General Program Outline

Five Year Training Program

 PGY-1               PGY-2               PGY-3               PGY-4               PGY-5
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PGY-1 Resident

The PGY-1 year is managed by the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences as mandated by the ACGME. Rotations include general surgery, plastic surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical intensive care, trauma surgery, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesia, and three months in otolaryngology. All rotations are completed in Medical College of Wisconsin affiliated hospitals.
 

The PGY-1 year is designed to allow the resident to accumulate background information leading to more specialized training. Trainees emerge from this year with excellent patient care skills, particularly in the management for seriously ill individuals.
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PGY-2 Resident

The PGY-2 year consists of 12 months of otolaryngology with rotations at Froedtert Hospital, Children's Hospital, and VA Medical Center. The PGY-2 resident is exposed to a variety of clinical dilemmas and diseases and is guided by faculty and more senior level residents.
 

The resident perfects examination techniques in this year and learns to evaluate patients in the outpatient and inpatient settings.
 

The PGY-2 resident begins to display learning through participation in conferences and case presentations. Examples of early surgical experience include: myringotomy, tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, tracheotomy, endoscopy, and skin and oral cavity excisions. The PGY-2 resident assists in more complex procedures. Direct supervision is required for all surgical procedures at all of the institutions.
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 PGY-3 Resident

The PGY-3 year includes 3 months of dedicated research along with 2 months of research and weekly VA clinic.  A research proposal must be developed and presented, under the mentorship of a faculty member, before beginning the PGY-3 year. 

One month of electives (divided weekly with the VA clinic) are dedicated specifically for resident exposure to allergy, audiology, speech and head and neck radiology. 

Four months of the PGY-3 year are spent on rotations at Froedtert Hospital, rotating specifically on the rhinology service, plastics service and general otolaryngology service.

The PGY-3 resident will continue to learn to diagnose a broad spectrum of adult and pediatric patients presenting to the clinic, emergency room, and as inpatient consultations.
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PGY-4 Resident

The PGY-4 year consists of rotations at Froedtert Hospital (8 months) and Children's Hospital (4 months). While at Children's, the resident first tests his/her administrative skills, serving as Chief Resident.
 

The PGY-4 resident is expected to be able to discuss all but the most complex patients.  Surgical experience includes a variety of more complex procedures, including major head and neck, sinus, and pediatric, although the resident continues to assist on the most complex cases.
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PGY-5 Resident

The PGY-5 year consists of four months at the VA Medical Center and eight months at Froedtert Hospital; the PGY-5 serves as Chief Resident at both institutions.

The PGY-5 resident routinely performs complex head and neck, otology, sinus, general, and reconstructive procedures under faculty supervision.
 

They may also be involved in multi-disciplinary surgical procedures with plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and neurosurgery.
 

The PGY-5 resident is expected to be capable of discussing the most complicated patients, confidently handling emergencies, recognizing and handling complications, seeking help at appropriate decision points, and expertly teaching more junior level trainees and medical students.
 

In addition, increased administrative and teaching duties further prepare each PGY-5 resident to become an independent otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon.   

Formal teaching includes Grand Rounds and morbidity and mortality conferences, weekly subspecialty conferences, weekly core curriculum lectures (Fall-Spring), and weekly head and neck tumor conference. There are annual fresh cadaver dissections of the head and neck, including soft tissue, sinus endoscopy, laryngeal surgery, facial plastic techniques, temporal bone dissection, and a laser bronchoscopy course. Residents harvest temporal bones and drill in a fully equipped temporal bone laboratory, which was recently expanded into a 750 square foot microsurgery facility.