Southwest Campus

Otorhinolaryngology

Mid Dakota Clinic, St. Alexius Medical Center and Medcenter One

SURG 9108

Participating Faculty: Steven D. Spotts, M.D.

Offered: All periods
Positions: 1

Objectives of the Electives:

  1. The goals of the elective are to familiarize the fourth-year medical student with the scope of modern otorhinolaryngology/head and neck medicine and surgery.
  2. To assist the fourth-year medical student in the basic procedures and techniques of otorhinolaryngology/head and neck medicine and surgery practice, which that student would find necessary in a family practice situation and helpful in any clinical practice situation.

Instructional Activities:

  1. The student will meet daily with the surgeon and will discuss the work-up and the mode of therapy for that particular patient.
  2. The student will scrub on at least one operative procedure daily and anatomic landmarks of specific pathology will be demonstrated.
  3. Pre- and postoperative orders will be prepared under the supervision of the surgeon in charge and the student will be expected to make rounds with the surgeons. The patient's progress, care, and complications will be discussed with the student.
  4. The student will be assigned to one of the three surgical- clinic offices and will be expected to work up 2-3 patients, some of them will be postoperative patients. The surgeon in charge will discuss management of the cases and when appropriate will point out significant findings in other clinical patients.
  5. The student will be assigned specific readings in standard textbooks of surgery.

Standards of Performance (Outcomes) Indicating Attainment of Objectives:

  1. Basic office practice; including the use of the head mirror; the ear, nose, pharynx and larynx exam; vestibular testing, including caloric testing and therapy; methods used by the participating preceptors.
  2. Basic audiometric testing, including tuning fork testing and interpretation of those audiometric tests which are done. (We have a full-time audiologist and the student would be expected to do some work with that person, also.)
  3. Assisting the preceptors with their ear, nose, throat, head and neck reconstructive and facial plastic surgery.
  4. Assisting in the preop and postop care of those patients with which the student has actually participated in surgery.
  5. Assisting and performing the basic surgery procedures, which the individual may consider doing in his/her future practice; e.g., T & A, myringotomies and tubes, antral irrigations, etc.
  6. Principles of treatment of epistaxis and other office and emergency room problems, such as nasal fractures, facial fractures, repair of lacerations, etc.
  7. Regular "rap" sessions on various assigned topics, such as ear diseases, oral lesions, laryngeal problems, hearing evaluation, plastic surgery, etc.
  8. A textbook is provided and the student is expected to complete this during the rotation.
The preceptors in this particular program would be primarily interested in those students that are considering a primary care or a surgically-oriented practice.

Criteria for Grading:

A written evaluation will be presented to the student and to the assistant dean for the appropriate campus.