Boston University Medical Campus
Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

Training Program Detail

The training program includes close supervision in the clinics, operating rooms, inpatient care units, and emergency rooms of the various hospitals, instruction in basic sciences, attendence at meetings, conferences and special courses, including the Basic Science Course and the laboratory courses, the conduct of research, and evaluations of performance.

  Didactics

While assigned to a hospital the resident participates in the conferences and teaching sessions held at that institution; attendance is mandatory and monitored. Total hours of in-hospital conferences at all hospitals is about 850 per year.

In addition, the resident group is assembled regularly for program-wide teaching conferences and courses:

Grand Rounds and teaching sessions are held Wednesday, 3:30 pm – 7:30 pm, jointly with the Tuft’s University Training Program. They include organized teaching, guest lectures,  Clinical Path Conferences,  Journal Club, and a monthly M&M conference. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory.  They are attended also by medical students on elective in the department and are open to all medical personnel. The various hospitals affiliated with the Residency Training Program rotate the responsibility for each CPC session. The Chief Administrative Residents, guided by the Program Directors, select the guest lecture topics.

Basic Science Courses / Laboratory / Practicum courses: These provide practical experiences ln gross anatomy and temporal bone surgery and in the many test and therapeutic skills involved in our specialty, such as auditory & vestibular testing, skin testing for allergy, laser laboratory, bone plating, skin flaps, bronchoesophagology, etc, etc.. Space and facility limitations preclude visitors at these sessions, unless prior permission is obtained.

A “Crash Course” to introduce the incoming residents to the evaluation and management of common emergency otolaryngologic pathologies is presented during the summer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (See Summer Crash Course for schedule).

Home Study Course of American Academy of Otolaryngolgy: All residents must participate in this CME course given by the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. 

Annual Otolaryngology Examination of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery: – Each resident is required to take the annual examination given during April of each year and to achieve at least the 50th percentile. Each resident is tested on the content of the various didactic presentations during the training.

  Research Resources

Director of Research: Remco Spanjaard, Ph.D. – directs all resident research activities.
Zhi Wang, Ph.D is Director of the Otolaryngology Center for Innovative Technology
Residents are strongly encouraged to design and carry out their own research projects. There is a 3 month research block during the OTO-3 year. Residents are expected to plan their research projects well in advance and are encouraged to present their work at national and regional meetings. Residents are fully reimbursed for travel expenses when presenting at national or regional meetings.

  Laboratories

  Molecular Biology Laboratory

 Temporal Bone and Microsurgery Laboratory

  The Hearing Research Center at Boston University

 Other Laboratories available and often utilized in co-operative studies

  Support Services

Progression of Resident  Responsibilities and  Training

PGY1: Is in full accordance with the accrediation guide lines. Residents spend one month each on neurosurgery, emergency medicine, intensive care medicine, and anesthesia, and 2 months at VAMC Boston on otolaryngology with close, one on one supervision. The remaining months are spent in various subspecialties of general surgery including: surgical oncology, plastic surgery, pediatric surgery, vascular surgery, trauma surgery, and general surgery.

PGY2 : The residents rotate to Boston Medical Center for 9 months and Lahey Clinic for 3 months.    

Duties and Responsibilities

• Admission workups
• Assist second and third year residents with inpatient care
• Perform less complex surgical procedures such as myringotomy, T&A’s, biopsies, and endoscopy.
• Assist the second and third year residents with major surgical procedures
• Night call in the hospital – usually every third night
• Help teaching medical and dental students.
• Examine and treat patients in the outpatient clinics and emergency room.

Didactic Education

• In hospital conferences (radiology, pathology, speech-hearing, tumor)
• Attend Wednesday CPC and guest lecture series
• Saturday Basic Science Course
• Laboratory Courses (Surgical anatomy of the head and neck, temporal bone dissection, Lasers, etc.)
• Home Study Course of American Academy of Otolaryngology
• Attend three New England Otolaryngology Society Meetings.
• Summer “Crash course” on common otolaryngologic disabilities
• Preparation and presentation of the Monday Morning Lecture series at BCH.
• Preparation of “the Case of the Day” at BCH following each clinic.
• Develop a reseach question and a plan for its solution.

