ENT Surgery or Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery to give it its official name, is a fascinating surgical speciality. Patients of all ages are treated for a wide range of disorders of the ears, nose and throat and related structures of the head and neck. Consultants are usually generalists with a special interest.
Subspecialty interests include:
- Head and neck surgery
- Otology
- Cochlear implantation
- Neuro-otology and skull base surgery
- Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery
- Paediatric otolaryngology
- Rhinology and allergy
- Voice pathology
- Audiological medicine
ENT surgeons probably do more operations on children than any other sort of surgeon and paediatric otolaryngology comprises about one third of many ENT surgeons' practice.
Training Programme
The Training Programme is six years in length (ST3 to ST8). The Eastern Deanery has two teaching hospital ENT Departments at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich. There are also a number of strong and well established district general hospital departments. The rotation includes Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, Peterborough, Bury St Edmund's, Colchester, Great Yarmouth, Luton and Stevenage. Trainees in East Anglia need to be prepared to move residence and/or commute during the six years of the rotation.
There are a number of regional training courses each year organised by Consultants in the region and these include:
- Two training camps, each lasting two days in February and May
- Nasal and sinus anatomy and parotid anatomy workshop at Cambridge Anatomy School in April
- Temporal bone anatomy workshop at Ipswich Hospital in November
- Trainees' Presentation Day at which trainees' research or audit projects are presented
Qualifications for Entry
Entry to specialist training in otolaryngology is at ST3 level and like other surgical specialties, selection is highly competitive. Applicants to the specialty need to be intellectually mature, mentally robust and highly motivated.
Essential qualifications include:
- Completion of Foundation Training competencies by the time of appointment
- Completion of Basic/Core Surgical Training, which would include ENT experience and successful completion of MRCS (or equivalent) at the time of application
Desirable qualifications include:
- Successful completion of DOHNS at the time of application
- Further experience of ENT and related surgical specialties
- Evidence of academic activity, for example research or audit publications, posters and presentations, postgraduate degrees (MD, PhD)
Some trainees will decide to spend a period devoted to research leading to a postgraduate degree by thesis or will undertake a professional qualification or degree in management or education. A period of experience on an overseas fellowship in the latter years of training is usual and actively encouraged.
Further Advice
Further advice may be obtained from:
Programme Director
Mr Asad Qayyum
PLEASE SEE ENT CONTACTS PAGE