Program Reputations

[nacholibre]

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Hey all,

Let me start by saying I know that just to get into any ENT program is a real feat and I recognize that I am in no position to be picking and choosing between programs. I also understand that different programs will fit different applicants better and worse, and that you might be able to get a better "learning experience" from smaller programs than from the big hitters.

That being said, what programs have the best/worst reputations in the field. Of course I have looked at USNEWS report, but I think that doesn't always line up with quality of the residency or quality of learning opportunities.

So I was wondering
1)What are the best ENT programs in the country?
2)Do any programs stand out in H&N, otology, and plastics (my favs)?
3)Are any programs known for an abundance or lack of OR cases?
4)Any programs you would say (off the record of course) are really bad programs
5)etc.

 

[resxn]

I doubt that the attendings here will add much to any discussion. This is a troll question to most attendings. It is the stuff that med students and young residents argue about that amounts to pretty much a hill of beans in the end. I used to think this was an important question too. However, like with most things in life, you'll get out of it what you put into it. What makes a good ENT is the person, not the program.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

I doubt that the attendings here will add much to any discussion. This is a troll question to most attendings. It is the stuff that med students and young residents argue about that amounts to pretty much a hill of beans in the end. I used to think this was an important question too. However, like with most things in life, you'll get out of it what you put into it. What makes a good ENT is the person, not the program.

I would agree with this. I've met fabulous people and great clinicians from all different programs. I think any allopathic program is solid, some just have different things that they focus on i.e. do more of.

 

[neutropeniaboy]

I doubt that the attendings here will add much to any discussion. This is a troll question to most attendings. It is the stuff that med students and young residents argue about that amounts to pretty much a hill of beans in the end. I used to think this was an important question too. However, like with most things in life, you'll get out of it what you put into it. What makes a good ENT is the person, not the program.

I agree with this completely.

I will add that some programs fall into trouble, and as a student you may want to avoid them. unfortunately, it's hard for a student to recognize these programs.

 

[nacholibre]

Dang, 2 thread starts in a in one day that I got shut down on for simple curiosity. I guess I better come up with some more thought provoking material.

 

[plauto]

When I was applying I was specifically told by several attendings to stay away from a specific program in semi-upstate NY because it has become more of a private practice program and the emphasis has moved away from teaching. That's the only program that stood out to me during the application process

 

[lipofuscin232]

Do you have any idea if you want to subspecialize? In my opinion, if you want to go to a top residency program, it should be one with a few different qualities:
1) Experience - This will come with faculty that are highly specialized ie. ideally a fellowship trained staff in each subspecialty. You are more likely to learn how to perform a complete revision FESS by a rhinologist than you would with a generalist that rarely does complex cases, same goes for otology cases, etc. Therefore, when you look at programs, make sure they have a designated laryngologist, otologist, rhinologist, H&N oncologist, plastic surgeon. These will likely be the larger programs at big name academic institutions
2) High volume - You want to stay busy. The more patients you see in clinic, the more operating cases you do, the more experience you have under your belt, period. Check the case logs at the programs your interested in. This will give you some idea of how busy the program is.
3) Appropriate autonomy - You want to be able to perform cases at your comfort level, not just be your staff's personal little OR PA, but you also want to learn the right way to do things without being left to fly solo too early. When you interview, all programs will try to tell you what you want to hear. Therefore, the only way you will really get the true feeling for how much autonomy residents get, you will have to do an away rotation, or talk to somebody you truly trust to give you a true sense of what goes on at the program.

With that being said, I would shy away from relying on online websites to look for opinions on an individual program. People will tend to bash competing programs or those they did not get interviews at, etc. Use your OWN judgement.