The ENT department currently has one ENT physician, with four ENTs serving a community. Dr. Rebik, the primary ENT, has a dedicated support team consisting of an NP, an LPN, and a coordinator. The practice experiences many cases involving facial traumas, making it appealing to someone specialized in facial plastics. However, chronic ear conditions are relatively uncommon in the area. The department is equipped to perform sinus surgery and endoscopic sinus surgery, accommodating patients with these needs.
The department is open to the possibility of a new team member with a passion for ear reconstruction, potentially developing this aspect of their practice. The team operates out of four examination rooms and predominantly serves a pediatric patient population, accounting for 60% of their cases. Typically, they allocate one day for procedures, with the remainder of their time spent in the clinic. Dr. Rebik's schedule has become quite busy, occasionally requiring him to dedicate two days to procedures. The clinic schedule is booked out two months in advance, while surgeries are scheduled about nine months ahead. Surgeons are provided with block time to attend to their surgical cases.
The most common procedures performed in the ENT department include nasal surgery, sinus surgery, tonsillectomies, tube placements, airway biopsies, flexible and rigid scopes, as well as various types of biopsies, including skin and intra-oral biopsies. Additionally, the team handles foreign body removals, often in the context of pediatric cases.
In terms of patient volume, the department sees an average of 15 to 18 patients per day. They also have an on-call schedule that spans 10 days, which may involve up to three calls per day, primarily for consultation purposes. The hospital is equipped with 12 ORs, although there is a noted shortage in both anesthesia and nursing staff, which can present challenges in managing the workload efficiently.