About

This short, focused online course is designed for foundation doctors who regularly come across urology problems during on-calls, weekend cover and work in the surgical assessment unit. It aims to give trainees a clear, practical grounding in the common emergencies they are expected to handle, with teaching delivered by Urology Registrars who deal with these situations every day.

The session starts with urinary retention, looking at how to classify it, what often causes it in different groups of patients, and how to choose and place the right catheter. Paraphimosis will be covered with an emphasis on prevention and straightforward bedside management. Trainees will also go through a simple, sensible approach to haematuria, including who needs admitting, what initial treatment to start, and how to carry out a bladder washout.

The section on renal colic covers analgesia, imaging, recognising when obstruction is becoming unsafe, and the practical differences between a stent and a nephrostomy. The course finishes with the acute scrotum, focusing on rapid assessment, ruling out torsion and when to involve seniors. The overall aim is to help foundation doctors feel more confident and safe when dealing with these common but often stressful presentations.

Aims

• Give foundation trainees a clear and practical understanding of the main urological emergencies they will meet on-call.
• Improve confidence in choosing catheters, inserting them safely and managing common problems that occur during or after insertion.
• Provide a straightforward framework for assessing haematuria and deciding who needs admission or urgent review.
• Strengthen early assessment of renal colic and understanding of when stents or nephrostomies are required.
• Support trainees in recognising and managing the acute scrotum and knowing when urgent escalation is needed.

Learning Outcomes

• Classify urinary retention and safely select and insert the appropriate catheter.
• Recognise paraphimosis, prevent it during routine care and manage it promptly at the bedside.
• Assess haematuria presentations, identify red flags and carry out a basic bladder washout when needed.
• Approach renal colic systematically, recognise signs of deteriorating obstruction and understand the practical differences between stents and nephrostomies.
• Identify key features of the acute scrotum, rule out time-critical conditions and escalate appropriately.

Aimed at:

• Foundation Year 1
• Foundation Year 2
• Core Surgical Trainee 1
• Core Surgical Trainee 2
• Trust Grade
• Junior Research Fellow
• Clinical Research Fellow
• Speciality Registrar