WACS ORL Membership study plan

Build a one-page map of otology anatomy and physiology, covering the external, middle, and inner ear plus the vestibular end organs, from a standard textbook chapter.

Explain the tuning-fork test battery (Rinne, Weber, Schwabach) and compare it against pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, and acoustic reflex findings to classify conductive versus sensorineural loss.

Draw and label the audiogram patterns for otosclerosis, presbycusis, noise-induced loss, Meniere disease, and vestibular schwannoma, and state one distinguishing feature for each.

List the first-line management of acute otitis media, otitis media with effusion, and chronic suppurative otitis media, including when referral for surgery is indicated.

Summarize the workup and management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, including timing of treatment and the role of imaging.

Compare the indications and expected outcomes of tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy, and ossicular reconstruction.

Outline the bedside and laboratory evaluation of the dizzy patient, distinguishing peripheral from central causes.

Describe the diagnostic criteria and stepwise management of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere disease, and vestibular neuritis.

List red-flag features in a patient with facial nerve palsy that warrant urgent imaging or referral.

Map the paranasal sinus drainage pathways and ostiomeatal complex anatomy from a sagittal and coronal perspective.

Distinguish viral rhinosinusitis, acute bacterial rhinosinusitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyps by history, duration, and endoscopic findings.

State the antibiotic and adjunctive treatment choices for acute bacterial rhinosinusitis, including when imaging is and is not appropriate.

Explain the role of allergy testing, nasal saline irrigation, and intranasal corticosteroids in chronic rhinosinusitis.

List the major complications of sinusitis (orbital, intracranial, bony) and the immediate management step for each.

Describe the anatomy and function of the vocal folds and the layered structure of the lamina propria.

Classify voice disorders into functional, organic, and neurologic categories, giving two examples of each.

Interpret the key parameters of stroboscopy and acoustic analysis (jitter, shimmer, maximum phonation time) in a clinical report.

Outline the assessment and management of a patient with hoarseness lasting more than three weeks, including when laryngoscopy is mandatory.

Summarize the management of benign vocal fold lesions and the role of voice therapy before surgery.

Describe the TNM staging approach for oral cavity, larynx, and oropharynx cancers, and explain what changes between stages.

Outline the diagnostic pathway for a neck mass in an adult, including when fine-needle aspiration and panendoscopy are indicated.

Compare surgery, radiotherapy, and chemoradiotherapy as primary treatment options for early versus advanced laryngeal cancer, including larynx preservation considerations.

List the common sites of head and neck cancer and their associated risk factors and warning signs.

Explain the principles of neck dissection levels and when elective neck dissection is indicated in a clinically node-negative neck.

Outline the evaluation and management of pediatric otitis media with effusion, including when tympanostomy tubes are indicated.

Describe the assessment of a child with suspected hearing loss, including newborn screening pathways and the role of auditory brainstem response testing.

Explain the approach to pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, including adenotonsillectomy indications and postoperative considerations.

Summarize the evaluation of a child with stridor, distinguishing croup, epiglottitis, and foreign body aspiration.

Interpret the findings of caloric testing and videonystagmography in a patient with vertigo.

Describe the principles of local flap design and when a skin graft is preferred over a flap for facial defects.

Outline the management of auricular hematoma, nasal bone fracture, and mandible fracture, including timing of intervention.

Explain the indications and complications of rhinoplasty and blepharoplasty in a general ORL context.

Summarize the diagnostic criteria for obstructive sleep apnea and the role of polysomnography versus home sleep testing.

Compare continuous positive airway pressure, oral appliances, and upper airway surgery as treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea.

Review informed consent, documentation, and error disclosure principles relevant to ORL practice.

Revisit the highest-yield otology and head and neck oncology facts from weeks 1, 2, and 5 and correct any remaining weak areas.

Complete a timed mixed-domain practice set covering all nine domains and analyze performance by domain.

Build a personal one-page summary sheet of the ten facts most likely to be tested and least well remembered.