Lets Talk ENT

[Crusher]

Hey Guys! Looking for some info on ENT. I know this is a very competitive field...anyone know what kind of board scores are required?

Also, I'm going to plan on doing a 4th year ENT rotation in July and then an away rotation in August in ENT. Now, I know my app will have to be in before I finish the away so there will be no letters of rec from that dept, but I'm assuming me being there will still help me out in the long run at that program??

I'm very interested to know what some current ENT to be's or residents have to say about this field.
Thanks! Rob

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[Ernest T. Bass]

Good luck on finding any info here. There doesn't seem to be many ENT hopefuls around. I too am planning an away rotation in ENT for JULY then a home rotation in August. If you look at the SF match site, not all programs require your application to be in by August. It is a Target Date, whatever the hell that means. So if the attending will be reasonably quick about getting a letter written for you, it probably won't be a problem.
As far as scores go, the average last year was in the low 230's. There is a thread somewhere around here from right after early match that deailed the scores from each of the early match specialties.
The main thing I'm looking for is info on the different programs concerning resident lifestyle, faculty personality, etc. There has to be students out there who did ENT rotations 3rd year who could give me some insight.
Also, I think the biggest thing about doing an away rotation is that it basicaly gaurantees you an interview there unless you suck really bad. On the other hand, unless you really shine there you hurt your chances. Directors will always take someone who seems great during the interview process over a student who they know is less than perfect.
Finally there is a website <a href="http://pub75.ezboard.com/botolaryngologyresidencyapplicants" target="_blank">http://pub75.ezboard.com/botolaryngologyresidencyapplicants</a>
maybe people will start meeting there soon to discuss ENT for this year.

 

[njbmd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Ernest T. Bass:
•Good luck on finding any info here. There doesn't seem to be many ENT hopefuls around. I too am planning an away rotation in ENT for JULY then a home rotation in August. If you look at the SF match site, not all programs require your application to be in by August. It is a Target Date, whatever the hell that means. So if the attending will be reasonably quick about getting a letter written for you, it probably won't be a problem.
As far as scores go, the average last year was in the low 230's. There is a thread somewhere around here from right after early match that deailed the scores from each of the early match specialties.
The main thing I'm looking for is info on the different programs concerning resident lifestyle, faculty personality, etc. There has to be students out there who did ENT rotations 3rd year who could give me some insight.
Also, I think the biggest thing about doing an away rotation is that it basicaly gaurantees you an interview there unless you suck really bad. On the other hand, unless you really shine there you hurt your chances. Directors will always take someone who seems great during the interview process over a student who they know is less than perfect.
Finally there is a website <a href="http://pub75.ezboard.com/botolaryngologyresidencyapplicants" target="_blank">http://pub75.ezboard.com/botolaryngologyresidencyapplicants</a>
maybe people will start meeting there soon to discuss ENT for this year.•••••Hi there,
I did an ENT rotation third year and fourth year and planned on applying for ENT. My research was in ENT, (techniques for percutaneous bedside trach and variations on the blood supply to the superior parathyroid glands). I loved the surgery and find it the most elegant of the surgical specialties. Even better, my ENT attendings were outstanding teachers. In the end I applied to General Surgery because I found that I wanted more variety than just head and neck.I also love penetrating trauma. While you do get an occasional trauma patient in ENT, most of the ENT trauma patients were dead before we could get them to surgery. I did an Endocrine/General Surgery clerkship at Mayo and really cinched my decision to do General over ENT.

The lifestyle of ENT is sure better than general surgery but I have to love what I am doing and I found that I loved General/Endocrine more than ENT. I looked at the ENT program at Georgetown and at Mayo and found both to outstanding programs with good experiences and faculty.

ENT is competitive so plan on having some solid research both clinical and basic on your application in addition to good USMLE Step I scores. I can tell you that I found nothing negative about ENT except lack of variety. Good luck! :wink:

 

[TheThroat]

I am an intern in oto and am doing my gen surg year right now. I am really looking forward to starting next year. Oto is a great field in my slightly biased opinion. It is a surgical specialty, so a good bit of time is spent in the OR. The surgeries are very satisfying, with tonsils and PE tubes being the bread and butter. The patients and the specialty are very diverse. You deal with pediatric populations as well as the elderly. The surgeries can be very fast (about 5 minutes for a set of PE tubes) to very long (free flap total laryngectomy= over 8 hours, or longer). The subspecialties include otology, head and neck surgery, facial plastics, and pedi oto. All things considered, I would highly recommend it.

It is pretty competitive, but having research in the field is a definite help. Of course, med school grades and board scores are important. Since the field is small, a rec from an oto attending is pretty important in my opinion, as well.

On another note, I can't wait to be done with my g-surg internship!

 

[spiderman719]

Crusher,

Welcome to SDN! I'm a graduating student who will start my ENT resdidency next year (or, at least, the general surgery part of it).

First off, it sounds like you're pretty interested in ENT, which is great. The specialty is, as The Throat pointed out, quite broad in terms of patients (young and old, healthy and sick) and medical conditions. Some of the things you treat include peds (tubes and tonsils, foreign objects, congenital malformations), head and neck cancer, hearing loss and related neuro-otology, sinus disease and allergies, facial plastics, facial trauma, voice/laryngology, snoring and sleep apnea, and thyroid/parathyroid disease. The variety of different procedures you can perform is dizzying, and it is extremely difficult to master all of the diverse surgeries.

The perception by some that ENT is a narrow field is a combination of a lack of exposure to the field on the part of most medical students, and the fact that ENT is a specialty that you choose right out of medical school. In many other surgical or medicine sub-specialties, you first do a more broad-based residency, and then specialize during your fellowship.

As far as competitiveness, I would focus less on board scores (which you can't change now anyway) and more on the things you can do now to improve your application. Good letters of recommendation from known ENT faculty, research (does not have to be ENT), and good interviewing skills can go a long way.

As for your away rotation, I did mine in August as well, but I sent in my applications the first week of August (~2 weeks before the "Target Date"). Thus, I didn't send my away recommendation with my application. I highly recommend mailing your application early because I know people who were contacted after submitting their application that something was missing. It can take weeks to resolve these issues and get your application on the road. You can always send an additional letter of recommendation from your away rotation later (but you will have to send it directly to the schools).

I hope that answered some of your questions. Good luck!

 

[Crusher]

Hey thanks guys!

I'm going to try and get in on some clinical trials work this year (starting 3rd year in 1 month). I have some basic science research from undergrad and between 1st and 2nd year as well.

Can't wait to get on the wards and get this board exam over with...