Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on Otolaryngology trainee education

Background The COVID‐19 pandemic has reduced clinical volume with a negative impact on trainee education. Methods Survey study of Otolaryngology trainees in North America, during the COVID‐19 pandemic in April 2020. Results Of 216 respondents who accessed the survey, 175 (83%) completed the survey. Respondents reported a universal decrease in clinical activities (98.3%). Among participants who felt their program utilized technology well, there were significantly decreased concerns to receiving adequate educational knowledge (29.6% vs 65.2%, P = .003). However, 68% of trainees still expressed concern in ability to receive adequate surgical training. In addition, 54.7% of senior trainees felt that the pandemic had a negative impact on their ability to secure a job or fellowship after training. Conclusions Trainees universally felt a negative impact due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Use of technology was able to alleviate some concerns in gaining adequate educational knowledge, but decreased surgical training remained the most prevalent concern.