the AUA’s Policy & Advocacy Resident Work Group and the AUA Public Policy Council’s committees have been invaluable in enhancing my understanding of advocacy and, consequently, improving my insight and toolkit for caring for patients.

Finding extra time as a busy resident can often feel unattainable, but I would encourage not just those passionate about policy and advocacy, but anyone invested in providing their patients with high-quality, comprehensive care to take advantage of the various ways to become involved in the AUA’s advocacy efforts. Even outside formal advocacy venues, it is critical that we recognize every patient encounter as an inherent opportunity for advocacy. By identifying pathologies as well as barriers to health, we can share patients’ stories and add our voice as providers to the political milieu at a time when such representation is desperately needed.

Policy, politics, and the health care system can seem like impenetrable institutions. Nevertheless, through employing our perspective gained from the unique position we have in the patient-provider relationship, I believe that we can inform policy and make a meaningful difference in the field of urology for years to come. The first step is welcoming a patient through that office door.