Mission

The mission of the SAUSHEC Otolaryngology Residency Program is to develop patient-centered otolaryngologists advancing evidence-based care for a war-fighting force, leading military medicine through the 21st Century; Anytime, Anywhere - Always.

Vision

The SAUSHEC Otolaryngology Residency Program will be the world’s leading military otolaryngology training platform.

Aims

Our Otolaryngology Residency Program has three primary aims:

• We produce board certified, comprehensive otolaryngologists to care for the war-fighting force.
• We seek innovation through research and quality improvement related to military otolaryngology.
• We develop leaders in the military and the otolaryngology community.

Residents have weekly reading assignments that rotate on a two-year academic cycle. Twice a month, we have a full day of academics. The first half of these academic days are performed jointly with the otolaryngology program at University of Texas Health Sciences Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA) using traditional didactic teaching methods. These sessions include perioperative discussions, quality improvement, grand rounds, and case-based learning sessions. The second half of the day focuses on interactive education including journal clubs, hands-on training with equipment, and cadaver labs at the direction of the core subspecialty course leaders. Throughout the year, we also have quarterly sessions on military unique studies, research, quality improvement, and leadership.

• Team A - Neurotology, Rhinology, & Sleep Medicine
• Team B - Comprehensive, Head & Neck Oncology, Pediatric
• Team C - Plastic & Reconstructive

Call responsibilities at the Main Site include patient care coverage at BAMC, WHASC, and the VA. Call teams consist of a junior resident, a senior resident, and a faculty member. Residents can expect to take call every 4-6 days, depending on the rotation. Trauma call is shared, rotating roughly every other week, with the Oral Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) service.

Training at the DOD’s only Level I trauma center allows our residents to be a truly Ready Medical Force when it comes to Head & Neck trauma. Over the past three years, our graduating residents have been in the 91st percentile in terms of craniomaxillofacial trauma key indicator cases.

In addition, a truly multidisciplinary educational experience is fostered by our monthly Craniomaxillofacial Trauma conference. The session is attended by Otolaryngology, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Ophthalmology, and Neurosurgery from around the globe, with up to eight DOD locations participating virtually.

Our program also hosts quarterly sessions that reviews topics that are relevant to the unique challenges and requirements of military medicine including:

• Military officership responsibilities
• Overview of the military health care system
• Role of otolaryngologists in combat zones
• Fitness for duty assessments
• Military medical research priorities
• Humanitarian efforts

Temporal Bone Course

This 2-day annual course, now in its fourth decade, is run by SAUSHEC’s Otolaryngology Residency Program jointly with University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA). Preeminent neurotologists from around the country provide multiple lectures, which are followed by dedicated lab time for a series of temporal bone dissections.

Orbital Dissection Course

This week-long annual course is held jointly with the OMFS and Ophthalmology services. This multidisciplinary course offers a unique opportunity to learn from our colleagues on how they approach craniomaxillofacial trauma, including orbital, midface, and mandibular soft tissue and fracture management.

Research Day

This annual meeting is held jointly with UTHSA. Prominent, nationally recognized clinician scientists present their own research. In addition, the PGY3 and PGY5 residents from each training program present from their own research repertoire.

Simulation within our program is aimed for residents to gain comfort and familiarity with procedures prior to advanced responsibility. Residents participate in various simulations throughout the year, including airway management with laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy instrument training. The crux of the program is focused on utilization of the cadaveric procedure lab, which provides opportunities for self-directed education, as well as informal (e.g. laryngology, rhinology, plastic surgery) and formal (e.g. Temporal Bone Course) faculty-led instruction.

Our program incorporates lessons from the Leadership Education and Development 2.0 (LEAD 2.0) curriculum into our didactic offerings on a quarterly basis. The curriculum is composed of 8 core topics, each with well-defined goals and objectives: leadership fundamentals (leadership styles, definitions, etc.), mentoring and coaching, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, feedback, managing effectively, building an effective team, and implementing change). Teaching methods are interactive and based on the Kolb Learning Cycle and Adult Learning Theory.

Residents have three one-month long research blocks administering projects, writing manuscripts, and preparing presentations. Residents on research blocks are expected to provide updates on their projects’ progress during dedicated quarterly sessions. In addition, PGY3 and PGY5 residents showcase their research during our annual Research Day.

Residents receive education on study design, literature review, manuscript writing, and critical evaluation of the literature, with opportunities to receive additional education on writing protocols, handling animals, performing statistics, and developing code.

Our residents have been productive at earning oral presentations at national meetings, participating in multi-institutional research teams, and even writing books that have been used by other otolaryngology residents. Our residents have access to graduate medical education-targeted grants to support their research. Many of our residents and faculty have recently won locoregional, military, and national awards for their research.

