Bread n' Butter

[AMedStud]

I have read that it is important to enjoy doing the "bread and butter" procedures of a field of interest. Which "bread and butter" procedures do you find most exciting/enjoyable in ENT?

I have also read that ENTs get to use cutting edge technologies. Does this hold true for those in private practice? Which is your favorite tech? What tech do you see coming out in the future?

Thanks for your insight.

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[resxn]

I have read that it is important to enjoy doing the "bread and butter" procedures of a field of interest. Which "bread and butter" procedures do you find most exciting/enjoyable in ENT?

I have also read that ENTs get to use cutting edge technologies. Does this hold true for those in private practice? Which is your favorite tech? What tech do you see coming out in the future?

Thanks for your insight.

I particularly enjoy endoscopic septos, sinus surgery, thyroid, and parotids. I don't really get much of a kick out of the true bread and butter of tubes and tonsils. Never really did.

I hope I keep up on the newest tech. I never want to be known as "that guy." As in when I was a resident we used to get the weirdest crap from outside docs who did the dumbest work-ups or terrible surgeries utilizing the best techniques from 40 years ago. As in we got another one from "that guy."

I hope that is never me. Even when I'm 80.

 

[TheThroat]

Polypectomies, parotids, BAHA's, thyroids, transsphenoidal approaches to the pituitary...as you can see, I like the variety of the speciality. That said, there aren't many surgeries that I don't like.

 

[rmm262002]

Are thyroids and parotids typically done by general ENTs? At my institution, those are done by head and neck surgeons. Thyroid (even benign) and parotidectomies are done by people with head and neck fellowships at my institution. The thyroidectomy is one of my favorite operations, but I don't think that I want to do a head and neck fellowship (though it's not out of the question), so it would definitely be good to know that I can still operate on benign thyroids without the fellowship.

 

[TheThroat]

There are a lot of programs out there that will prepare you for not just thyroids and parotids, but also neck dissections, laryngectomies, pec flaps, maxillectomies, etc.

 

[resxn]

At my residency, the head and neck guys rarely did thyroids and parotids, they left those for the general guys. The H&N's were too busy with the bigger stuff--craniofacials, composite resections, melanomas, etc.