IOTA has been created with the purpose of bringing together trainees from all parts of the island to share:
- Grand rounds presentations
- Fellowship information
- Conference information (RAMI/ IOS)
- Information regarding assessments; rotations etc
- AOT ENT information (UK)
- Exam advice (DOHNS/ INTERCOLLEGIATE)
If anyone would like to volunteer, please contact Éadaoin Ó Catháin RCSI Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Second meeting of the IOTA
Oct 2015
The second meeting of the IOTA took place at this year's IOS meeting. It was held on Saturday afternoon, and included an excellent 'meet the trainers' session.
To open the session, Mr David Kennedy and his colleague Dr Elina Toskala spoke to trainees from the North and South regarding the process for application to both postgraduate and fellowship training programmes in the U.S. They discussed the difficulties faced by trainees from Europe on attempting to enter the system and also on the benefits of training in the States. This was a very beneficial Q&A session.
Following this, Mr Mike Rothera of Royal Manchester Children's Hospital met with us to give tips and tricks on how to approach Paediatric Otolaryngology in the Intercollegiate exam setting. This was particularly beneficial to those present, as many participants at the meeting are looking towards sitting the exam in the next 12 months.
Our next guest was Ms Paula Casserly, who is currently Locum Consultant in Otology in the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin; recently returned from a Fellowship in Otology in Perth, Australia. Her talk was most informative regarding the logistics of setting up a fellowship in Australia. This was a very practical and beneficial discussion laying out the timeline involved for organising a fellowship abroad.
All speakers were very generous with their time and stayed to answer any questions from the floor and we were all very thankful for their input and expertise.
A meeting of the trainees followed, with ideas for upcoming events and links from our website for the next year. We look forward to the upcoming RAMI meeting on Friday 11th of December, which will be held at the Education and Research Centre of the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin, starting at 19:00.
Éadaoin Ó Catháin & Michael Moran (Southern and Northern IOTA representatives)