Following the success of the General Surgical Skills Programme, a parallel ENT surgical skills programme was set up. ENT trainees attend bi-monthly teaching sessions in the wetlab at Imperial College, St. Mary's hospital campus. 

 

Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgical Training Curriculum

The ENT curriculum for this year includes:

• ST3 Boot Camp - Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 October 2022
• FONA and endoscopic ear surgery - Thursday 26 January and Friday 27 January 2023
• Laser Safety workshop - Tuesday 21 February 2023
• Rhinology - Thursday 16 and 23 March 2023
• Local skin flaps - Tuesday 25 April and Tuesday 2 May 2023
• Bronchoscopy - Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 June 2023
• Human cadaver session (head and neck dissection) - Tuesday 27 June and Thursday 6 July 2023

Teaching is consultant-led and procedures are practised on a range of porcine and sheep tissue.

Developments in ENT Simulation Training

The ENT simulation programme has also developed and delivered a theatre-based, multidisciplinary simulation day concentrating on the non-operative skills of teamwork, leadership and situational awareness. 

 

ENT surgical trainees, anaesthetic trainees and theatre nursing staff undertook six ENT themed scenarios throughout the day.  Six ‘operative teams’ (one ENT, one anaesthetist and one nurse), were put into a high fidelity simulated theatre environment and briefed to undertake an operation as they would in real life. 

 

At some unknown point during the simulation, an ENT themed ‘crisis’ was thrown into the scenario (e.g. laser airway fire, bleeding vocal cord, foreign body in airway, anaphylaxis, etc).  Using a specially developed tool to assess skills in an ENT surgical environment, teams were assessed on their non-technical skills and teamwork which was followed with a full debrief.