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Patient interview

How to interview a patient with ear pain

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPANursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Ear pain can come from the ear itself or from the teeth, jaw or throat.

Step by step

  1. Introduce yourself and get consent

    Ask which ear and how bad. [1]

  2. Onset and course

    After a cold, swimming, flying or an injury. [2]

  3. Ear symptoms

    Discharge, hearing loss, ringing, dizziness, itching. [2]

  4. Fever and red flags

    High fever, swelling behind the ear, face weakness, severe pain in a person with diabetes. [3]

  5. Referred pain

    Tooth pain, jaw clicking, sore throat. [3]

  6. Summarize and plan

    Explain the otoscope exam. [1]

Common errors

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

8 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  2. NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations
  3. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint

Facts and steps follow NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations; NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.