In this series, the Column editors continue our interview series exploring the experiences and advice of current residents in urology. Here, we present the second part of our interview with Dr Connor McPartland, postgraduate year 2 at Temple University.

Editors: What was your approach to studying for Step 3 and the in-service exam (ISE)?

Dr McPartland: The best way to prepare is to ask other residents in your program what they did. I think it’s beneficial to complete Step 3 early since your Step 1 and 2 knowledge will be most fresh. I had a vacation week in the fall of my intern year; I used half that week to prepare for Step 3 and the other half to prepare for the ISE. Resources I used for Step 3 included UWorld exams/questions and CCS Cases.¹ For the ISE, the AUA’s Self-Assessment Study Program² and Benjamin Dropkin’s High-Yield Urology³ were helpful.

Alternatively, you can study after you get home from the hospital and on weekends. However, I felt more stressed trying to squeeze in that study time and wanted to group my studying together. Both strategies work—it just depends on what works best for you.

Editors: How was your experience on general surgery during intern year, and how do you feel it prepared you for urology?

Dr McPartland: I absolutely loved it. I think it’s a critical component to urology education. At Temple, we spend a lot of time with the trauma service while on general surgery, and that’s a group that we often interact with while we’re on our urology rotations. Understanding how those surgeons approach clinical problems, how they consult urology, and how we can collaborate with them was incredibly valuable. I learned how to more effectively communicate with these teams and better understand their plans for patient management.

Gaining ICU experience was also highly helpful. In urology, we take care of very sick patients, including many who may end up in the ICU. Exposure to critical care teaches you how to better triage patients, know when patients are sick, and effectively involve the proper teams. If anything goes wrong and you cannot clinically comment, you may do a disservice to your patient.

There are several other benefits, but ultimately, I felt like the time on general surgery helped me continue to develop as a well-rounded urologist and more effectively communicate with other surgical teams that we work with on a daily basis.

Editors: What role has mentorship played in your development during the intern year?

Dr McPartland: Don’t be afraid to follow a path of proven success. Your seniors are built-in mentors who have recently performed well in your exact role. You can learn from them and then pay it forward the following year. When you come in, you may not know how to put in orders or message the nurse about a particular request. You’ve got to be able to ask and learn.

It is also valuable to find the attendings that are willing to go out of their way to help you and teach you. You can learn from them in the clinical environment, but also for research and/or advice about life generally. It’s helpful to identify residents and attendings who you want to emulate early. If someone just went through this process and is doing well, they are probably doing something right; you should develop relationships with and learn from them as much as you can.

It’s important to remember that you can also be a mentor as an intern. You have such an incredible opportunity to make a tangible impact on students. There are so many students who want to speak with residents and learn more about the field. Plus, you’re interacting with students closely, more than many of the other residents. You have great opportunities for teaching—whether that is showing them how to put in orders, helping them understand complex cases, or ensuring that their questions are answered. I distinctly remember the residents who did this for me and how it positively impacted my education. Even if you don’t feel like you have the best knowledge base, you can make a real impact on students. It’s an exciting element that you can start early in intern year.

Editors: Looking back, what is your advice for students when choosing a residency program?

Dr McPartland: There are many great applicants that do not match. It’s important to be grateful throughout this process about matching. Beyond that, understanding what matters most to you is the most important step. For me, it was being close to family. I also put weight into the way that programs treated applicants. I felt that if they treated applicants well, then that would correlate to their culture and signal that they treat their residents well. In addition, it’s helpful to talk to residents to understand what truly matters at their institution. Different people have different advice, so the more people you talk to, the better.

Editors: Do you have any parting advice for those who are about to begin intern year?

Dr McPartland: The saying of “treat others that way you want to be treated” does not change when you become an intern. Arguably, it becomes even more critical. Even when the going gets tough—when everything is going wrong, you’re getting slammed by Epic chats, your attendings are not satisfied with the care you’re providing—you still need to be nice to people. I think surgery residents particularly get the reputation that we’re mean; for example, a consulting service is going to hear us frustrated on the other end of the phone. Being hard on one another fosters a negative environment that makes it more difficult for everyone to work and makes others less willing to cooperate with you. Patience and kindness—both to patients and providers—are crucial and facilitate better communication.