2 min reading · 10 min station · reminders at 2 min

Station - Instructions for candidate

You are a junior doctor working in a general practice in Perth.

Eleni Papadopoulos, a 46-year-old violinist and music teacher, has booked an urgent appointment because she woke two days ago with her left ear feeling blocked and a ringing sound in it, and she cannot hear properly on that side. She has no ear pain. An otoscope, a 512 Hz tuning fork and a pen torch are on the table.

Your tasks are to:

  1. Perform a focused examination.
  2. Summarise your findings to the examiner with your most likely diagnosis and differential diagnoses.
  3. Outline your initial management plan to the examiner.
  • You do NOT need to take a full history; the relevant history is in the booking note and the patient will answer brief clarifying questions.
  • Please verbalise your examination to the examiner; findings will be provided on request.
  • You do not need to write a prescription or referral letter in this station.

This is a 10-minute station, with 2 minutes of reading time.

Ask the examiner

Say what you would examine or request, the way you would in the station. Nothing is named until you ask for it.

Whatever the examiner recognises is revealed below. Or pick a numbered item to reveal it blind.

Investigations

Ask for a category the way you would in the station: “Can I have the obs and a set of bloods?”

Examination

Say what you would examine and how; the examiner reports what you would find.

Candidate view - instructions only. Open the full station for the patient script, the examiner pack and the marking sheet.