Ear, nose and throat (also known as ENT) surgeons diagnose, evaluate and manage diseases of the head and neck.
The free course offered by ENT Masterclass, a multimedia training platform in Otolaryngology (a surgical subspecialty that treats conditions related to the head and neck), gave attendees the chance to practice operating on 3D printed heads. The programme allowed them to perform both nose and ear operations on these heads using all the equipment that they would need to complete the procedures on a real patient, such as drills and microscopes.
The first ever masterclass of this kind was held at Doncaster Royal Infirmary in April 2021, and was a resounding success.
Mr Muhammed Shahed Quraishi OBE, a Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon at DBTH, and Director of ENT Masterclass said: “During the COVID crisis, which is of course still ongoing, a lot of theatre lists were cancelled and theatre opportunities were subsequently reduced, which has caused the trainees in the UK and all over the world to suffer from lack of hands-on training. In a manner of speaking, unless you cut, you don’t learn, so this course, which we run under ENT Masterclass at Doncaster Royal Infirmary twice a year, is a way of supplementing the practical training for surgeons.
“This free surgical training resource is very popular, with the April event being oversubscribed by 500%, and as a result we had to select delegates on the basis of their CV and needs for training, almost like a job interview. We screen the CV’s, work out what is appropriate for them, and then offer them a place.”
Mr Quraishi, alongside the other organisers of the event, took advice from infection control at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) about the current COVID-19 situation, and were given the all clear to proceed with the course. They were very strict with COVID precautions and consequently cancelled the course dinner that was also scheduled to be part of the event.
The next Masterclass will take place in early December 2022 at DRI. To learn more about ENT Masterclass and the variety of work that they do, please visit their website.