The First Otolaryngology Year ­ R2

First year otolaryngology residents spend the entire year at Rush. They are required to attend all teaching conferences and basic science lectures. Their clinical responsibilities will include the inpatient unit, outpatient clinic, operating room and emergency room. First year residents work under the immediate supervision of the more senior residents and the attending staff. Three months are spent in a protected research rotation. During this time, each resident will prepare an outline for a research project that includes the goals, methods, budget and other requirements to complete this project successfully. These proposals are presented to the Department’s Director of Research (Dr. John Coon). The research projects are performed under the supervision of this individual.

First year residents in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery are expected to learn the basic science information and clinical skills to be able to perform a comprehensive head and neck examination including the use of fiberoptic instrumentation and to understand the fundamentals of the disease process involving the head and neck region. Additionally, this group of residents is expected to acquire appropriate surgical skills for their level of education and ability. In addition to assisting more senior residents and faculty on complex surgical procedures, they begin to perform the basic operations (i.e., tympanotomy and tube insertion, tonsillectomy, ear foreign body removal, I&D of head and neck abscess, excision of skin lesions, aerodigestive tract endoscopy, and tracheotomy).

Two months are spent on specialty rotations ­ Neuroradiology, Audiology/Speech Pathology, Pathology and Radiation Therapy. The remaining seven months are spent on the Otolaryngology Service. During the neuroradiology rotation, the resident will gain experience reading CT, MRI, PET scans, ultrasounds, upper GI and nuclear studies. They will learn the limitations and strengths of each modality. The resident will witness an examination performed to understand the effect on patient. During the pathology rotation, the resident will act as a pathology resident in reviewing slides on head and neck cases. The teaching file will be reviewed. Needle aspiration technique will be learned. During the radiation therapy rotation, the resident will assist the radiation therapy team in clinic, during treatment and participate in simulation and treatment planning. During the speech/audiology rotation, the resident will be exposed to patients in all areas of audiology including hearing screening, specialty testing and speech and language testing and therapy.