What's in your bag of tricks when you practice as an Attending (generalist)?

[HEENTdude]

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Med student here. I've heard that surgeons and ENT's specifically should have about 25 - 30 procedures they are comfortable performing to make a living after residency.

Obvious answers from what I can tell and have read are: T&A, BMT, neck dissections, parathyroid, thyroid, lump and bump excisions, non-complicated head and neck cancer resections, mastoidectomies, tympanoplasties, DL's with nodule and polyp excisions and/or lasering, possibly simpler flaps?, FESS, septoplasty, rhinoplasty, Zenker's, trachs, laryngectomies?

That's all I can think of off the top of my head although I know I'm missing a bunch. Is the list more extensive or less extensive. I know its case by case depending on the surgeon's experience and comfort level with the procedure. I can't wait to begin learning them!

 

[OtoHNS]

Obvious answers from what I can tell and have read are: T&A, BMT, neck dissections, parathyroid, thyroid, lump and bump excisions, non-complicated head and neck cancer resections, mastoidectomies, tympanoplasties, DL's with nodule and polyp excisions and/or lasering, possibly simpler flaps?, FESS, septoplasty, rhinoplasty, Zenker's, trachs, laryngectomies?

In private practice, you can really do whatever procedures you want. As an ENT, you can make a pretty good living just seeing patients in the office alone, so I wouldn't say that anyone HAS to do a particular number of procedures. I've seen one person who only does tubes, T+A, and septoplasties. Others may do advanced cancer cases, ear cases, or whatever else that they want to do. One of the joys of private practice is that you are in charge of what you do.

I focus my practice on bread and butter stuff, sinus cases, thyroids and parotids, and am working on building up my facial plastics. I don't particularly like ears, so I generally send any ear cases to a couple of my partners who like to do them.

I personally refer most cancer cases- not because I can't do the surgery, but because the reimbursement and enjoyment of doing a big whack are not worth the time and effort of having high-risk patients in the hospital for 5-7 days postop (if you are lucky and there's no complication). There's not a team of residents doing the rounding for me.

 

[neutropeniaboy]

There is no set number.

As a generalist, however, you should be able to do the following:
T&A
tubes
simple mastoidectomy
basic tympanoplasty
septoplasty
turbinate reduction
basic sinus surgery
laryngoscopy
VC injections
thyroidectomy
tracheostomy
LN excision

But, like the previous poster said, you can make a very good living just seeing patients in clinic and never doing a procedure.

Med student here. I've heard that surgeons and ENT's specifically should have about 25 - 30 procedures they are comfortable performing to make a living after residency.