If you had problems with your bladder, you would go to a urologist for
help. Urologists are surgeons who diagnose and treat a wide range of disorders
affecting the male reproductive system and the urinary tracts (or genitourinary
systems) of both men and women.
These specialists receive many years of training and must be licensed.
You may not think about it much, but having a healthy bladder is really
important. The bladder is the pouch in the urinary tract that stores urine
after it has been produced by the kidneys. Urine is what is left over after
the kidneys cleanse the blood and absorb essential fluids back into the bloodstream.
Without a healthy bladder, you may experience incontinence. That's the
inability to control when and where you urinate. If your bladder actually
had to be removed, doctors would have to create an internal pouch from your
intestinal tissue to hold the urine, or you would have to wear an external
bag to carry the urine.
Beth Chevrefils is an administrator of a urological association. She says
urologists are "always in demand." Even though they don't have the large numbers
of trauma patients that a heart surgeon may have, says Chevrefils, they do
possess specialized skills especially important to the older sector of the
population.
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), urologists must be
well-trained in different types of surgery, including:
- Endoscopic -- uses a thin, telescopic instrument called an endoscope to
penetrate the body
- Percutaneous -- can be completed through a very small incision
- Open or traditional surgery -- requires a larger incision and more recovery
time
Urologists also require knowledge of internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology
and other specialties because of the wide variety of clinical problems they
may encounter.
Urologists may also work closely with other specialists, such as nephrologists
(kidney specialists), endocrinologists (hormone specialists) and oncologists
(cancer specialists).
Generally, physicians put in long hours -- 60 or more a week. But work
schedules for urologists can be somewhat less demanding than for other specialists,
according to Chevrefils. She says that urology and plastic surgery are the
two medical specialties that can allow for less hectic lifestyles.
On the other hand, urologists who perform organ transplants and those who
teach and have their own practices in addition to conducting research may
be very busy. Dr. M'Liss A. Hudson agrees that urology allows you a choice
about the kinds of hours you want to keep.