How to examine the nose and sinuses
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
A light and a nasal speculum or otoscope show most nose problems.
Step by step
Look outside
Shape, deformity, swelling, skin. [1]
Patency
Block one nostril and ask the patient to breathe through the other. [1]
Inside
Tilt the head back, light: septum, turbinates, color, polyps, bleeding point. [1]
Sinuses
Press over the forehead and cheeks for tenderness. [1]
Mouth and teeth
Upper tooth infection can cause sinusitis. [1]
Red flags
One-sided blockage with bleeding, eye swelling, vision changes. [2]
Common errors
- Missing a septal hematoma after injury.
- Not checking teeth.
- Ignoring one-sided symptoms.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Bronchiolitis in an infant
- Sick sinus syndrome
- Sinus arrhythmia
- Impetigo
- Seborrheic dermatitis
- Telangiectasia
22 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam)
- NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.