Rolling admission · Istanbul · Delivered in English
Follow how a university urology department in Istanbul selects, plans and follows up robotic cancer operations — from the uro-oncology board to theatre and the ward — as a non-sterile observer, without console time.
What you see depends on the department's clinical calendar during your placement; the list below describes the department's usual scope, not a guaranteed programme.
The robot is a choice of access, not of indication, so the decision begins at the uro-oncology board. For localised prostate cancer, PSA, grade group, MRI findings, clinical stage and life expectancy determine whether surveillance, radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy is appropriate. For a renal mass, tumour size, anatomical complexity and overall renal function weigh partial against radical nephrectomy. In muscle-invasive bladder cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the type of urinary diversion are settled before cystectomy. After that, the team considers whether a robotic, laparoscopic or open approach suits the patient.
In theatre, the work is shared. The anaesthetist plans for pneumoperitoneum and, in pelvic surgery, steep head-down positioning, with their effects on ventilation and pressure areas. Port placement and docking are agreed before the console surgeon starts; the patient-side surgeon exchanges instruments, retracts and applies clips; the nursing team manages the instrument arms and draping. Robotic teams also agree in advance how they would undock quickly and convert in an emergency. Observers follow this communication from a vantage point the team agrees, alongside the procedure on the theatre monitors.
After surgery, the focus moves to recovery and pathology. Catheter care, early mobilisation and continence are reviewed on the ward, and the final histology — margins, nodal status and stage — returns to the board for decisions about adjuvant treatment or surveillance. Follow-up continues with PSA or imaging according to the cancer treated. An observer who follows a case from the board to that review sees how the robotic operation fits into a longer oncological pathway rather than standing alone.
Unlike the urology department page, which spans endoscopic, functional, andrology and paediatric work, this page centres on one modality — the robotic platform in uro-oncology. The endourology page covers kidney and ureteric stone procedures, and benign prostate surgery, including laser enucleation, is a separate focus outside this page.
Students and graduate physicians preparing for urology specialty training who want to understand how robotic cancer surgery fits within multidisciplinary uro-oncology, from the board to the ward.
Urologists with a specialist qualification who state robotic uro-oncology as their interest within the urology department, for extended observation of case selection, theatre workflow and follow-up across a full clinical cycle.
Both routes are strictly observational: observers attend theatre and clinic without patient contact, do not scrub or assist, and are not assessed on any procedure.
| Clinical Observership | Clinical Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 1, 2 or 4 weeks (extension possible on request) | 12 to 24 months, agreed with the host department |
| Who it is for | Medical students in clinical years and graduate physicians from outside Turkey | Recognised specialists and family physicians seeking advanced exposure beyond standard specialty training |
| Format | Full-time, strictly observational — outpatient clinics, operating theatre, ward rounds, case discussions | Extended observational attachment to one department: daily practice, service structure and specific techniques |
| Certificate | Certificate of attendance issued by the host hospital and signed by its Medical Director | Certificate on completion issued under the accreditation of the affiliated university school of medicine |
| Start | Rotations typically begin on a Monday; dates are agreed individually | Start date planned around the date you request and the department's capacity |
One online application for both routes. State Robotic Urology as your focus in your objectives; ATDERA reviews the file and prepares it for the Urology department, then replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
Already started? The application page picks up where you left off.
ATDERA Global Limited (Companies House No. 17173428, registered in England and Wales) coordinates this programme for a university teaching hospital in Istanbul. ATDERA is not a hospital and does not provide clinical care; admission decisions and certificates are the host hospital's.
One online application covers both routes and all twenty-one specialties — details, programme choice and documents in five short steps. ATDERA reviews the file and replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
