About the Course

This is the ear section of our ENT course. It covers common ear problems that are seen in both primary and secondary care.

Topics covered include

  • Otitis externa
  • Vertigo
  • BPPV
  • Meniere's disease
  • Hearing loss
  • Foreign bodies
  • Tinnitus
  • VII nerve palsy

Foundation Programme Curriculum

This course covers the following Foundation Programme Curriculum areas:

2. Delivers patient centred care and maintains trust

9. Recognises, assesses and initiates management of the acutely ill patient

10. Recognises, assesses and manages patients with long term conditions

11. Obtains history, performs clinical examination, formulates differential
diagnosis and management plan

12. Requests relevant investigations and acts upon results

14. Performs procedures safely

About the Supervisor and Presenter

Mr. Ram Moorthy

Mr. Ram Moorthy is an ENT consultant at Wexham Park Hospital with an emphasis on salivary gland, thyroid and swallowing disorders.Mr Moorthy is currently the only surgeon in the local area offering coblator surgery for adenoid and tonsil surgery both on the NHS and privatelyHe is Deputy Chief of Service for Specialty Surgery at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.He is a core member of both the thyroid and the head & neck cancer team, which is based at Mount Vernon and Northwick Park Hospitals.He is an Honorary Consultant Head & Neck Surgeon at Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading undertaking Parathyroid, Thyroid and head & neck surgery. He is also a core member of the head and neck cancer team based at Royal Berkshire Hospital and Oxford Radcliffe Hospital.Mr Moorthy has a long-standing interest in medical education and training.He is the Clinical Tutor at Wexham Park Hospital responsible for all postgraduate medical training on the siteHe is the educational supervisor for ENT trainees at Wexham Park Hospital and is a member of the regional specialty training committee. He also co-organises the successful Reading FRCS Revision courseHe is a past local Foundation Training Programme Director and an Associate Foundation School Director at the Oxford Foundation School with an emphasis on ensuring the quality of the Foundation Programme, which is a 2 year programme undertaken by all newly qualified doctors.He has been an honorary clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham, M.Sc Supervisor for the University of Edinburgh and a faculty member on a number of courses for both junior doctors and medical students.He has co-authored two chapters in the 5th edition of Stell & Maran’s Textbook of Head & Neck Surgery and Oncology. He has undertaken and participated in a number of studies, which have been published and presented at national and international meetings.He is the Regional Specialty Advisor for ENT and regional representative to the Council of ENT-UK.Mr Moorthy has also held a number of high profile positions at the British Medical Association including Chairman of the UK Junior Doctors Committee (2007-2008). He was the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Science (2009-2016)

About the Authors

Dr. Dena El-Sawy

I am a final year medical student at Lancaster University, with hopes of pursuing a career in surgery. I have interests in Medical Education, policy and healthcare management. I have been working with Medics Academy for over a year and am the Lead author of the ENT curriculum. This experience has taught me valuable leadership, teamwork and managerial skills and it’s been an incredibly vibrant and creative place to work.

Catrin Sohrabi

Catrin is a medical student at Barts and The London with an interest in the application of cutting-edge learning technology to the delivery of high-quality educational material in medicine. She is particularly passionate about combining her interests in surgery and scientific research with a future academically-focused career. Having authored content on the ENT and Clinical Genetics curriculum, she is keen to continue to inspire interest in teaching and education during her role as a Medics.Academy Fellow.

Amy Boalch

Amy is a final year medical student at King’s College London with interests in medical education and management. She became involved in Medics.Academy to develop her leadership skills and collaborate with like-minded individuals to develop long-lasting educational resources. It has also been an excellent opportunity to develop her medical knowledge and is an aspect of her medical training that she is particularly proud of. In addition to Medics.Academy, Amy is also involved in lots of audits and projects, predominantly dermatology related. Outside of Medicine, she spends a lot of her time running and she is currently training for the London Marathon for which she has qualified for championship entry.

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Otitis Externa

    • Otitis externa - definition

    • Classification of Otitis Externa

    • Epidemiology

    • Aetiology

    • Clinical presentation

    • Nectrotising Otitis Externa

    • Investigations

    • Differentials

    • Management - Localised otitis externa

    • Management - Acute diffuse otitis externa

    • Management - Chronic diffuse otitis externa

    • Advice and communication with the patient

  • 2

    Foreign bodies

    • Clinical presentation

    • Initial management

    • Management - Methods of removal

    • Management - Referral to an ENT specialist

  • 3

    Vertigo

    • Vertigo - definition

    • Aetiology

    • Management

  • 4

    BPPV

    • Aetiology and pathophysiology

    • Clinical presentation

    • Investigations

    • Management

  • 5

    Meniere's disease

    • Definition

    • Aetiology

    • Presentation

    • Diagnostic criteria

    • Investigations

    • Management

  • 6

    Hearing loss

    • Introduction

    • Clinical presentation

    • Investigations

    • Aetiology

    • Management

    • Hearing aids

  • 7

    Tinnitus

    • Definition

    • Aetiology

    • Epidemiology

    • Clinical presentation

    • Referral

    • Investigations

    • Primary care management

    • Pharmacological and surgical management

  • 8

    VIIth nerve palsy

    • Introduction and anatomy

    • Aetiology

    • Clinical presentation

    • Investigations

    • Management

    • Prognosis