Young Consultants in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (YCOHNS) Annual Meeting
Behrad Barmayehvar, ENT ST6 registrar, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, West Midlands Deanery, UK
Attending my first YCOHNS meeting as a senior registrar preparing for fellowship and consultant applications, I found it uniquely relevant and helpful. Held in the heart of Birmingham, the day felt like a rare opportunity to pause and reflect on the kind of consultant I want to become, and how I can strive to get there.
Matthew Clark’s lectures were fascinating. ‘The Art of Surgery’ was a powerful reminder that consultancy isn’t the endpoint of craft skill development but rather a new beginning. Mastering our mindset, external factors and deliberate practice can help us achieve optimal performance and enter surgical ‘flow'. His ‘Medicolegal Work in ENT’ talk gave a frank insight into the work of an expert witness, something I hadn’t considered before.
The panels on ‘Thinking Outside the Box’ and ‘Clinical Leadership’ encouraged us to develop interests beyond clinical work and be open to new roles, while also learning how and when to politely say ‘no'. These discussions gave us a taste of roles in leadership, education, research and health informatics – several of which were new to me. Similarly, ‘Research as a Consultant’ made a compelling case for why research still matters and how it can be integrated into our future careers.
‘Surviving Your First Year as a Consultant’ featured Bhav Patel’s personal reflections on how to thrive, not just survive, as a newly-qualified consultant. His tips on building positive working relationships with colleagues and trainees, managing time and creating a healthy workspace were practical and rooted in his recent experience. I particularly appreciated his wise use of technology to automate tasks and self-audit, as well as to protect his work-life balance.
Later sessions demystified job planning, private practice and finances – areas that are rarely addressed during training. The eye-opening ‘Job Planning’ talk clarified the rights of consultants and NHS Trusts’ expectations during contract negotiations. In the ‘Private Practice’ session, the panel candidly shared how they established their practices and discussed common pitfalls in managing patient expectations, finances and administrative work.
What made YCOHNS special was its openness. No question was too basic, and no experience was sugar-coated. It was a rare and refreshing forum to learn about the exciting possibilities of working as a consultant. I left feeling inspired and better prepared for my future, and I would highly recommend it to any senior trainee.
