1) For a PCP that does ear cleanings, you could have done that for peanuts. I used to know an FM guy who would do it regularly for patients (maybe a touch too r

1) For a PCP that does ear cleanings, you could have done that for peanuts. I used to know an FM guy who would do it regularly for patients (maybe a touch too regularly). 2) Heh, it's actually a standard board exam question about "homeless guy comes in with scratching in one ear." The official answer is that you /don't/ scope first, because if it's a roach, the sudden light can make them scrabble deeper. Which is actually funny, since different bugs respond differently - there have been case reports where people have reported repeated success with taking the patient to a darkened room, opening the ear as much as possible, and having a light pointed near the outside of the ear - luring the bug to crawl out on its own. Actually, on second thought, I don't know if it's a "standard" board question. Rather, it was something I studied for boards once upon a time. I'm not in EM/FM, so it's not something I've ever had come up again.