The counterintuitive impact of COVID 19 on the urological workforce. Should urologists be deployed differently

Introduction: The medical professional at a direct clinical interface with COVID 19 has been under enormous strain. But how has the pandemic impacted urologists whose skills may have been under-utilized? Materials and Methods: An online survey was emailed to BAUS trainee and consultant members between the first and second pandemic lockdowns. Data were sought regarding individuals' views on work/life balance (WLB) before and after the lockdown on a 10-point Visual Analogue Scale (VAS);0 was biased towards "work" and 10 towards "life". Mean scores were analyzed for trainees and then in quinquennials from consultant appointment, up to 20 years. Data were also sought regarding the impact of lockdown on consultants' views of retirement in the same groupings. Results: 59 trainees and 261 consultants responded to the pre- and post-lockdown WLB questions and 324 consultants to the question about retirement intentions. Work/Life balance was positively influenced across all groups during the first lockdown (table 1), whilst consultants in post for >11 years considered their lockdown experiences an influence to consider earlier retirement (table 2). Conclusions: Urologists' WLB improved during lockdown but more senior consultants questioned their desire to continue working. This data concurs with the GMC's. 'The state of medical education and practice in the UK 2020' report which demonstrates that specialist doctors were poorly re-deployed, possibly with underemployment, during lockdown. Deployment to a protected elective treatment environment would appear to be the best way of utilizing a specialist surgical workforce during emergency crises and, maybe, for the long-term.