CliniLink Academy | ENT in 15 minutes
Ear, Nose, Throat in 15 minutes: Assess, Recognise and Act
You have examined the ear. This module gives you fifteen focused minutes on the clinical thinking behind it: what the view actually tells you, how it fits the wider picture, and when the answer is escalation rather than treatment.
15 minutes Focused refresher format
6 lessons Ear, throat and sinus
CPD certificate With reflection template
NICE and NHS Current UK guidance
One framework, every consultation
The module is built around a single repeatable structure, so the reasoning holds up whether the presentation is an earache, a sore throat or blocked sinuses.
LOOK
What can you see?
Canal, tympanic membrane, landmarks, position and integrity, assessed in the same order every time and documented clearly.
LINK
Does it fit the patient?
Match the view against symptoms, history, severity and patient factors. Redness on its own is not a diagnosis.
ACT
Manage, safety-net or escalate?
Apply the current commissioned pathway, give clear safety-netting advice, and escalate promptly where red flags are present.
What you will be able to do
Every lesson closes on a decision, not a definition.
Recognise the normal tympanic membrane and ear canal, and describe them consistently in your notes.
Work through a systematic six-step ear examination without missing a stage.
Interpret a finding against symptoms, history, severity and patient factors before deciding anything.
Separate routine management from same-day and emergency escalation, and act on the red flags that decide it.
Apply FeverPAIN and Centor to sore throat, and current guidance on acute sinusitis, with antibiotic stewardship in mind.
Document findings, reasoning, advice and safety-netting so the record supports continuity of care.
Who this is for
Community pharmacists delivering the Pharmacy First acute otitis media, sinusitis and sore throat pathways.
Pharmacists who have completed otoscopy training and want the clinical reasoning to sit alongside the practical skill.
Independent prescribers and primary care pharmacists refreshing ENT assessment and escalation.
Pharmacy technicians and trainees working within a supervised ENT service.
The module supports recognition and structured assessment. It does not replace local pathway training or autonomous triage outside current guidance.
Inside the module
Six lessons across roughly fifteen minutes, each with interactive checks, sorting exercises and scenario questions drawn from everyday consultations.
1
What are you actually looking for?
Normal landmarks, the six-step examination sequence, and why colour alone never carries a diagnosis of acute otitis media.
2
Turn the finding into a clinical picture
The four information streams that drive the decision: symptoms, history, examination and patient factors.
3
Would you continue or escalate?
Routine, same-day and emergency escalation criteria, with a sorting exercise on real presentations.
4
ENT is more than ears
Sore throat scoring with FeverPAIN and Centor, acute sinusitis duration and severity, and when supportive care is the answer.
5
LOOK to LINK to ACT
The framework applied end to end, with documentation, safety-netting and professional boundaries, plus the downloadable consultation quick guide.
6
References
Full citations and direct links to every guideline behind the module, ready to cite in your appraisal record.
The findings that change the plan
Recognition is the part that carries the risk. The module drills these until they are automatic.
Post-auricular pain, swelling or pinna displacement Possible mastoiditis. Prompt medical assessment, not routine management.
Sudden hearing loss over three days or less Refer immediately where it is unexplained by external or middle ear causes.
Unilateral hearing loss with facial droop Immediate specialist assessment. Follow the stroke pathway where stroke is suspected.
Severe systemic illness or neurological features Emergency escalation, outside the scope of routine management.
Persistent or recurrent discharge Reassess and escalate where there is no clear improvement.
Difficulty breathing or swallowing with sore throat Urgent escalation. Do not delay referral for a scoring tool.
What comes with it
ENT Consultation Quick Guide
A one-page downloadable summary of the assessment steps, red flags and escalation criteria, sized for the consultation room.
CPD certificate and reflection template
Issued on completion, with a pre-written reflection entry you can adapt for revalidation and appraisal.
On-demand access
Return to any lesson whenever guidance changes or a presentation in the pharmacy prompts a second look.
Built on current UK guidance
Every recommendation in the module traces back to a named, authoritative source, cited in full in lesson six.
NHS England (2025) Pharmacy First clinical pathways, version 2.5: acute otitis media, sinusitis and sore throat.
NICE NG91 (2018) Otitis media (acute): antimicrobial prescribing.
NICE NG79 (2017) Sinusitis (acute): antimicrobial prescribing.
NICE NG84 (2018) Sore throat (acute): antimicrobial prescribing.
NICE NG98 (2023) Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management.
NHS (2026) Mastoiditis. nhs.uk/conditions/mastoiditis
Questions before you start
Does this replace practical otoscopy training?
No. The module assumes you have already been trained to use an otoscope. It covers the clinical reasoning that follows the examination: interpreting what you see, integrating it with the history, and deciding what happens next.
Is it accredited for CPD?
Yes. A CPD certificate is issued on completion, with a reflection template written for pharmacy revalidation and appraisal records.
How long does it really take?
Around fifteen minutes if you move straight through, and a little longer if you work through every interaction and scenario. There is no time limit and your progress is saved.
Does it cover Pharmacy First eligibility?
The module works with the current commissioned pathway and prompts you to confirm eligibility, exclusions and red flags before management. Always check the live pathway version in your service.
Can my team enrol together?
Yes. Group and multi-site access is available for pharmacy groups and organisations. Contact the CliniLink team to arrange it.
Fifteen minutes now, better decisions all week
Structured assessment, confident escalation, and documentation that stands up when someone reads it back.
Start the module Free for CliniLink Academy members
This module supports recognition and structured assessment within your scope of practice and local commissioned pathways. It does not authorise autonomous triage outside current guidance. Always work to the live version of the pathway operating in your service.