ABSTRACT
Exposure to OMFS at undergraduate level is rare. Students seeking such exposure often struggle to access important information that would help them decide about a future career in OMFS. The COVID-19 pandemic has made access to such information, for example career workshops and specialty conferences, more difficult. This paper discusses our experiences of setting up an online webinar series aimed at providing practical advice for undergraduates and early trainees interested in the field of OMFS. Clinicians were approached via email and/or social media to deliver a structured programme of key advice and guidance about OMFS. Individual undergraduate and surgical societies were emailed in order to advertise the series which included talks such as 'Week in the Life', 'Subspecialties' and 'Portfolio Building'. An interactive poster containing a Quick Response code was circulated to allow a streamlined registration process. The seminars were held via Zoom videoconferencing software and feedback collated via Typeform using a Likert-scale questionnaire. On average, the webinars were 60 minutes long and each attracted 53 attendees. The series attracted 183 unique participants. The majority of attendees were dental students and 85% were based in the UK. Overall, 94% felt their knowledge of the specialty had improved and 86% were more likely to consider pursuing OMFS as a career as result of the series. This paper shows that videoconferencing is a useful modality to engage with junior trainees and has a wide reach. These benefits must be harnessed going forward to improve access and exposure to OMFS in early trainees.Copyright © 2022 The Authors
ABSTRACT
Aim: To compare the contents of the ENT SHO bag with the recommendations by ENT UK. To address any deficiencies in the bag and prevent it from recurring in the future. Method: Over 5 consecutive days, the night SHO would compare the contents of the ENT bag with a checklist based on ENT UK guidelines. This was repeated post-intervention. Results: The initial data collection showed that the bag was missing numerous items, ranging from tongue depressors to nasal catheters. It also contained bulky, unnecessary items such as Lahey forceps. The bag was replenished, unnecessary items removed, and a new checklist was introduced which the SHO had to complete every night shift. Any missing equipment was to be replaced at that time. PPE was added to the bag. The next round of data collection showed that the bag remained well stocked, with only minor equipment missing such as merocele packs and Sofradex drops. However, the bag contained alternatives such as Rapid Rhinos and Gentisone drops. Conclusions: The introduction of a checklist has ensured that the SHO bag remains well stocked. This improves the efficiency of on-calls as the SHO no longer has to repeatedly travel between A&E and ENT stores. This is also beneficial when dealing with emergencies as all the equipment is readily accessible. The addition of PPE was prudent as ENT is a high-risk speciality in the COVID pandemic. Currently the checklist is completed weekly, in order to reduce the workload for the SHO - something to re-audit in the future.