Rolling admission · Istanbul · Delivered in English
Follow how a university chest department decides which lymph nodes to sample, carries out bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound-guided sampling, and feeds the results into lung cancer staging — observing from the bronchoscopy suite where sessions are scheduled.
What you see depends on the department's clinical calendar during your placement; the list below describes the department's usual scope, not a guaranteed programme.
Mediastinal staging is where EBUS earns its place. When CT or PET-CT shows enlarged or metabolically active hilar or mediastinal nodes, or a central tumour makes occult nodal disease more likely, tissue confirmation is generally recommended before deciding on surgery. EBUS-guided needle aspiration provides that tissue through the airway wall, and combined with endoscopic ultrasound from the oesophagus it reaches nearly all the stations that matter. The sampling order is planned in advance: nodes that would signify more advanced disease are sampled before those of lower stage, so that cells carried from one node cannot falsely upstage another.
A negative result does not end the discussion. When clinical suspicion of nodal disease remains high, confirmatory surgical staging before resection is often considered, and that decision is taken with the thoracic surgeons at the multidisciplinary meeting. Sample adequacy matters as much as the diagnosis: molecular and PD-L1 testing increasingly determine treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, so the team considers how much material, and in what form, will serve the pathologist. EBUS also contributes outside cancer, for example in confirming granulomatous inflammation when sarcoidosis is suspected.
The bronchoscopy suite runs as a team. The bronchoscopist interprets the airway and ultrasound images, nursing staff ready the needle and process each specimen, and sedation is matched to the procedure's length and the patient's condition, from moderate sedation to general anaesthesia. If the unit uses rapid on-site evaluation, a member of the cytology team judges adequacy as samples are taken; if not, adequacy is learned from the pathology report. Pleural work — thoracentesis and medical thoracoscopy — forms part of the department's scope where the calendar allows, and more advanced interventions are followed only where the department performs them during your dates — confirmed after review.
This page narrows the pulmonology route to bronchoscopy, EBUS and the staging work around them, leaving clinics, sleep and pulmonary function testing to the parent page. Thoracic surgeons who join EBUS sessions through the thoracic surgery route see the same suite from the resection side, and endoscopic ultrasound belongs to the gastroenterology route.
Graduate physicians and respiratory or internal medicine trainees who want to see how bronchoscopy and EBUS fit into the diagnostic and staging pathway; familiarity with chest CT and nodal anatomy makes the sessions easier to follow.
Pulmonologists, and internists with a respiratory interest holding a specialist qualification, who state interventional bronchoscopy as their interest within the pulmonology department; the department decides allocation alongside its clinics, laboratories and wards.
Both routes are strictly observational: observers attend theatre and clinic without patient contact, do not scrub or assist, and are not assessed on any procedure.
| Clinical Observership | Clinical Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 1, 2 or 4 weeks (extension possible on request) | 12 to 24 months, agreed with the host department |
| Who it is for | Medical students in clinical years and graduate physicians from outside Turkey | Recognised specialists and family physicians seeking advanced exposure beyond standard specialty training |
| Format | Full-time, strictly observational — outpatient clinics, operating theatre, ward rounds, case discussions | Extended observational attachment to one department: daily practice, service structure and specific techniques |
| Certificate | Certificate of attendance issued by the host hospital and signed by its Medical Director | Certificate on completion issued under the accreditation of the affiliated university school of medicine |
| Start | Rotations typically begin on a Monday; dates are agreed individually | Start date planned around the date you request and the department's capacity |
One online application for both routes. State Interventional Pulmonology/EBUS as your focus in your objectives; ATDERA reviews the file and prepares it for the Pulmonology department, then replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
Already started? The application page picks up where you left off.
ATDERA Global Limited (Companies House No. 17173428, registered in England and Wales) coordinates this programme for a university teaching hospital in Istanbul. ATDERA is not a hospital and does not provide clinical care; admission decisions and certificates are the host hospital's.
One online application covers both routes and all twenty-one specialties — details, programme choice and documents in five short steps. ATDERA reviews the file and replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
