• Home
  • Practice Focus
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
    • How I Do It
    • TRIO Best Practices
  • Business of Medicine
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Practice Management
    • Tech Talk
    • AI
  • Literature Reviews
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Career
    • Medical Education
    • Professional Development
    • Resident Focus
  • ENT Perspectives
    • ENT Expressions
    • Everyday Ethics
    • From TRIO
    • The Great Debate
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Rx: Wellness
    • The Voice
    • Viewpoint
  • TRIO Resources
    • Triological Society
    • The Laryngoscope
    • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
    • TRIO Combined Sections Meetings
    • COSM
    • Related Otolaryngology Events
  • Search

Has Otolaryngology Subspecialization Gone Too Far?

by Tom Collins • April 5, 2015

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Print-Friendly Version

He began his talk with a quote from Byron Bailey, MD, chair emeritus for the department of otolaryngology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, who said, “Specialization is a powerful engine for change—our real task is to manage the changes that are occurring in a manner that will lead to safer and more effective patient care.”

You Might Also Like

  • In Otolaryngology, How Much Subspecialization Is Too Much?
  • The Future of Robotic Surgery in Otolaryngology
  • How Otolaryngology Programs Are Working to Create a More Diverse Workforce
  • 4 New Otolaryngology Department Chairs Share What They Think the Future Holds for Academic Medicine
Explore This Issue
April 2015

“From my perspective, subspecialization in otolaryngology is great for the field,” Dr. Hoffman said. “It advances research and technology, concentrates experience, [and is] great for the patient exposure to focused attention.” One suggestion, he said, would be to keep subspecialties under the otolaryngology umbrella but shorten the length of broad education to allow entry into further specialization earlier.

The Need for Generalists

Gerry Funk, MD, an otolaryngologist who recently joined Grande Ronde Hospital in a small town in Oregon after years with the University of Iowa, noted that, in many parts of the country, good general otolaryngologists are hard to find. “Subspecialization will further increase the divide between initial healthcare encounter and a competent specialist”—meaning a good general otolaryngologist.

Richard Waguespack, MD, clinical professor of otolaryngology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) and immediate past president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, who spent 35 years in private practice before returning to the academic world, said that three years ago, approximately 60% of otolaryngologists self-reported as generalists. That number is now at 52%, indicating a trend away from general practice.

From the audience

Otolaryngology clearly was the strongest interest of mine because of the breadth. I think that is one of the major assets of our specialty, and it really draws some of the brightest minds of medical school. A person who wants to be a jack-of-all-trades and is skilled enough to be a jack-of-all-trades is really going to be drawn to otolaryngology.

—Alan Johnson, MD general otolaryngologist, North Dakota

“There is an absolute need for subspecialization,” he said, particularly in the academic community. But the need for generalists cannot be ignored, he said. Patients will often self-refer to a specialist and, in otolaryngology, the physician they seek is a general otolaryngologist. Additionally, he said, “There are going to be communities that just simply, based on population … cannot support subspecialists in the way that we’ve been defining them.” Even in residency training, he said, it’s important to have some exposure to general otolaryngologists as role models.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Features, Home Slider Tagged With: otolaryngology, subspecialization, Triological Combined Sections MeetingIssue: April 2015

You Might Also Like:

  • In Otolaryngology, How Much Subspecialization Is Too Much?
  • The Future of Robotic Surgery in Otolaryngology
  • How Otolaryngology Programs Are Working to Create a More Diverse Workforce
  • 4 New Otolaryngology Department Chairs Share What They Think the Future Holds for Academic Medicine

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

Polls

Do you use AI-powered scribes for documentation?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive

Top Articles for Residents

  • Applications Open for Resident Members of ENTtoday Edit Board
  • How To Provide Helpful Feedback To Residents
  • Call for Resident Bowl Questions
  • New Standardized Otolaryngology Curriculum Launching July 1 Should Be Valuable Resource For Physicians Around The World
  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • How to: Positioning for Middle Cranial Fossa Repair of Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence

    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?

    • Otolaryngologists Are Still Debating the Effectiveness of Tongue Tie Treatment

    • Endoscopic Ear Surgery: Advancements and Adoption Challenges 

    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?

    • Is Middle Ear Pressure Affected by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Use?

    • Otolaryngologists Are Still Debating the Effectiveness of Tongue Tie Treatment

    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name

    • The Importance of Time Away
    • Endoscopic Ear Surgery: Advancements and Adoption Challenges 
    • Reflections from a Past President of the Triological Society
    • ENT Surgeons Explore the Benefits and Challenges of AI-Powered Scribes: Revolutionizing Documentation in Healthcare
    • How To: Open Expansion Laryngoplasty for Combined Glottic and Subglottic Stenosis

Follow Us

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • The Triological Society
  • The Laryngoscope
  • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies

Wiley

Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. ISSN 1559-4939