© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2020; 17: 1–3 1 Insights Otolaryngology residency strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic Matías L Alvarez 1 , Antonia E Lagos 1 , Valeria Sepúlveda 2 , Carla Napolitano 1 and Claudia González 1 1 Otolaryngology Department, Hospital Clínico Universidad Católica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile 2 School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile C oronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 through contact and droplets. 1 Otolaryngologists are at a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection given the high viral loads reported in the upper respiratory tract of patients, which is the main area examined by the specialty. This increases the risk of viral aerosol genera- tion and propagation. 2 In response to the emerging challenges for the specialty, Vukkadala et al. have suggested major changes in department activities, including reducing the number of residents on service, and conducting departmental meetings and resident education sessions remotely. 3 Thus, adapta- tion and flexibility of the regular training curricula are required to reduce the negative impact on residents’ education. This article aims to show the strategies implemented in a Chilean otolaryngology residency programme and provide insights about the impact of these meas- ures, according to a senior resident and the programme director. Our residency is a 3-year programme with five residents per year in Santiago, Chile. During the COVID-19 pandemic the Otolaryngology Department has implemented the following measures: optimal use of personal protective equipment, according to aerosolisation risk; cancella- tion of all external elective rotations; voluntary quarantine for residents with chronic pulmonary disease, pregnancy or immunosuppression; and the division of residents available into ‘7 days on’ and ‘14 days off’ shift schedules, with everyday monitoring for respiratory symptoms. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a decrease in the overall procedures and surgeries … adaptation and flexibility of the regular training curricula are required to reduce the negative impact on residents’ education