Surgical Subspecialties

Our two separate two-week surgical subspecialty rotations consist of training in ophthalmology, otolaryngology and urology with two weeks in the first year and two weeks in the third year. 

Ophthalmology

During your ophthalmology module, you’ll come to understand the family physician’s role in managing common ophthalmologic problems.

Skills and Procedures Learned

You’ll learn how to:

  • determine visual acuity
  • conduct an opthalmologic screening
  • recognize ocular motility disorders
  • discern when ambylopia screenings are warranted
  • perform glaucoma screenings
  • manage systemic diseases that manifest in the eye
  • diagnose and manage minor ocular problems
  • use appropriate topical ocular medications

Conditions Seen

You’ll learn how to diagnose and treat patients with:

  • blepharitis
  • cataracts
  • chalazion
  • conjunctivitis
  • corneal abrasion/ulceration
  • corneal foreign body
  • dry eye syndrome
  • glaucoma
  • hordeolum
  • ocular motility disorders
  • subconjunctival hemorrhage

You’ll learn how to recognize conditions that require emergent ophthalmologic referral, including:

  • acute glaucoma
  • infectious keratitis
  • hyphema/hypopyon
  • postsepsal orbital cellulitis
  • retinal detachment
  • retinal hemorrhage
  • uveitis

Otolaryngology

During your otolaryngology module, you’ll:

  • manage patients at a community otolaryngology practice
  • learn the ENT issues that apply to primary care physicians
  •  learn to recognize the indications for a variety of ENT procedures

This module helps you understand the rationale for audiology reports, sinus X-rays, sleep studies and other relevant tests.

Procedures Learned

During your otolaryngology module, you’ll become competent conducting:

  • cranial nerve exams
  • oral cancer screenings
  • nasal and oropharyngeal exams
  • tympanic membrane insufflation

You’ll learn how to perform:

  • anterior nasal packing
  • audiometry
  • cerumen extraction
  • the Epley maneuver
  • nasolaryngoscopy/nasopharyngoscopy
  • pneumoscopy
  • tympanometry

You’ll also learn how to clear patients for otolaryngologic surgery.

Conditions Seen

During your otolaryngology module, you’ll learn how to diagnose and treat patients with:

  • otitis media/externa
  • cerumen build-up
  • cholesteatoma
  • tinnitus
  • hearing loss
  • vertigo
  • Meniere’s disease
  • sinusitis
  • nasal trauma
  • deviated septum
  • rhinitis
  • tongue-tie
  • glossitis
  • blocked salivary glands
  • parotid masses
  • TMJ syndrome
  • cleft palate
  • hoarseness
  • pharyngitis

Urology

You’ll perform urologic examinations on male and female patients, learn when to order — and how to interpret — relevant tests, and become familiar with the therapeutic skills common to urology.

Procedures Learned

During your urology module, you’ll learn how to perform:

  • bladder catheterization and aspiration
  • chemical or electrodesiccation therapy
  • circumcision
  • prostate massage and evaluation
  • vasectomy (hands-on experience, if possible)

Conditions Seen

Through this rotation, you’ll learn how to care for patients with:

  • acute urinary retention
  • hematuria
  • dyspareunia
  • dysruia
  • incontinence
  • frequent urination
  • urinary system calculus
  • ureteral stricture and stenosis
  • abnormalities of male genital organs
  • venereal discharge
  • infectious disease
  • prostate abnormalities
  • prostate and bladder cancers

Clinical Sites

  • Private practice offices

Year Taken

PGY-1 and PGY-3

Length of Rotation

2 weeks in both PGY-1 and PGY-3