Cowboy or Coward? – Settling into your Comfort Zone (2024 AMW)

After five years of residency training, you are stamped with the title otolaryngologist. Now out in practice, you are faced with the challenge: what do I really feel comfortable doing? Questions regarding ones ability to perform particular procedures or care for certain patients pushes some to pursue advanced training with fellowship time. For those with both general and subspecialty training, however, there will come times when you must ask yourself: are you the right person to care for the patient? Should they be referred to Big Name Institution with World Expert? Will I ever get to do XYZ case again if I refer them all away? After years of study, hard work, and having others serve as someone more expert than you, the impostor syndrome of post-training career is a real thing. This panel offers an opportunity to hear from individuals at various stages of their career to gain some insight into factors that may influence your own personal surgical comfort zone. Do you work with others who could assist with the case? Can you handle a complication? What is the medicolegal environment of your practice? Are you responsible for trainees? Could your patient reasonably travel to get care in another city or state? This interactive panel will use a case-based format with open discussion to present some of the ethical, moral, and personal inquiries that go into finding the balance between pushing yourself to your full surgical potential while recognizing the benefits and perils of either an aggressive or conservative approach. The panel will also touch on mentorship, sponsorship, and coaching in otolaryngology and how these support systems will impact career decisions. We also aim to provide tips for maintaining your own wellbeing and avoiding burnout while managing these decisions.