Residency Program

We strive to train leaders – we want each resident to pursue a career in which they will be happy, stimulated, challenged, and gratified.  Whether the resident chooses private practice or academic Otolaryngology, we hope to instill a sense of giving back and being a leader – in the local hospital, in the community, in the Department, or in the Medical Center.

The 5-year Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery program at UVA is designed to facilitate and foster surgical knowledge and skills utilizing 1-on-1 surgical experiences with our internationally renowned physicians. Residents will be involved in average of over 2,000 procedures throughout their residency across each of our divisions with progressively increased autonomy and precise feedback to refine surgical techniques. Research opportunities are available for residents starting day one and include a 4-month dedicated research block during their PGY-3 free of clinical responsibilities to focus on research. Opportunities to present or speak at conferences are strongly encouraged and provide unique experiences to meet and learn from physicians from around the country and world. In addition to working at the various clinics at UVA, residents will also have the opportunity to experience private practice patient care during their 3-month rotation in Fredericksburg, VA.

The residency program here at UVA includes a variety of educational activities and dedicated face to face time with our faculty. Wednesdays are the resident run OCC (Otolaryngology Core Curriculum) didactics followed by grand rounds which includes lectures from our faculty/residents, monthly M&M’s, DEI lectures, film studies, vendor supported labs, and more. Residents who love to teach can participate in instructional sessions with other departments or participate in various lectures or activities with the medical students here at UVA SOM. The program has a monthly virtual journal club that includes current residents, faculty, and alumni. Each year the annual Fitz-Hugh Symposium caps off the end of the year with resident research presentation, a multi-day didactic series with rotating Otolaryngology topics each year and ends with a banquet to celebrate our departing residents.

The residents who graduate from our program have gone on to pursue fellowships at incredibly competitive institutions (UW, Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, etc., and an international fellowship in Australia), taken faculty positions at institutions across the country, joined private practices, or started a practice of their own.

The core program requirements for the UVA Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery residency program are the same as those of the ACGME, Otolaryngology RRC, and American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) requirements. This includes completing the required number of key indicator cases, weekly didactics, research, etc.

The faculty are deeply invested and engaged in the education of our residents.  It is our responsibility to assure that each resident is supervised appropriately in his/her patient care responsibilities.  The clinical responsibilities for each resident are based on PGY-level, patient safety, resident education, severity and complexity of patient illness/condition, and available support services.  As the resident matures in the program, we afford progressive authority and responsibility in the clinic and the OR and conditional independence in accordance with the Otolaryngology RRC and American Board of Otolaryngology requirements.  For more details about level of supervision, our Department’s Supervision policy is posted to this website.

We participate in the Electronic Residency Application Service and match 3 applicants each year through the National Resident Match Program (NRMP).  Applications are reviewed (about 500 each year!), and from those, we invite about 50 applicants to interview during the month of January. Our interview season is conducted in accordance with SUO/OPDO/AADO recruitment season recommendations. Visit their website for more information. SUO/OPDO/AADO Recommendation

Resident appointment is conditional based on the approval of the Clinical Staff Credentials Committee (CSCC) and the Clinical Staff Executive Committee (CSEC) and based on successful completion of credentialing, including but not limited to our review and acceptance of information from the criminal background check, successful completion of the pre-employment drug screen, passing applicable medical licensing exams (USMLE, COMLEX or MCCQE), receipt of a Virginia Medical License (if applicable), honest and accurate completion of all required paperwork and training modules prior to Orientation. For more information, please see the sample GME Contract.