Alongside clinical and surgical skills there are opportunities to gain alternative experiences such as working abroad and undertaking charity work. Many ENT charities welcome the involvement of medical personnel, which can be an excellent opportunity for enhancing portfolios as well as providing an inspiring life experience.
BRINOS is a charity founded in 1988 by ENT consultant Neil Weir after a meeting with Dr. Prasad who was at that time the only ENT & Eye surgeon in Nepal. BRINOS runs ear surgery camps with the aims of assisting Nepalese surgeons in providing expert treatment, training young ENT doctors, raising funds for instruments and advancing primary care for the management of ear diseases. BRINOS has been running twice-yearly ear surgery camps in Nepal since 1989 and three times a year since 2008.
International medical relief agency (IMRA) runs similar ear camps in Pakistan in association with ENT society. U.K. The 5th international ear surgery project took place in December 2013.
GOITRE is a non-profit organization comprised of surgeons and anaesthetists. The volunteer organization was created to help relieve the suffering of people in developing countries with surgically curable thyroid goitres. They plan to organize and undertake annual overseas camps to provide free medical assessments and surgery as well as training local surgeons in the latest surgical techniques.
Prepared4ent is an educational charity, comprised of ENT registrars who are committed to provide the highest quality ENT education. They have formed a charitable organisation to provide otolaryngology educational events such as a practical ENT skills course and interview preparation courses. Profits that are created are donated to Médecins Sans Frontières.
There are many national and international charities available to provide support for patients with ENT diagnoses. Some otology charities include action on hearing loss as well as the National Deaf Children's Society. Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust is the first national charity in the UK dedicated solely to the support of patients with Thyroid Cancer.
Links:
https://imra-doctors.com/about/
https://www.bda.org.uk
https://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk