Importance of research in ENT?

[njtrimed]

According to the ENTs I work with, otolaryngology is not a field the majority of students stumble upon until rotations, unless they have some prior exposure to the field through family or friends. I have worked as a surgical technologist for years and although I am keeping an open mind, especially given how competitive it has become since I first started working in the OR, I really enjoy ENT. Most of the cases we do in my facility are straightforward "bread and butter" cases like tonsillectomies, sinus surgery, thyroidectomies, and BMTs. What first piqued my interest in the field was my experience on medical missions abroad scrubbing for microtia and cleft palate repairs. I personally love working with both kids and adults and that every case pretty much solves a problem. And maybe this is completely naive, but I feel like ENT bridges a gap between medicine and surgery in a way that most (not all) surgical fields do not, since you're dealing with pathology that can be handled in the office as well as conditions that require surgical intervention. It even bridges several surgical fields; there are aspects of general surgery in parotidectomies and thyroid surgery, and a hint of ortho and neuro in FESS. As someone who has spent years in every specialty, the ENT realm is where I feel like I would never be bored even in a quiet private practice.

As an incoming MS1, I would just like to know how to best approach pursuing a career in ENT. I may have an opportunity to do research in the field starting soon, and I am wondering how important that is. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

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[Wordead]

research is vital to the application process.

FYI, ENT is only going to do microtia/cleft repairs at a few select institutions in the country. Thats usually plastics territory; we only do it abroad for the most part.

 

[Doxorubicin]

research is vital to the application process.

FYI, ENT is only going to do microtia/cleft repairs at a few select institutions in the country. Thats usually plastics territory; we only do it abroad for the most part.

Are basic science and clinical research equally valuable? Or would working on clinical research or writing up case reports be better for (generally) faster publications?

 

[ski89]

Are basic science and clinical research equally valuable? Or would working on clinical research or writing up case reports be better for (generally) faster publications?

Valuable yes, viable no - 9/10 stick with clinical research (chart reviews, prospective studies, systematic reviews/meta-analysis, case studies, etc.). If you took a research year or something of the sort I could see you doing basic science and getting something valuable out of it.

 

[njtrimed]

research is vital to the application process.

FYI, ENT is only going to do microtia/cleft repairs at a few select institutions in the country. Thats usually plastics territory; we only do it abroad for the most part.

Thanks for the input! I know not to expect to do microtia/cleft palate repairs. The residents who joined our missions were PGY2-3 at top programs who had never gotten to see those cases either. What draws me to the field is the cases I see every day, because I think it's amazing that such "routine" cases are life-changing. I hear the positive progress reports from the doctors when I ask about certain patients, but I also hear it from parents as I walk them out of the OR, and that's really powerful to me, especially now that I have my own kid. They're less anxious about leaving a child in our care, under general anesthesia, because their older sibling had constant issues that kept them out of school and/or affected their behavior and after having tubes or T&A surgery they are much happier. It also seems like we rarely see adult patients more than once or twice. I think that the cases most ENT surgeons perform are interesting and have a huge impact on quality of life. Correct me if I'm completely naive here, but it seems like ENT is the perfect marriage between effective surgical intervention and quality primary care.

I will pursue research in the field. At worst, I will choose a different field or will find that choice is made for me if I miss the mark on step 1, and at best it will help me. The only question I have left is whether it will hurt me if I pursue a less competitive field later?

 

[Wordead]

Thanks for the input! I know not to expect to do microtia/cleft palate repairs. The residents who joined our missions were PGY2-3 at top programs who had never gotten to see those cases either. What draws me to the field is the cases I see every day, because I think it's amazing that such "routine" cases are life-changing. I hear the positive progress reports from the doctors when I ask about certain patients, but I also hear it from parents as I walk them out of the OR, and that's really powerful to me, especially now that I have my own kid. They're less anxious about leaving a child in our care, under general anesthesia, because their older sibling had constant issues that kept them out of school and/or affected their behavior and after having tubes or T&A surgery they are much happier. It also seems like we rarely see adult patients more than once or twice. I think that the cases most ENT surgeons perform are interesting and have a huge impact on quality of life. Correct me if I'm completely naive here, but it seems like ENT is the perfect marriage between effective surgical intervention and quality primary care.

I will pursue research in the field. At worst, I will choose a different field or will find that choice is made for me if I miss the mark on step 1, and at best it will help me. The only question I have left is whether it will hurt me if I pursue a less competitive field later?

It's not a matter of top program or not; more the setting. Some are programs where plastics has a weak presence and others are in areas where there are so many inbred townies that their rate of clefts are astronomical compared to the rest of the country. As for seeing patients no more than once or twice; that's true in some cases like trauma and basic peds but it sounds like you're at a community hospital that doesnt do "higher level" ENT. Cancer, sleep, laryngology, some sinus stuff will have fairly extensive follow up (5+ years in some cases).

Research should not hurt you, but you'll need a good explanation for why you switched, that's all.

 

[njtrimed]

It's not a matter of top program or not; more the setting. Some are programs where plastics has a weak presence and others are in areas where there are so many inbred townies that their rate of clefts are astronomical compared to the rest of the country. As for seeing patients no more than once or twice; that's true in some cases like trauma and basic peds but it sounds like you're at a community hospital that doesnt do "higher level" ENT. Cancer, sleep, laryngology, some sinus stuff will have fairly extensive follow up (5+ years in some cases).

Research should not hurt you, but you'll need a good explanation for why you switched, that's all.

Thank you! And I'm sorry; I think my previous posts may have been unclear. The medical school I will be attending this fall is a great program in a major city, and the research opportunity I have is excellent; I was pretty blown away by some of the studies I saw, and the case studies they presented us at our second look day. I have been working with private practice ENTs in a surgical center, where the majority of our more common T&As, thyroidectomies, FESS, etc. If I am lucky enough to be in the position to pursue ENT, I anticipate that I will see mostly straightforward cases like those. One of my favorite doctors advised me that I should look at every field as an 80/20 split, and that if I am content with the 80% that are typical cases, it's the right field for me. I thought about that, and realized that while I have worked in a major trauma center where we dealt with more of the exciting cases I will see in medical school, and I also helped with the unusual ones (microtia repairs and cleft palates) on medical missions, I would be happy in private practice, too.

Obviously I am getting ahead of myself as an incoming MS1, but I am not a kid, and I would like to try to plan my path as wisely as possible. I know ENT is a reach for the most talented medical students at this point in time, and since I really love it, I should give it my all.

Thank you for all your advice! I welcome any other comments you may have.