Following the success of the London School of Surgery Training Programme, ENT surgical skills teaching was incorporated into the programme. ENT trainees attend bi-monthly teaching sessions in the wet lab at Imperial College, St. Mary's hospital campus.
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgical Training Curriculum
The ENT curriculum for this year includes:
- Local skin flaps and facial plastics - Monday 8 and Thursday 16 December 2025 (AM)
- Rhinology - Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 January 2026 (AM)
- Endoscopic ear surgery - Thursday 26 February and Tuesday 3 March 2026 (AM)
- Bronchoscopy - Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 March 2026 (AM)
- Mastoidectomy - TBC May 2026
- Laser safety demonstration - TBC June 2026
- Human cadaver sessions (ST5-8 only)
- topic TBC - TBC June/July 2026
- Emergency Front of Neck Access (eFONA) - Thursday 18 and Friday 19 June (AM)
- Microlaryngology - Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 July (AM)
Teaching is consultant-led and procedures are practised on a range of porcine and sheep tissue.
Developments in ENT Simulation Training
The ENT simulation programme has also developed and delivered a theatre-based, multidisciplinary simulation day concentrating on the non-operative skills of teamwork, leadership and situational awareness.
ENT surgical trainees, anaesthetic trainees and theatre nursing staff undertook six ENT themed scenarios throughout the day. Six ‘operative teams’ (one ENT, one anaesthetist and one nurse), were put into a high fidelity simulated theatre environment and briefed to undertake an operation as they would in real life.
At some unknown point during the simulation, an ENT themed ‘crisis’ was thrown into the scenario (e.g. laser airway fire, bleeding vocal cord, foreign body in airway, anaphylaxis, etc). Using a specially developed tool to assess skills in an ENT surgical environment, teams were assessed on their non-technical skills and teamwork which was followed with a full debrief.