Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
Eaton Road
Liverpool
L12 2AP
Vanushia Thirumal, ST6 ENT East of Scotland
This one-day course featured 16 renowned speakers and was attended by ENT trainees from across the UK. The course aimed to cover key areas of the paediatric otolaryngology curriculum through focused lectures tailored to trainees preparing for the FRCS (ORL-HNS), as well as junior trainees developing their knowledge of paediatric ENT. Topics included otology, head and neck, airway, rhinology and emergencies. The lectures were well pitched and provided a comprehensive overview of high-yield topics.
The speakers included leading British and international ENT surgeons, providing valuable insights into their respective subspecialties. Each topic was delivered in a concise 15-minute lecture, making the programme engaging and focused. One memorable highlight was Dr Sharon Cushing, from Toronto, enthusiastically handing out miniature bottles of Canadian maple syrup to participants who bravely answered her otology questions! We had sufficient breaks and were fuelled with lots of coffee, pastry and a delicious spread of wraps and sandwiches for lunch.
I found the course particularly valuable for structuring my FRCS revision. It highlighted gaps in my knowledge and signposted useful resources and guidelines. For example, Mr Sharma included in his talk, the recently updated NICE guidance on OME in under-12s using the BMJ Visual Summary infographic. The sessions on branchial abnormalities (by Mr Ramsden) and craniofacial syndromes (by Ms Wyatt) were well summarised and prompted me to allocate more time to revise these areas. I enjoyed learning about open airway reconstruction (by Mr Sutton) and found the viva-style lecture on OSA (by Mr Powell), particularly helpful in demonstrating how to present answers in a concise and structured manner for the FRCS Viva.
I would highly recommend this course to junior trainees seeking an introduction to paediatric ENT and to senior trainees consolidating their knowledge for the FRCS, and if that's not a good enough reason to attend, it was a great day (though a bit of a trek from North East Scotland) to connect with fellow trainees across the UK and be inspired by renowned speakers.
Next year, the revision course will be held in September in Newcastle and will be followed by BAPO Annual Meeting.
