You may find otolaryngology appealing if you’re a medical student, foundation doctor, or aspiring physician with exemplary manual dexterity and a desire for variety in your career. This article aims at providing you with a wealth of information about otolaryngology and guiding you along your path to becoming an ENT.
A specialist in otolaryngology is a doctor who treats patients suffering from diseases of the senses. This includes hearing loss, problems with balance, taste, and smell as well as breathing and swallowing issues. The surgeons may also be able to treat skull base otorrinolaringologo barranquilla tumors and the interface between the brain and the skull. ENT surgeons treat patients of all ages, and they see more children in their practice than any other type of surgeon.
Despite being a surgical specialty, the vast majority of ENT practice involves outpatient clinics. Eight to twelve patients may be seen in a single morning or evening clinic. In the operating room, you will join a multidisciplinary team (e.g. You will work with a multidisciplinary team, both in the operating theatre (e.g. You will lead and manage your team as a consultant (1).
Aspiring otolaryngologists must also demonstrate certain traits and qualities. You may have to deal with many patients who are unable to communicate. Teamwork and leadership skills are essential to work effectively in this specialty.
It is one of the most exciting, diverse, and innovative specialties in medicine. ENT surgery has also been at the forefront with the latest technologies. The use of minimally-invasive techniques has greatly improved the quality of life for patients, making otolaryngology an extremely rewarding field.
As robots, surgical navigation systems, and lasers are used more frequently in minimally invasive surgeries (1), they will be able to develop new techniques. This specialty, like all of the surgery, is predominantly male. Women in Surgery is an initiative that encourages and empowers women in their pursuit of surgical careers.
Most ENT doctors spend more time at outpatient clinics than in operating rooms. In general, surgery is elective. It’s usually done during the working day. An average half-day might consist of three operations. These can range from quick procedures lasting 15 minutes up to longer complex surgeries lasting twelve hours. Comparatively, the on-call requirement for otolaryngologists is lower than that of other surgical specialties.
During foundation years, try to assist ENT Surgeons by doing research and audits. The RCSEng (1) and RCSEd (2) offer courses.
Following completion of the foundation program, you will be required to undergo core surgical (CT) training for two years. During CT, an ENT specialist must achieve full Membership of The Royal College of Surgeons before advancing to ST3. Even though CT completion and the MRCP do not guarantee a place in ST3 due to competition, there are 2.57 applications for every training position.