The Post-graduate Year one (PGY-1) year begins with an orientation to surgery, basic surgical skills course, general competencies awareness training, and participation of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Advance Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses. Following that the PGY-1 resident rotates on surgical rotations that are prerequisite to beginning Otolaryngology training including, Trauma/Critical Care Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Anesthesiology, Neurosurgery, and Emergency Medicine.

The PGY-2 year begins an intensive experience in Otolaryngology that includes 6 months of Pediatric Otolaryngology at the Kosair Children's Hospital, and 6 months of adult general Otolaryngology at the University of Louisville and/or the Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This year includes participation and acquisition in basic diagnostic skill including soft tissue trauma management, upper airway evaluation with fiberoptic laryngoscopy and management of common Otolaryngology emergencies such as epistaxis.

The PGY-3 year allows the resident further progression in decision making, increasing complexity of operative experience, especially in head and neck oncology and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. The PGY-3 resident also participates in an intensive 2 week Basic Science in Otolaryngology course at Indiana University School of Medicine.

The PGY-4 resident begins to have increased clinic independence and responsibility in the management of adult otolaryngology patients and with that increased operative surgery experience in the areas of Rhinology, sinus surgery, complex head and neck oncology, complex maxillofacial and neck trauma, and otology. The PGY-4 resident additionally attends a temporal bone and skull base surgery course and laboratory as well he/she complete the basic course in Otolaryngic Allergy.

In the PGY-5 year (Chief Resident), the residents take on increased administrative, clinical and operative responsibility. The chief residents function as the administrators of the resident call schedule. The Chief Residents work with the Program Director to organize the didactic lectures and course schedule for the academic year. The Chief Residents are also expected to participate in periodic faculty/administrative quality improvement meeting that are important to the continued improvement of the program. Residents in their PGY-5 year also attend the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.