Educational Program

The PGY1 year includes rotations on the following services: Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery (3 months), General Surgery (Neurosurgery, Thoracic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Trauma Surgery, and Burn Surgery), Anesthesiology, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency Medicine.

The PGY2 year is divided into two 6-month blocks. For residents in the 5-year program, half of the year is spent in clinical service at WakeMed Hospitals. The other half of the year is spent conducting resident directed research at the UNC campus. Residents in the 7-year program spend 2 years beginning after their PGY1 year conducting basic science and clinical research at the UNC campus.

The PGY3 and PGY4 years are spent rotating through the 3 services within the Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery at the UNC campus. The services are Pediatrics/Otology, Head and Neck Oncology/Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Rhinology/Laryngology. In addition, during each of these years residents spend a 3-month block at WakeMed Hospitals.

The PGY5 year is divided into 4 blocks. The PGY5 residents spend one block as the Administrative Chief Resident who is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the daily activities of all of the services. The remaining 3 blocks are spent leading each of the Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery services at the UNC campus.

Our graduates have great success obtaining fellowship training in the various subdisciplines of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery as well as positions in academic and private practice. Thus, continuing our tradition of developing leaders in the field of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery.

The objectives of the residency training program in Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery at the University of North Carolina are to train a competent professional with experience, knowledge and an understanding of all aspects of the field. The program is five years in duration and we have an alternative career path of seven years with two of those years in the lab supported by an NIH T32 Training Grant. During the five years of training, the resident becomes trained in all aspects of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery.