The UnderRepresented Trainees Entering Residency (UReTER) mentorship program (www.urology.ucsf.edu/UReTER) was launched in 2020 by residents in the University of California, San Francsico (UCSF) Department of Urology as direct support to #BlackLivesMatter. UCSF urology residents wanted to make a local change within the world of diversity to increase the pipeline for underrepresented students applying into urology. Therefore, they developed the UReTER mentorship program to match urology residents and fellows across the country with medical students who identify as Black, LatinX, and indigenous.

Efforts were originally led by then intern, now postgraduate year 4, Micha Cheng, MD, and are now also co-led by Jasmine Love, MD. The mentorship program is coordinated by the Urology Department’s academic coordinator, Karen Tabayoyong, and supervised by chief of diversity and inclusion, Dr Samuel Washington, and program director, Lindsay Hampson.

We are now in our fifth mentorship cycle, which starts annually with resident and fellow registration. After residents and fellows have signed up and filled out a basic questionnaire, medical students are then recruited to choose up to 2 mentors from a roster. Students often pick mentors who are in programs they are interested in, have similar academic interests, or are from the same hometowns.

We expect all UReTER mentors to initiate contact with their mentees within 1 week of receiving their mentee match results. Once they have solidified initial contact, mentors are required to meet with their mentees at least 2 times a month via Zoom, phone, or in person.

Some examples of how mentors guide mentees:

• Answering general application questions (Electronic Residency Application Service, AUA Match, interviewing process)
• Identifying strong letter-writers for letters of recommendation
• Proofreading personal statements
• Providing insight on the subinternship experience
• Practicing mock interviews
• Sharing advice on navigating the complicated process of establishing a rank list
• Assisting with career exploration, shadowing, and research opportunities

In accordance with the SAU (Society of Academic Urologists)–AUA Match Policy, resident and fellow mentors may not tell applicants how they will be ranked in their respective programs. In addition, SAU prohibits all communication with any member of a program (students/residents/faculty/administrative personnel, etc) after the interview. To avoid any match violation, communication between mentors and medical students must stop once a student has had their first interview. To align with these match rules, we recommend that mentors be proactive with advising their mentees earlier in the application cycle.

Our program has helped many mentees successfully establish and carry out their goals as they relate to urology. Some notable quotes from our mentees:

“It was difficult getting urology research and finding a mentor. My UReTER mentor was the first urology mentor that I ever had and we connected very well! Not only was he able to give advice, but he was also able to set me up with a research project.”

“It can be very stressful progressing through medical school not knowing if you are performing all the recommended actions to successfully enter a desired specialty. However, the UReTER mentorship program was absolutely invaluable in alleviating that stress.”

“Thank you so much for organizing this! Urology as a whole is behind in diversity, but this group highlighted the existing diversity and sense of community among [underrepresented in medicine] applicants and residents. Can’t wait to participate next year as a mentor!”

We continue to modify and improve our UReTER mentorship program based on feedback from mentees to provide the most productive and positive experience each year. UReTER’s goal is not only to enhance diversity in the field of urology, but also to acknowledge, uplift, and support students who are underrepresented in medicine.