Lithuanian Manpower in Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Prof. Eugenijus Lesinskas Head of the Clinic of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases Medical Faculty of Vilnius University

Lithuania Area Total 65,300 km2 (25,200 sq mi) (121st) Population• 2017 estimate 2,800,667[6] (137th) •  Density 43/km2 (111.4/sq mi) (173rd) Capital and largest city Vilnius Official languages Lithuanian Ethnic groups (2015[1]) 86.7% Lithuanians 5.6% Poles 4.8% Russians 1.3% Belarusians 0.7% Ukrainians 0.9% other

General medical education in Lithuania lasts for 6 years. Vilnius University Medical Faculty and Lithuanian Health Science University (Kaunas) have about 500 students in studies of medicine program on each study year (in Lithuanian language). Additionally, 150-200 foreign students are studying medicine in English program (mainly students from Germany, Northern countries, Italy, Israel etc.)

During first two years students are studying pre-clinical subjects, which are followed by 3 years of clinical subjects, and 1 year of I clinical internship afterwards.

Residency in Otorhinolaryngology takes 3 year and consists of studies of ENT- Head and Neck surgery (80 percent of study object) and of Anaestesiology and Emergency, Maxillofacial surgery, Thoracic surgery, Radiology. There is no fellow-ship on sub-specialities in Otorhinolaryngology. Two Universities are certified to organize residency studies in ENT-HNS.

Finishing ENT residency, residents have to pass national exam, which is 100% theoretical. 

6-8 residents complete ENT residency in Lithuania every year. There are ~300 ENT specialists in Lithuania, ~250 of them are active and full time employed. Most of the specialists work as outpatient physicians in public or private institutions about 25 percent of specialists are employed in hospitals as ENT-HNS surgeons.

Academic degree of the ENT specialists: 4 professors and 5 associate professors in both ENT University Clinics of Lithuania in Vilnius and Kaunas.  

There is no imigration of ENT specialists to Lithuania (few occational cases only). Up to 10 percent of  residents after Otorhinolaryngology residency are emigrating every year (mostly to EU countries). 

Around 80 percent of ENT specialists work in public institutions, 20 percent -  in private care. It is common to work in both sectors.  Many of physicians from public services are employed on private institutions on part time job basis as well. There is a possibility to train residents in private institutions, but this is not very common in ENT-HNS residency.