Are we teaching medical students what they need to know?

If our broad goal for undergraduate education is to prepare students for residency and the eventual practice of medicine, the specific knowledge and skills we teach should reflect those that will be required of them to perform well as residents and practicing physicians. To determine and compare priority goals and objectives, we surveyed otolaryngology educators, a representative group of physicians in practice, and a representative group of residents. Participants were asked to evaluate the level of knowledge and skills necessary for students to attain in various areas of otolaryngology by ranking each item by a score of 0 to 3 according to its required depth of knowledge or skill. A rank "order of importance" was developed based on mean scores. The highest-ranking areas of knowledge were otitis media, airway obstruction, tonsillitis, and croup/epiglottitis, whereas the highest-ranking skills were history and physical examination of the head and neck, throat cultures, and use of the otoscope and pneumatoscope. The lowest-ranking areas of knowledge were voice disorders and ear deformities, whereas the lowest-ranking skills were interpreting electronystagmograms and stapedial reflex testing. We review the findings of our survey and comment on their role in undergraduate curriculum planning for otolaryngology.