Program Overview
The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Residency Program in Las Vegas was the first post-graduate training program in otolaryngology in the state of Nevada. The program, which began in 2012 after being accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), was formerly affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. In July 2017, in conjunction with the opening of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, the department of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery was established, comprising of the same Las Vegas-based otolaryngology faculty.
While the otolaryngology - head & neck surgery residency at UNLV is one of the more recently accredited programs, the otolaryngology - head & neck surgery faculty have had many years of experience training residents at other academic institutions.
Currently, we are on an alternating 1-2-1 enrollment for otolaryngology residents, having received the approval of an extra half resident per year in 2020 to reflect the rapid growth of the residency program. The residents have naturally been a close-knit group who have been extremely supportive of each other which enhances their learning experience.
Our program is dynamic and growing. We are continuing to add faculty and subspecialists to provide the most comprehensive clinical services for our patients and training for our residents. We look forward to training the next generation of otolaryngologists.
Program Director
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Program Leadership
Curriculum
The curriculum is designed to offer trainees a complete and balanced otolaryngology experience. There is a mix of advanced subspecialty, tertiary level cases, along with “bread and butter” otolaryngology throughout the five-year curriculum. The rotation schedule design allows residents to rotate through most of the core faculty and otolaryngology subspecialties each year. This allows for individualized, graduated progression for each resident as they work with each attending in a master-apprentice model with the goal of training well-rounded, exemplary comprehensive otolaryngologists.
During internship and junior residency (PGY-1 through PGY-3), residents will have rotated through general surgery, auxiliary services pertinent to otolaryngology, and all the major otolaryngology subspecialties. They will learn how to evaluate and manage the full breadth of otolaryngology pathology in the clinic, the hospital, the operating room, and the postoperative surveillance period. Residents have three months of protected research time during their PGY-3 and/or PGY-4 when they develop their own projects from study conception/design to data collection/analysis. As senior residents (PGY-4 and PGY-5), trainees continue to develop their surgical skills and improve their clinical acumen. Senior residents are expected to have completed their research projects prior to graduation. They are also expected to play a role in the education of the junior residents and rotating medical students. During their chief year, residents take on administrative duties in overseeing the hospital service line and resident clinic and facilitating resident-related issues.
Throughout the year, didactic lectures feature a mix of Grand Rounds, resident lecture topics, morbidity and mortality report, and interdisciplinary conferences. We host dedicated cadaver courses where residents receive directed dissections of the head and neck, anterior skull base, lateral skull base and temporal bone dissection, microvascular surgery, and craniomaxillofacial surgery. Residents are also provided similar courses outside the university to receive additional experience and teaching from master educators at other otolaryngology programs.
Rotations
Training Sites
Life After Residency
Application Process
Application deadlines are the first of November each year. Interviews take place between December through January of each year. Otolaryngology - head & neck surgery is one of the most competitive specialties and attracts top medical student applicants each year.