Turning rounds upside down
Flip the Script is back for a second year!
Young urologists, trainees and seasoned surgeons alike are in for something unique at AUA2025. Returning for its second year, “Flip the Script: Case Studies” promises to energize the educational programming. This innovative session invites fresh perspectives and sharp clinical thinking in a lively, interactive grand rounds-style event—with a twist.
For this event, it is the young urologists (those with 10 years or less of experience in practice) who get the opportunity to present their interesting cases to their more senior colleagues, instead of the usual other way around.
AUA Secretary David Penson, MD, offered the AUA Daily News a preview of this novel approach to learning and fresh format that was so popular at last year’s Annual Meeting.
Q: Is this session geared more for residents, fellows and young urologists than it is for the more seasoned urologist? Does it usually contain case studies that are common for new urologists, but not for veterans?
Dr. Penson: This session is for everyone—not just trainees and young urologists. The goal here is to review unusual cases and teach all urologists how to recognize and treat these cases. The format is modeled after the typical urology grand rounds except for one thing—the younger urologists are “pimping” the most senior people in the field. The trainees and young urologists get the opportunity to present their interesting cases while learning from their more senior colleagues regarding what they would look for or do differently. We’re flipping the script!
Q: Can you share a few examples of the kind of complex case studies that will be presented?
Dr. Penson: Well, I don’t want to give away any of the cases—part of the fun is not knowing what the diagnosis is—but I will say the cases will be unusual, yet not so rare that a urologist might never encounter them.
Last year’s featured cases had de-identified titles so that the senior urologists had no idea what to expect and had to fully engage with the case details before working through them. A couple of examples include:
- “Are you kidding me with this mass? Lesion in a pediatric donor kidney.”
- “34-year-old with bilateral flank pain and an elevated flank pain. Let’s go zebra hunting.”
I think attendees definitely will walk away with some clinical pearls they’ll use in their practice.
Q: What do you think makes this session so popular?
Dr. Penson: The interesting part is that there is no single right answer to any of these cases. We’re looking for a good-natured back-and-forth as senior urologists work through each case and give their thoughts on diagnosing and managing them. One of the best things about this session is that it’s really unscripted and almost anything can happen. Attendees may be in for a few surprises, so I don’t think this is something people will want to miss.
