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. 2023 Jul 31;12(7):1071-1078.
doi: 10.21037/tau-22-793. Epub 2023 Jul 3.

Perceived influence of medical school sexual health education on specialty selection in young urologists specializing in sexual dysfunction

Niki Parikh  1 , Mazeed Aro-Lambo  2 , Jennifer A Vencill  3   4 , C Scott Collins  1   4 , Sevann Helo  1 , Tobias Kohler  1 , Matthew Ziegelmann  1
Affiliations

Perceived influence of medical school sexual health education on specialty selection in young urologists specializing in sexual dysfunction

Niki Parikh et al. Transl Androl Urol. .

Abstract

Background: To determine effects of sexual health curriculum (SHC) in medical school and mentorship on future specialty/subspecialty selection, we sought to evaluate the experiences of urology trainees and practicing urologists.

Methods: Residents, fellows, and practicing urologists completed a 15-question survey regarding their exposure to a SHC during medical school, topics covered, and the influence of mentors in their career choice. Summary statistics were used to identify trends based on survey responses.

Results: Ninety-four respondents, primarily post-graduate training year 4 and 5 (46%), completed the survey. Approximately 50% recalled a dedicated SHC during medical school with 46% planning to pursue fellowship training in sexual medicine/reconstruction. Topics commonly covered included reproductive anatomy/physiology and sexual history-taking, while respondents rarely recalled topics such as sexual aids/toys and pornography. Only 25% felt their SHC provided an adequate fund of knowledge to address sexual health concerns in patients, and only 14% felt that exposure to a SHC influenced their decision to pursue urology. Individuals intending to pursue fellowship were more likely to have an attending mentor, a mentor with expertise in sexual dysfunction, and considered their mentor as important or very important in their decision to subspecialize (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Most urology trainees do not have strong exposure to a SHC during medical school and cite mentorship as a more important role in the decision to pursue subspecialty training. These data support the need for a standardized formal SHC and continued exposure to sexual health experts during training to ensure continued interest in sexual medicine/reconstruction fellowship.

Keywords: Sexual health curriculum (SHC); education; fellowship; mentorship.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tau.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tau-22-793/coif). TK serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Translational Andrology and Urology from August 2022 to July 2024. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Medical school year sexual health curriculum offered. SHC, sexual health curriculum.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Setting in which SHC was provided. SHC, sexual health curriculum.
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