Otolaryngology Residency Program

During the course of the five-year otolaryngology residency, each resident will spend 12 months on the head and neck service line; seven months at Nationwide Children’s Hospital; 23 months on the university service; and six months of non-otolaryngology core rotations during the PGY-1 year. In addition, each resident has six months of dedicated research rotations that are divided over the PGY-3 and PGY-4 years.

Each otolaryngology resident rotates through five 10-week rotations during the course of an academic year. There are three otolaryngology services within the residency program: head and neck oncology, University service (neurotology, general otolaryngology, laryngology, facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, sleep disorders, rhinology and allergy), and pediatric otolaryngology (completed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital).

PGY-4 and PGY-5 residents are expected to attend one meeting per year. The department contributes $1,500 per resident toward meeting expenses. In addition, if a resident is invited to present at a national meeting, the department will pay for the airfare, lodging and food up to $1,500.

The department's proximity to The Ohio State University main campus allows for a variety of research pursuits. Hearing and balance disorders, head and neck oncology and nasal airflow dynamics are research areas that have recently been identified as focus areas. Residents are expected to complete at least one project during their residency and dedicated research time is provided within the resident's schedule to facilitate this requirement. Past residents have had no trouble both meeting and exceeding this expectation.

All residents work directly with all of our regular faculty, as well as with numerous clinical faculty. Residents are scheduled to spend time with these faculty members, which helps broaden the clinical experience to include both tertiary and community-based otolaryngology.

Some examples of the residency program’s excellence include:

• Resident scores on the national ENT in-service examination have averaged in the top 5 percent over the last five years
• Our residents have been recipients of multiple national and regional awards over the past five years
• The Ohio State graduate’s surgical experience is unsurpassed—consistently exceeding the national mean in exposure to all major surgical procedures
• The combined extramural funding for otolaryngology faculty research exceeds $8 million, encompassing a variety of clinical and basic research

Statistics 

Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (2023)
Resident Class Size: 5 per year (24 total)
Faculty Size: 44 (30 at Ohio State; 14 at Nationwide Children’s Hospital)
Hospital Rotations:        Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery 
Residency Matched Application Statistic Averages (2015-2020)
Step 1: 253  (range = 217-275) 
Step 2: 260  (range = 240-279)
AOA Induction: 69% 
Clinical Honors: 6.9  (range = 4-12)
Research Projects:                 8.0  (range = 2-16)
Publications: 3.0  (range = 0-8)
Oral Presentations:          2.1  (range = 0-7)
Poster Presentations: 3.3  (range = 0-14)
Leadership Positions: 2.4  (range = 0-6)
Volunteer/Extracurriculars: 6.5  (range = 2-15)

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Call Schedule

A night float call system is utilized at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital. During the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years, call is an average of every fourth night at Nationwide Children's Hospital. The PGY-4 resident assists the PGY-5 resident with chief/back-up call as well. Each PGY-5 resident takes chief call for his or her respective services.

Conferences and Didactics

An extensive conference and didactic schedule is provided within the department. In addition to weekly Grand Rounds, there are a number of courses provided throughout the academic year in a highly organized educational curriculum contained within the Residents’ Course Curriculum Book. These include: 

• Anatomy 
• Basic Principles of Head and Neck Oncology 
• Case Review
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Dermatologic Problems
• Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
• Endoscopy
• Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Immunology–Allergy
• Journal Club
• Laryngeal and Voice Disorders/Speech Pathology
• Medical Practice Administration
• Otolaryngologic Emergencies
• Otology/Neurotology
• Pathology
• Pediatric Otolaryngology
• Practical Applications in Audiology/ENG
• Radiology/ SICU/ General surgery
• Temporal Bone Surgical Dissection Course
• Textbook Review

The Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery participates in the National Resident Matching Program. Through this program, five residents will be selected for a traditional five-year otolaryngology residency program.

Application deadline
The deadline for receipt of your completed application, with the exception of your dean's letter, is Oct. 21. Applications that are incomplete as of this date will not be considered.

Interview information
Approximately 50 applicants will be selected for an interview. These individuals will be notified by email. Those not selected for interviews, or placed on a waitlist, will also be notified by email.

How to apply
Applications for residency are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) only. This service, which is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), transmits residency applications, letters of recommendation, dean's letters, transcripts and other supporting credentials from medical schools to residency program directors. 

We do not require any documents in addition to ERAS requirements. 

Apply now

URM Away Rotation Scholarship

The Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery is offering three away rotation scholarships for under-represented minority medical students for the upcoming academic year. The $1,500 scholarship will be used to help offset cost for travel, lodging and other student needs. 

Students applying for one of the three scholarships should be in their fourth year of medical school with plans to apply for an Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery (ENT) residency position; they should also be interested in rotating at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. 

All interested applicants must provide a letter of interest (no more than two pages), an updated CV and one letter of recommendation. All applications will be reviewed by Ohio State faculty.

Applicants should apply prior to the first day of their away rotation; early submission is encouraged. To submit your application or learn more information, contact Audrey Agner at Audrey.Agner@osumc.edu or Elaine Ortiz Sanchez at Elaine.OrtizSanchez@osumc.edu.