Otolaryngology is the oldest doctor specialties in the US. Otolaryngologists are doctors trained in the medical & surgical management of patients with disorders of the ear, nose, throat (aka ENT), and head and neck. They are commonly referred to as E-N-T physicians by other doctors. If you are looking for one you can find one in your area here: Find A Ear Nose and throat doctors in your area NOW
FIRST: What do ENTs treat?
ENTs diagnose and manage diseases of the ears, nose, sinuses, larynx (voice box), mouth, and throat, as well as structures of the neck and face.
nose
Millions of people develop sinusitis each year, making it one of the most common health problems in the US. Understanding of the nasal cavity is one of the many skills of otolaryngologists. Issues in the nasal area are allergies and nasal obstruction due to a deviated septums.
ear
The loss of hearing affects 27 million Americans. The unique domain of ENTS is the treatment of ear disorders. ENTs are trained in the medical and treatment of hearing loss, infections, inbalance disorders and tinnitus. Pediatric ENTs also treat ear birth disorders of the outer and inner ear.
throat
Speech and eating use the throat. Very specific to ENTs is expertise in managing diseases of the throat and the upper aero-digestive tract or esophagus. These include specific swallowing disorders. Infants and younger children can have throat issues causing problems moving to solid foods.
Second: Why is hard to see an ENT?
Frankly, there are not many ENTs in the US. I did some research with the cms.data.gov data and came up with a table showing the #of doctors in the US, and the type. SCROLL UNTIL YOU SEE RED! There are ~3700 ENTs for 270 million us citizens. This is why it takes so long to see an ENT 😦
| 179937 | Counseling |
| 132383 | Dentistry |
| 118978 | Internal Medicine |
| 112348 | Clinical Social Work |
| 103989 | Family Medicine |
| 98674 | Physical Therapy |
| 74010 | Chiropractic |
| 73154 | Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) |
| 64876 | Pediatrics |
| 59732 | Physician Assistant (PA) |
| 57402 | Speech-Language Pathology |
| 47947 | Anesthesiology |
| 45174 | Emergency Medicine |
| 44809 | Clinical Psychology |
| 41706 | Occupational Therapy |
| 41234 | Psychiatry |
| 40554 | Nursing (Registered Nurse) |
| 39340 | Optometry |
| 37215 | Nurse Anesthesiology |
| 35062 | Case Management |
| 34966 | General Surgery |
| 27984 | Social Work |
| 27487 | Radiology |
| 27208 | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| 26650 | Cardiology |
| 26132 | Adult Health Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) |
| 22298 | Psychology |
| 22109 | Dietetics |
| 19686 | Ophthalmology |
| 19283 | Substance Abuse Counseling |
| 19087 | Physical Therapy (Physical Therapy Assistant) |
| 18533 | Practical Nursing (Licensed Practical Nurse) |
| 18467 | Acupuncture |
| 17211 | Orthopaedic Surgery |
| 16107 | Neurology |
| 14252 | Gastroenterology |
| 13770 | Behavior Analysis |
| 12693 | Massage Therapy |
| 12635 | Dermatology |
| 12551 | Pathology |
| 11631 | Audiology |
| 11603 | Athletic Training |
| 11149 | Occupational Therapy (Occupational Therapy Assistant) |
| 10902 | Urology |
| 9692 | Nephrology |
| 9318 | Orthopedic Surgery |
| 9202 | Pulmonology |
| 8988 | Rehabilitation |
| 8905 | Pediatric Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) |
| 8884 | Hematology |
| 8821 | Nurse Practitioner |
| 8809 | Orthodontics |
| 8771 | Diagnostic Radiology |
| 7440 | Podiatry |
| 7061 | Home Health (Aide) |
| 6935 | Otolaryngology (ENT) |
| 6654 | Developmental Therapy |
| 6442 | Neurosurgery |
| 6328 | Surgical Assistance |
| 6261 | Physician Assistant |
| 6129 | Plastic Surgery |
| 5812 | Acute Care Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) |
| 5695 | Physical Medicine/Rehab |
| 5415 | Rheumatology |
| 5317 | Orthopedic Physical Therapy |
| 5279 | Advanced Practice Midwifery |
| 5183 | Geriatric Medicine |
| 4945 | Family Practice |
| 4896 | Radiation Oncology |
| 4825 | Community Health Work |
| 4752 | Pediatric Dentistry |
| 4734 | Podiatric Surgery |
| 4726 | Infectious Disease |
| 4586 | Endocrinology |
| 4566 | Dental Hygiene |
| 4485 | Pediatric Occupational Therapy |
| 4394 | Periodontics |
| 4379 | Cosmetic Dentistry |
| 4187 | Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy |
| 3956 | Oncology |
| 3808 | Critical Care Medicine |
3760 |
Ear Nose and Throat |
| 3708 | Endodontics |
| 3637 | Thoracic Surgery |
| 3477 | Nursing (Licensed Vocational Nurse) |
| 3400 | Neonat/Perinatology |
| 3373 | Clinical Neuropsychology |
| 3307 | Pharmacotherapy |
| 3287 | Community Health Nursing |
| 3140 | Nursing Services (Nursing Aide) |
| 3103 | Allergy & Immunology |
| 3082 | Nursing (Clinical Nurse Specialist) |
| 2901 | Midwifery |
| 2830 | Speech-Language Technology |
| 2799 | Pharmacy (Pharmacy Technician) |
| 2711 | Hearing Instruments |
| 2590 | Pharmacy Clinician Services |
| 2579 | Pediatric Physical Therapy |
| 2567 | Assisted Living (Adult Companion) |
| 2551 | Pediatric Emergency Medicine |
| 2512 | Vascular Surgery |
| 2450 | Infectious Disease Medicine |
| 2383 | Home Health Nursing |
| 2351 | Podiatric Foot Surgery |
| 2336 | Pediatric Cardiology |
| 2239 | Naturopathy |
| 2191 | Preventive Medicine |
| 2123 | Medical Surgical Nursing |
| 2113 | Adult Psychiatric Nursing |
| 2064 | Neonatal Medicine |
| 2035 | Optometry Technology |
| 2019 | Prosthodontics |
| 2012 | Hand Occupational Therapy |
| 1955 | Occupational Medicine |
| 1954 | Chiropractic Sports Medicine |
| 1855 | Genetic Counseling |
| 1827 | Neonatal Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) |
| 1789 | Respiratory Therapy |
| 1757 | Pain Medicine |
| 1727 | Medical Technology |
| 1709 | Pediatric Hematology & Oncology |
| 1705 | Gerontology Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) |
| 1657 | Labor Coaching (Doula) |
| 1654 | Case Management Nursing |
| 1632 | Adult Health Nursing (Clinical Nurse Specialist) |
| 1595 | Medical Oncology |
| 1584 | Sports Medicine |
| 1564 | Medicine/Pediatrics |
| 1564 | Audiology (Hearing Aid Fitting) |
| 1518 | Pediatric Endocrinology |
| 1467 | Anesthesiology (Anesthesiology Assistant) |
| 1442 | Pediatric Gastroenterology |
| 1418 | Resident Physician |
| 1392 | Neuroradiology |
| 1346 | Neonatal Critical Care Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) |
| 1336 | Mechanotherapy |
| 1289 | Emergency Medical Technology (EMT) |
| 1123 | Cardiac Surgery |
| 1053 | Pediatric Pulmonology |
| 1041 | Interventional Radiology |
| 1023 | Medical Genetics |
| 1010 | Rehabilitation Counseling |
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