Head and Neck

[Dunce]

It's pretty clear that the majority of surgeons working on H&N cases these days are OHNS-trained. Out of curiosity, how common or uncommon is it for someone to end up doing similar work after a general surgery residency -- either by completing a H&N fellowship or just creating their own niche?

I know of a small handful of examples of people doing a Head and Neck fellowship after Gen Surg, but those were almost 10+ years ago. Just curious to know if it still happens.

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[resxn]

It's pretty clear that the majority of surgeons working on H&N cases these days are OHNS-trained. Out of curiosity, how common or uncommon is it for someone to end up doing similar work after a general surgery residency -- either by completing a H&N fellowship or just creating their own niche?

I know of a small handful of examples of people doing a Head and Neck fellowship after Gen Surg, but those were almost 10+ years ago. Just curious to know if it still happens.

When I trained in Denver, there was only 1 general surgeon still doing true HNS as an ENT would define it. He was old and on his way out though. There is one also at the University of Nebraska right now--older but fairly well-respected. He was trained in South Africa and England, however.

You are right, there are a few here and there and I do know of a general surgeon who got into a head and neck fellowship about 3 years ago, but it is a rare occurrence, at least from what I've witnessed so far in my brief career.

I'm not sure it's too easy to create your own niche these days simply because head and neck oncology is such a multi-disciplinary disease that it would be difficult for a general surgeon to bust into that niche and garner the support from an existing tumor board, just like it is for ENT's to get into a cleft palate practice without a fellowship. I'm sure it could be done, but just not the easiest path.

(One reason I think it's tough is that the general surgery RRC requirements for "head and neck surgery" are so lax that you can count LN biopsies for case load. In Colorado, it wasn't uncommon for a chief in general surgery to have only done 1 or 2 "true" neck dissections at the most and universally these were for thyroid cancer, not SCCa. Entirely different beast and certainly the dissection is far less crucial for the former. )

 

[TheThroat]

GS residents who really want to do H&N can do a H&N fellowship, but it is pretty rare.

 

[vent]

Almost all H&N Fellowship in their requirement consider ENT, GS or PS backgorund.

 

[dantheman]

Almost all H&N Fellowship in their requirement consider ENT, GS or PS backgorund.

What are the chances of getting a H&N fellowship after a GS residency? From an earlier post it was said that many of the oto fellowships go unfilled (including H&N), just wondering how the GS trained folks fit into this.

Thanks

 

[toofache32]

What are the chances of getting a H&N fellowship after a GS residency? From an earlier post it was said that many of the oto fellowships go unfilled (including H&N), just wondering how the GS trained folks fit into this.

I don't really know, but I would guess the chances are pretty good given that the H&N fellowships are having trouble filling their spots to begin with in the last few years.

 

[vent]

What are the chances of getting a H&N fellowship after a GS residency? From an earlier post it was said that many of the oto fellowships go unfilled (including H&N), just wondering how the GS trained folks fit into this.

Thanks

I made inquiries to about 20 programs. Most PD are open to consider GS graduate. Some programs wrote me that cannot have GS fellow since most call the fellow also covers ENT service, while oncall. From 2-3 PD I have a sense that they are really interested.
So my feeling is it is pretty possible.

 

[dantheman]

I made inquiries to about 20 programs. Most PD are open to consider GS graduate. Some programs wrote me that cannot have GS fellow since most call the fellow also covers ENT service, while oncall. From 2-3 PD I have a sense that they are really interested.
So my feeling is it is pretty possible.

Thank you very much for the info.