Is undergraduate otorhinolaryngology teaching relevant to junior doctors working in accident and emergency departments?

Abstract

Undergraduate ENT teaching provides junior doctors with skills and knowledge useful for the practice of medicine. However, ENT has been removed from the curriculum of nine of the 29 medical schools in the United Kingdom, as it was not deemed relevant to general medical practice. A telephone survey was performed of 20 senior house officers working in accident and emergency (A&E) departments across the United Kingdom. The results showed that 90 per cent felt their undergraduate ENT teaching was directly beneficial to working in A&E, 75 per cent felt they had not received enough undergraduate ENT teaching and 45 per cent currently received no postgraduate teaching whilst working in A&E. These results illustrate the importance of ENT teaching in the undergraduate curriculum and its value to practising doctors. They highlight the fact that prospective studies are required to examine the effect on junior doctors of changing the curriculum.