Urology
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To better understand the experiences of female and underrepresented minority (URM) medical students pursuing urology and determine if discrimination was perceived at any point during the application process. ⋯ Our collective findings suggest that URM and female medical students have less favorable experiences interacting with urology trainees and faculty than do their nonminority and male counterparts. Higher percentages of female and URM urology residents and faculty promote effective recruitment of female and URM applicants.
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To capture the perspective of prospective urology applicants experiencing unique challenges in the context of COVID-19. ⋯ Despite the impacts of COVID-19 on medical education, prospective urology applicants appear to remain confident in their specialty choice. Students' biggest concerns involve disruption of away rotations, including impacts on obtaining letters of recommendation and choosing a residency program.
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To investigate the perception and value of virtual open houses for urology applicants in the COVID-19 era, since students can no longer attend subinternships and all interviews will be conducted virtually. ⋯ In this first virtual interview season for urology, likely applicants generally engage in virtual open houses and strongly prefer time to interact directly with residents to assess the program culture.
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To assess the outreach and influence of the main recommendations of surgical governing bodies on adaptation of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery (MIS) procedures during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in an anonymized multi-institutional survey. ⋯ Guidelines of surgical governing bodies on adaptation of MIS during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate significant outreach and implementation, whereas centers from the countries with a high disease burden are more often poised to modify their practice. Rapid publication and distribution of such recommendation is crucial during future epidemic threats.