Hear how the symptoms began
Ask when the urinary symptoms began, go over medical history and interpret test results before picking a treatment.
Career profile
Urologist
Urologists treat urinary tract and male reproductive problems with drugs, procedures and surgery.
On one possible day, you explore a clinic patient's trouble urinating and later remove a stone in surgery. Urology blends careful listening with hands-on care.
A day in the life
Look inside the bladder
Use a cystoscope, a thin camera-and-light tool, to see the bladder lining when symptoms need a closer look.
Remove a stone with ureteroscopy
Steer a thin scope through the urinary tract, find the stone, then remove it whole or fragment it.
Prescribe treatment and explain it
For an already diagnosed problem like an infection, prescribe a drug and explain what it should accomplish.
Quick facts
Medical school + urology residency
United States
$566,740 average annual compensation
United States · 2025
Not displayed
Your options depend on location and the kind of urology practice you want to join.
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Medical school + urology residencyAfter college and medical school, the standard specialty pathway includes at least five clinical years of postgraduate training.
Pay
$566,740 average annual compensationA 2025 survey-based estimate for full-time urologists; this is an average, not a median or starting salary.
Outlook
Not displayedYour options depend on location and the kind of urology practice you want to join.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You can discuss private symptoms calmly and without embarrassment.
- You like connecting a person’s story with test results.
- You enjoy precise handwork and explaining your reasoning.
Things to weigh
- Call duties can interrupt evenings, and long operations can keep you on your feet. Ask how a practice shares urgent coverage.
- People may hesitate to discuss leakage or sexual problems. You need patience when an important detail takes time to emerge.
Where AI may help
In some operations, a computer-assisted surgical system lets you control small instruments from a console while viewing the surgical area in three dimensions.
What people still lead
You choose the approach and control the instruments. Current robotically assisted systems require direct human control.
What we can’t predict yet
How much future systems will automate individual surgical steps remains uncertain; changes will also affect what surgeons need to learn and monitor.
Pay in context
Earnings
Specialist earnings come after years of training. National compensation estimates and a job’s base salary describe different things.
National compensation
Average annual urology compensation was $566,740 in the 2026 Doximity report, using 2025 survey data from full-time physicians. Dividing by 2,080 hours gives about $272 an hour, but that is only a comparison: actual physician hours vary, and this is not an hourly wage.
Academic base salary
A general-urology faculty position at the University of Southern California lists $350,000–$700,000 in annual base salary across assistant through full professor ranks. Responsibilities, experience, and training influence the offer. This is a position-specific range, not the national pay spread.
Getting started
Complete medical school
- What the route involves
- Earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree, studying medical science and working with patients in supervised clinical rotations.
- What it can lead to
- Graduation from an appropriately accredited medical school provides the medical qualification needed to pursue urology residency.
Train in urology residency
At least five clinical postgraduate years on the standard board-certification pathway.
- What the route involves
- Complete accredited surgical and urology rotations, progressing through patient care and operations with faculty supervision.
- What it can lead to
- Meet the specialty training requirements for entering the American Board of Urology certification process.
- What to check
- State medical licensure, including required national examinations, is separate from board certification. Board certification requires passing a qualifying examination, then meeting unrestricted medical licensure, practice-log, peer-review, and 16-month practice requirements in a single community before passing the oral certifying examination.
These are consecutive steps. You typically complete a bachelor’s degree before medical school; no single undergraduate major is required.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Build your practice and keep clear case records. Reviewing those records helps you examine treatment decisions and supports the board-certification practice review.
Expand your techniques
If your practice uses robotic surgery, complete device-specific training and obtain the facility credentials needed to add those procedures.
Develop a specialty focus
A fellowship in urologic oncology—care of urinary and male reproductive cancers—can deepen your surgical skills while adding research and teaching experience.
Where you can work
Community clinic and hospital
In an integrated practice, you can move between clinic visits and hospital procedures, work with referring doctors, and share call with other urologists. The mix may support broad general practice plus a particular interest.
- Indoors
- On call
- Safety-sensitive
University medical center
Clinical faculty jobs can combine patient care with teaching residents and collaborating on research. Explaining decisions to trainees becomes part of the working day.
- Indoors
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Read a public explanation of cystoscopy and ureteroscopy. Sketch the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra, then explain aloud where each scope goes and what it helps a urologist see. Notice whether understanding the anatomy and explaining a procedure both interest you.
Stay safe: Use diagrams only; this is an explanation exercise, not practice performing a procedure.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Urologists — 29-1229.03. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physicians and Surgeons. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- American Board of Urology. Residency Requirements. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- American Board of Urology. Initial Certification. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Cystoscopy & Ureteroscopy. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Computer-Assisted Surgical Systems. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Doximity. 2026 Physician Compensation Report. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- University of Southern California. Assistant/Associate or Professor of Clinical Urology — REQ20179328. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Mayo Clinic. Community Urologist — Mankato. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Mayo Clinic. Department of Urology — Education. Accessed 2026-10-06.