In addition, many faculty have been successful garnering grants for bench, animal, and clinical projects, and residents regularly participate in performing these studies.

Quality Improvement: Our program utilizes the Common Core Curriculum for Quality & Safety (C3QS), which provides a foundational understanding of quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS) principles. Aside from monthly Morbidity & Mortality conferences, residents participate in quarterly QIPS sessions, where project status updates are provided and future projects are proposed and explored.

Professional development opportunities are embedded within many of our quarterly conferences that cover military unique studies, research, quality improvement, and leadership topics. Each of our chief residents also gains practical experience as they serve in one of three leadership roles: administrative chief, academic chief, and liaison chief. In addition, there are numerous SAUSHEC committees, as well as a Housestaff Council that have positions available for resident representatives.

Main Site Rotations

• Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) / Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center (WHASC)
• Burn ICU (BICU)
• General Surgery (GS)
• Neurosurgery (NS)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS)
• Radiology (RADS)
• Surgical Trauma ICU (STICU)
• Team A (Neurotology, Rhinology, & Sleep Medicine)
• Team B (Comprehensive, Head & Neck Oncology, Pediatric)
• Team C (Plastic & Reconstructive)
• Research (RSCH)
• South Texas Veterans Health Care, Audie L. Murphy Division (VA)

Off Site Rotations

• Christus Children’s (CHOSA), San Antonio, Texas
• Methodist Hospital (Meth), San Antonio, Texas
• University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT), San Antonio, Texas
• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDA), Houston, Texas

Medical students are encouraged to rotate with us! Uniformed Services University (USU) 3rd year medical students may rotate with us as part of their elective option during their surgery clerkship. Sub-intern and elective rotations are available for 4th year medical students. If you are interviewing, please join us between June and September. Please email us 6 months prior to your anticipated rotation to allow for us to coordinate with you: dha.jbsa.brooke-amc.list.saushec-oto@health.mil. 

Prior to interviews, we ask for a copy of your CV and personal statement. Interviews are conducted during your rotation with us, but we can coordinate a telephone interview if you cannot visit us. At a minimum, you will interview with the Program Director, Associate Program Director, and core faculty members. We look for a variety of characteristics in our applicants, including fund of knowledge, scholarship, and professional citizenship. We also listen closely to our residents’ experience with each applicant, especially their ability to work well within the team. For more information on interviewing, please contact: dha.jbsa.brooke-amc.list.saushec-oto@health.mil.

Program graduates take the American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery board exam. This exam is offered annually, and there is a written and oral portion. To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to take the certification exam within seven years following graduation. To be eligible to take specialty board exams, you must complete otolaryngology residency by June of your final academic year. To be eligible to take oral boards, you must pass written boards and engage in a case collection process with required minimum. This is a newer transition, and more details will be forthcoming.

BAMC is a clerkship site for Uniformed Services University (USU), so we frequently have 3rd year medical students rotating with us as an elective option during their surgery clerkship; our residents are their primary teachers. In addition, throughout June – September, we have several 4th year medical students present for audition rotations. Physician Assistant (PA) students and transitional, anesthesia, and internal medicine interns/residents also rotate through our department and provide opportunities for near peer teaching.

In addition to clinical teaching opportunities, our residents are key contributors to our educational efforts and routinely provide content during all the curricular components noted above. They also have opportunities to teach during locoregional and national conferences throughout their training.

• Comprehensive (1)
• Head & Neck Oncology (4)
• Neurotology (3)
• Pediatric (1)
• Plastic & Reconstructive (3)
• Rhinology (3)
• Sleep Medicine (3)

Mentoring is traditionally defined as the process whereby an experienced person (the mentor) guides another individual (the mentee) in the development of their own ideas, learning, and professional development. Our program currently has a formal mentorship program focused on all aspects of otolaryngology training, with particular attention to clinical judgment, professionalism, work-life integration, and well-being. Residents are paired with an individual faculty based on shared interests. Formal lunches occur on a quarterly basis and informal meetings may occur at any time at the discretion of the mentor/mentee. The mentorship director evaluates satisfaction with mentor/mentee pairings on an annual basis and requests for change are considered based on availability.

Our program appreciates the multitude of resources that have been developed by the institution to support a holistic view on wellness, including physical, mental, spiritual, social, intellectual, and occupational. In addition, we have quarterly wellness events termed Fifth Tuesday Fun. In the morning hours, residents have free time to accomplish many of life’s needs that must take place during business hours. In the afternoon, we have a joint event with residents and faculty. Some examples of past activities include paintball, bowling, laser tag, and pickleball. Our department also hosts regular hail and farewell events and holiday parties throughout the year.