Overview

The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery strives to acquaint students with the many clinical issues affecting the ears, nose and throat, including head and neck surgery, pediatric otolaryngology, otology and neurotology.

Attending staff will supervise the students during all clinical activities. Students are allowed increasing responsibility in accordance with their level of skills and fund of knowledge. Students are encouraged to participate in the full spectrum of patient care encompassed within the practice of otolaryngology. The attending staff member determines the degree of supervision indicated during a student's participation in any given clinical situation to maintain the highest standards of patient care.

In the third year, students rotate through the otolaryngology clinics during the subspecialty portion of their Surgery core clinical experience. The faculty also presents a didactic series on the principles of head and neck surgery. Included are lectures and case presentations highlighting the major subdivisions of general and pediatric otolaryngology, endoscopic sinus surgery, otologic and neurotologic and skull base surgery, cochlear implantation in children and adults, and head and neck oncologic surgery and reconstruction.

An elective fourth-year clerkship is also offered for interested students who intend to pursue a career in otolaryngology or who wish to enter other fields but develop and refine their otolaryngologic diagnostic skills. Students work in both the outpatient and inpatient setting, participating in diagnosis, treatment and management of otolaryngologic problems and in a wide variety of surgical procedures and postoperative management. Research electives are also available.

Students rotating through the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery have a chance to be introduced to the six competencies required during future residency training:

1. Patient care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health.
2. Medical knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical and cognate (e.g., epidemiological and social-behavioral) sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care.
3. Practice-based learning and improvement that involves investigation and evaluation of their own patient care, appraisal and assimilation of scientific evidence, and improvements in patient care.
4. Interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange and teaming with patients, their families and other health professionals.
5. Professionalism, as manifested through a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse patient population.
6. System-based practice, as manifested by actions that demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care and the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal value.