Will urologists be replaced by AI?
Updated
Urologists score 34 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 50%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 7% outright, and 43% stays with people.
- 7% AI can do it
- 50% AI helps
- 43% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Lower than 56% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 14 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 7 and leaves 6 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Document or review patients' histories. AI scribes and summaries can compile and review histories from records. | 70% AI can do it |
| Prescribe medications to treat patients with erectile dysfunction (ED), infertility, or ejaculation problems. AI can check guidelines and draft ED or fertility prescriptions for review. | 50% AI helps |
| Order and interpret the results of diagnostic tests, such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening, to detect prostate cancer. AI can flag and interpret PSA and test trends, clinician orders and decides. | 45% AI helps |
| Refer patients to specialists when condition exceeds experience, expertise, or scope of practice. AI can identify scope limits and draft specialist referral letters. | 45% AI helps |
| Provide urology consultation to physicians or other health care professionals. AI can draft consult notes and summarize cases, physician gives advice. | 40% AI helps |
| Diagnose or treat diseases or disorders of genitourinary organs and tracts including erectile dysfunction (ED), infertility, incontinence, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, urethral stones, or premature ejaculation. AI can support differential diagnosis and treatment options, but clinician decides and treats. | 30% AI helps |
| Prescribe or administer antibiotics, antiseptics, or compresses to treat infection or injury. AI can draft prescriptions and check interactions, but administering needs a clinician. | 30% AI helps |
| Teach or train medical and clinical staff. AI can build teaching materials and quizzes, live training stays human. | 30% AI helps |
| Direct the work of nurses, residents, or other staff to provide patient care. Supervising staff relies on in-person leadership, though scheduling tools help. | 20% Needs a person |
| Examine patients using equipment, such as radiograph (x-ray) machines or fluoroscopes, to determine the nature and extent of disorder or injury. Hands-on patient exam with imaging equipment needs physical presence. | 12% Needs a person |
Show the other 4 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Treat urologic disorders using alternatives to traditional surgery such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, laparoscopy, or laser techniques. Lithotripsy, laparoscopy and laser treatments are hands-on procedures. | 8% Needs a person |
| Treat lower urinary tract dysfunctions using equipment such as diathermy machines, catheters, cystoscopes, or radium emanation tubes. Cystoscopy and catheter treatments require direct hands-on manual skill. | 6% Needs a person |
| Perform brachytherapy, cryotherapy, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), or photodynamic therapy to treat prostate or other cancers. Brachytherapy, cryotherapy and HIFU are physical procedures on patients. | 4% Needs a person |
| Perform abdominal, pelvic, or retroperitoneal surgeries. Open and laparoscopic abdominal and pelvic surgery is entirely physical work. | 3% Needs a person |
How urologists compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare practitioners and technical (89)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $265,930 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 57,120 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +3.4% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Perform cystoscopy and catheter procedures on patients
- Run open and laparoscopic pelvic surgery in person
- Check AI drafted prescriptions in Epic Systems
- Track PSA trends in Microsoft Excel
- Write consult notes in Microsoft Word for physicians
- Present outcome data in Microsoft PowerPoint
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about urologists and AI
Will AI replace urologists?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly reviewing patient histories and drafting erectile dysfunction and fertility prescriptions. Surgery, cystoscopy and hands-on examination stay with urologists because they need a physician in the room with the patient.
Which urology tasks is AI taking over?
Reviewing patient histories scores 70 on exposure and is marked for automation, since AI scribes and summaries can compile records from the chart. Prescribing for erectile dysfunction, infertility, or ejaculation problems scores 50, with AI drafting prescriptions that the urologist reviews. Ordering and reading PSA trends scores 45, with AI flagging patterns while the clinician decides.
Which urology tasks stay human?
Abdominal, pelvic, and retroperitoneal surgery scores 3 on exposure, the lowest in the job, because open and laparoscopic work is entirely physical. Cystoscopy and catheter treatment scores 6, and lithotripsy and laser procedures score 8, since they need direct hands-on skill. Tasks marked stays human carry 43% of the job's task weight.
How can urologists stay valuable as AI spreads?
Keep the procedure work that needs hands-on skill, such as cystoscopy and pelvic surgery, and build case volume there. Check every AI drafted prescription and referral letter in Epic Systems or eClinicalWorks before signing it. Track PSA trends in Microsoft Excel and present outcomes in Microsoft PowerPoint to referring physicians.
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