Urology: Specialty Training Interview Questions Australia
The urology questions that sit on top of the specialty training core: clinical scenarios, the system and governance questions specific to the specialty, and presentation titles.
Updated 28 October 2026
The structures these questions are marked on
- SAFER See the patient, Assess systematically with ABCDE, Fix what you can and decide, Escalate with a clear request in SBAR or ISBAR, Review: the patient told, the handover, the documentation and what you would do if the first plan failed. Full guide →
- The What it is in a sentence, Why it matters with a fact, What it means for this organisation and specialty, What I would do at my level and how I would measure it. Full guide →
Motivation
Evidence of commitment over enthusiasm: rotations, courses, audits, exams sat. Know the programme's stages, exams and rural requirements. Say what you would bring to a rural site, not just that you are willing to go.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the staff specialist colleague
Why urology, and what have you done to prepare for SET?
Evidence: the urology terms, the endoscopic and open procedures, the courses, the examination, the research, the audit. Say what each taught you and which area interests you.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of department
What do you know about the urology SET programme, its examinations, the rotations and the subspecialty areas?
The length, the rural rotations, the examinations, the areas in oncology, stones, functional, andrology, paediatrics and reconstruction, the logbook and the research requirement. Two accurate sentences, then what will be hardest.
- Often askedUsually asked by the staff specialist colleague
Urology combines cancer care, benign disease and a heavy emergency load. How will you sustain a career across all three?
A real strategy for the on call and the load, the balance of the subspecialties, life outside, and what you would do if you noticed the signs of burnout.
Clinical scenario
Systematic assessment, treat what you can, escalate early and clearly even when the consultant is distant, use retrieval and telehealth where they apply, and say what you would do afterwards. A safe answer that asks for help beats a clever one that does not.
A patient presents with loin pain, a fever and an obstructing ureteric stone on CT. What do you do?
An infected obstructed kidney is an emergency: the sepsis bundle, antibiotics, the bloods, and decompression now by nephrostomy or stent with the consultant and the radiologist, before any definitive stone treatment. Say what you would do in a regional hospital without interventional radiology.
A 25 year old presents with sudden severe testicular pain for two hours. What do you do?
Torsion until proven otherwise: theatre now for exploration with the consultant, no delay for imaging, the consent including the possibility of orchidectomy and fixation of both sides. Say what you would tell the patient.
A patient with a traumatic bladder injury after a pelvic fracture has blood at the meatus. What do you do?
No catheter until the urethra is assessed: the retrograde urethrogram, the suprapubic catheter if needed, the cystogram for the bladder, and the trauma team. Say what would make you suspect an intraperitoneal rupture.
A patient with gross haematuria and clot retention arrives in the emergency department. What do you do?
The three way catheter and the irrigation, the washout, the bloods and the transfusion if needed, the cause sought, and the anticoagulants reviewed. Say what would make you take the patient to theatre.
A 70 year old man presents with a PSA of 45 and bone pain. How do you approach it?
Metastatic prostate cancer until proven otherwise: the examination, the imaging, the biopsy decision, the multidisciplinary team, the androgen deprivation started if the cord is at risk, and the honest conversation. Say what would make the bone pain an emergency.
A patient has priapism for six hours. What do you do?
Ischaemic priapism until proven otherwise: the aspiration and the irrigation with the alpha agonist, the cause sought, the shunt if aspiration fails, and the honesty about the risk to erectile function. Say the time pressure.
A patient after a nephrectomy has a falling haemoglobin and a rising heart rate on the ward. What do you do?
Bleeding until proven otherwise: resuscitate, the bloods and crossmatch, the imaging if stable, the consultant now, and the decision between interventional radiology and theatre. Say what you would tell the patient.
An Aboriginal patient from a remote community needs a prostate biopsy and wants to go home first. How do you approach it?
Find out why, involve the Aboriginal liaison officer, explain the urgency plainly, explore whether the biopsy can be arranged closer to home or on a planned return with support, and respect the decision with safe follow up. Say what would make you push harder.
System knowledge
Know the programme's requirements in detail. Name three current pressures and link each to your specialty. Be able to explain clinical governance and the standards most relevant to your work in a sentence each.
What are the biggest challenges facing urology in Australian public hospitals, and how do they affect training?
The cancer pathways and the prostate diagnostic burden, the stone and benign waiting lists, theatre access, the public and private split, the regional workforce, and the effect on training. Link each to what you have seen.