Advancing otolaryngology education in the new millennium

Just as the practice of otolaryngology has changed over the years, so too the educational enterprise that supports the growth and development of the field continues to evolve. Changes in otolaryngology education have been driven by multiple internal and external factors. These changes need to be understood, and a proactive, cooperative approach by the members of this specialty is required to help shape the future in a way that will ultimately benefit both patients and the specialty itself. Rapid growth in the clinical sciences, accelerating technologic developments, and expanding quality improvement initiatives mandate that modern otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons actively engage in continuing education. As described in many of the articles in this issue of the Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America, the resident in otolaryngology is graduating into a career of lifelong learning.