Clinical Training and Certification
Successful completion of the AHNS head and neck fellowship has several
requirements, all of which could be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the year, the trainee’s performance is continually observed
and assessed by the program director and faculty with semi-annual formal
evaluations and structured feedback provided on the trainee’s
performance. Prior to completing the fellowship, the program director
provides an attestation of the trainee’s performance and satisfactory
completion of the training program. The ATC has the ultimate
responsibility for certification of fellows enrolled in the accredited
programs, with this certification depending upon a number of factors,
perhaps the most important of which is the program director’s final
assessment of his or her fellow’s readiness for program completion. With
three months remaining in the training year 86% of responding program
directors feel their trainees have already achieved readiness for
independent practice as head and neck surgeons. Just as importantly,
96% of responding fellows feel comfortable with their technical skills
as ablative head and neck surgeons, and 73% have achieved similar
levels of comfort with microvascular procedures. Moreover, in the
current training year, 82% of fellows have already logged over 100
major head and neck operations. This analysis suggests that the current
fellow class will comfortably achieve readiness for certification by the
ATC by the completion of their fellowship year.
For any individual program whose educational experience may have been
more adversely affected, the ATC would give careful consideration of a
request to extend a fellow’s experience. Extension of training is
certainly not a straightforward “solution”, however. Such an extension
of training will raise many logistical concerns, including the extension
of credentialing and malpractice coverage. Trainees and their families
often have relocation plans and employment contracts that may not permit
extension of training beyond June 30. Finally, the ATC and program
director must consider the effect this will have on the clinical
experience of the incoming fellow. Clear goals for satisfactory
completion of training should be recommended and directed by each
fellowship program as deemed necessary by the program director and
teaching faculty, taking into consideration the individual needs,
circumstances, and desires of the trainee. As with any training year,
but particularly given the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 for this year,
the ATC will review, provide guidance where necessary, and support
requests for training extension in the best interests of its trainees.