Residency Program

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Training

Post-Graduate Year 2

During July and August, each PGY-2 resident takes the Head and Neck Anatomy course as well as the Basic Science course, both of which occur in a small group setting. During this time, residents rotate in Audiology/Vestibular Rehabilitation and Allergy.

Each PGY-2 resident rotates at KUMC on the Blue or Red Teams, covering each service during the year. They are integral members of the OTOHNS Service, responsible for pre- and post-operative patient care, as well as for inpatient consultation. As the year progresses, the resident is given increasing amounts of responsibility. Rotations in the OTOHNS subspecialty clinics introduce and instruct residents in the OTOHNS physical examination and basic clinic procedures, such as fiberoptic laryngoscopy, nasal endoscopy, and binocular microscopy.

PGY-2 OTOHNS residents are given early assignment to assist on all surgical procedures and begin performing less complex procedures, such as tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and myringotomy under faculty supervision. As their surgical skills progress, more complex procedures are introduced; for example, septoplasty, aerodigestive endoscopy, laser surgery, small soft tissue excisions, endoscopic sinus surgery, and some head and neck surgery. Residents typically finish the year having performed over 8oo surgeries.

Besides the KUMC rotations, PGY-2 residents rotate at Children’s Mercy Hospital /Truman Medical Center and at the VA Medical Center. At CMH/TMC, each resident is paired with another resident with whom responsibility is shared. At TMC, the focus is on general otolaryngology and head and neck surgery. At CMH, residents learn to assess and manage a range of pediatric OTOHNS disorders, from the fairly common to the more complex conditions seen at a tertiary care pediatric institution. Typical cases include myringotomy with tube placement, adenotonsillectomy, lymph node biopsy, tracheostomy, excision of congenital lesions, and routine laryngoscopy/bronchoscopy.

A faculty member and a chief resident supervise the resident on the VAMC rotation. This rotation is an opportunity for the PGY-2 resident to perform inpatient consultations as well as surgical procedures more independently and with increased responsibility. In the OR, the resident is predominately responsible for aerodigestive tract endoscopy, myringoplasty, tonsillectomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, septoplasty, simple facial trauma, and facial malignancy excision with local flap reconstruction. In addition, the resident assists in the more extensive surgical oncologic cases and usually begins to perform a significant portion of the neck dissections and some of the simpler neck procedures, such as submandibular gland excision in entirety.