PGY3 : Residents are at Boston Medical Center for 3 months, The Children’s Hospital for 3 months, Lahey Clinic 3 months, and are provided a three month protected block for research. At TCH, the experience is shared equally with a resident from the Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary. Each is resident is at the PGY3 level and performs as a chief resident. Residents assume increased responsibilities for patient care and for teaching of undergraduate medical and dental students.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Outpatient clinics.
• Admission work-ups .
• Perform surgical procedures with close staff supervision
• Emergency Room Coverage
• On-call in the hospital every third night except at The Childrens Hospital, which is every third or fourth night and Lahey every 2nd night.
• Consultations for other departments are seen and presented to the Attending
• Otolaryngologist.
• Teach medical Students.

Didactic Education

• Attend all in hospital conferences and rounds.
• Wednesday CPC and guest lecture series.
• Basic Science Courses
• Home Study course of American Academy of Otolaryngology.

Research: The resident may participate in an ongoing research project conducted by one of the full-time staff or other members of the academic community; however, the resident is encouraged to develop an independent project and thereby learn how to formulate a question and seek its answer. Each resident is required to present the product of his research at the Alumni Day Lecture Series at the end of the academic year. Publication is not required. However, a manuscript suitable for publication is required prior to graduation from the program.

PGY4 : Residents rotate to Lahey Clinic, UMASS, VAMC, and Boston Medical Center campuses. Because PGY4 and 5 Resident rotations do not over-lap, PGY4 residents are senior to other residents on a given rotation and function as “chief”. One resident functions as a “float”. Research projects may be continued.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Outpatient clinic.
• Major surgical procedures
• When as chief resident on the service: complete responsibility for all inpatients, assignment of duties to the more junior residents, and being responsible for the service.
• Teach medical and dental students
• Night call (2 nd call) as needed with the more junior residents.
• When acting as “chief resident”, the resident is available to his / her junior residents by phone for consultation and for any emergency situations that require the attention of the chief resident, including surgery.

Didactic Education

• Attend all in-hospital conference and rounds.
• Wednesday CPC and guest lecture series.
• Basic Science Courses, participating as much as possible as teachers.
• Encouraged but not required to take the CME course of the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
• Attends all regional otolaryngology meetings and one national meeting or course, partly subsidized.
• Prepares case presentations and occasional lectures for the BMC Tumor Board, organizes the Monday morning radiology conference and the Monday afternoon otology conference.

PGY5: Residents rotate to Lahey Clinic, UMASS, VAMC, and Boston Medical Center campuses. They are senior to other residents and function as “chief”. Research projects may be continued.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Outpatient clinic
• Performance of major surgical procedures
• Perform as chief resident on the service.This includes complete responsibility for all inpatients, assignment of duties to the more junior residents and responsibility for the service.
• Teach medical and dental students.
• On call: the chief resident is available to his / her junior residents by phone for consultation and for any emergency situations that require the attention of the chief resident, including surgery.
• One PGY 5 resident is appointed as chief administrative resident for the entire year. The Administrative resident is responsible for solving resident-level problems and is a member of the Program Advisory Committee and a spokesperson for the residents at its meetings. The Administrative Resident organizes the Wednesday evening CPC’s.
• Organizes the Tuesday AM Head & Neck Oncology Conference at the Boston VAMC.

Didactic Education

• In hospital conferences.
• Basic Science Course
• Practicum Course
• Attends all regional otolaryngology meeting
• Attends one national meeting or course per year (partly subsidized by the department).
• Conducts the Wednesday CPC.

  Resident Compensation and Benefits

  Current Residents

  Application process

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