Dr. Randal A. Otto - Professor, Chairman

The decision to go into medicine is generally not a difficult one to make for most individuals.  On the other hand, the decision of what specialty to enter may be one of the most difficult decisions you will ever make.  When you start the process, do it carefully.  You need to start out being absolutely honest with yourself and realize that the process is flawed. You may rotate on one service and be tempted to make a decision based on how well you liked - or did not like - the people you worked with. You likely will only see a very small component of what the specialty really involves.  So do your homework, remove any peer pressures that may exist, ask yourself tough questions about yourself, what motivates you, your passions and what your weaknesses are.

Now for Otolaryngology.  When I took the Otolaryngology rotation as a medical student, initially I thought it was OK, but I never really thought I would consider it-I didn't like mucous.  In reality, I obviously was wrong.  It is a specialty that covers a broad spectrum of patients and pathology.  We essentially take care of any disorders, medical or surgical, involving the head from the skull base to the clavicles, in patients of any age.  Thus there are many subspecialties within Otolaryngology such as Otology/ Neurotology, Rhinology, Otolaryngic Allergy, Laryngology, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Pediatric Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Oncology.  This is what makes this specialty so great - diversity of opportunities/complexity. During the residency, you will become competent to treat most diseases within any of these subspecialties.  If you are so inclined, you can even further your expertise by completing a fellowship in any one of these areas. 

The residency is generally 5 years, although some programs also have a T32 teaching grant creating an opportunity for incorporating an additional two years of research into the residency program.  Securing a residency in Otolaryngology is competitive, generally successful applicants originate from the upper 1/3 of graduating medical school classes. The first year of the residency involves rotations in a number of areas including Anesthesiology, General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Emergency Medicine, and Otolaryngology. The remaining 4 years involve progressive training in Otolaryngology with a mandatory requirement to complete a research rotation, which can vary in specifics from program to program.  Once the residency is successfully completed, you then become eligible to sit for a written and oral examination.

The lifestyle for the Otolaryngologist can really vary on how complex or how simple one chooses to construct their practice.  Those choosing Skull Base and Head and Neck Oncology will tend to have more demanding practices.  Overall though, individuals generally have pretty good control of their lifestyles.  This makes the specialty attractive to both genders. 

Randal A. Otto, MD