During the third year, residents are more responsible for managing patients in the hospital and participate in more complex surgical procedures, such as head and neck resections. Under close supervision, PGY-3 residents begin to perform limited endoscopic sinus procedures and work on facial trauma cases, such as repair of mandibular and simple mid-face fractures. In addition, residents assist in increasingly complex oncologic procedures. PGY-3 residents participate in an annual temporal bone dissection course, learning anatomy and performing a range of otologic and neurotologic procedures on cadaveric temporal bones. This course allows residents to begin assisting in more involved otologic procedures and to perform simple tympanoplasties.

Residents assume increased teaching responsibilities for junior residents and medical students rotating on the OTOHNS service. PGY-3 OTOHNS residents have clinical rotations at KUMC (Blue Team) and CMH/TMC. At KUMC they continue to rotate in subspecialty clinics under faculty supervision. Their time is divided between ICU and ward duties, inpatient and ER consultations and the operating room. At CMH residents gain experience in higher-level pediatric cases such as laryngotracheal airway surgery, complex aerodigestive endoscopy, Residents begin to have increased autonomy and manage more complex general otolaryngology and head and neck cases. On the two-resident team, the PGY-3 individual is responsible for supervising the junior resident.

During the PGY-3 year, OTOHNS residents are given a dedicated four-month block of time for research, which is supervised by Dr. Dianne Durham. The Resident Research Committee monitors the research and the results are presented at the department’s Alumni Day Research Symposium in June.

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