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Table of Contents
OSCEs or Objective Structured Clinical Exams are the βpracticalβ exam of medical school. It aims to prepare you for the clinical and communication aspects of becoming a doctor. They can seem really difficult and stressful, but with enough practice, you are likely to score well. I hope these tips are helpful and make you feel a little less worried!
What do you need to know?
It seems obvious, but make sure you know which examinations, histories and procedures youβre expected to know and what youβre supposed to be doing in them. Check out our OSCE guides if youβre looking for help.
Practice makes perfect
Grab a fellow medic/friend/flatmate and practice regularly until your examinations are fluent and confident. Exam nervousness can affect your performance, so itβs better to be a bit overprepared than under. If your medical school allows you to practice with their equipment, then take advantage of those opportunities. If not, things like reflex hammers, blood pressure cuffs and penlights can be bought off the internet for a decent price. Remember to practice with a timer too as the minutes fly by in the real thing.
Clothes maketh the man
Dress professionally and accordingly to NHS dress code. Looking neat might not give you extra marks, but it does help you make a good first impression. Remember to tie up long hair, roll sleeves up above the elbows and take off your wristwatch.
Devilβs in the detail
Read the instructions carefully before you enter the station. It sounds silly, but people have been known to do the wrong examination in OSCEs (e.g. upper limb instead of lower limbΒ neurological examination). If you donβt do what youβve been asked, you just wonβt get the marks.
Did you wash them?
Always begin and end a station with washing your hands! Not only is it just good clinical practice, this gives you vital and easy marks.
And so it beginsβ¦
Memorise your opening patter until it becomes second nature. This should consist of greeting the patient, introducing yourself, checking their identity, describing the procedure/examination and gaining their permission to continue. Easy marks, but important stuff.
Structure is everything
For examinations, develop an order that you are comfortable with and can remember. For details check out our OSCE clinical skills guides.
For history taking, a general structure applies:
- Presenting complaint
- History of presenting complaint
- Past medical history
- Drug history
- Family history
- Social history
- Systemic enquiry
This may change during a consultation as patients donβt necessarily follow your rules β but having a structure in place makes it easier to keep track of what you have and havenβt asked and helps you with the flow of questioning.
Take a look at our more specific communication skills guides for more details.
Fake it βtil you make it
You may not be feeling very confident during your OSCE, but pretend you are! Stand up straight, smile when appropriate and speak loudly and clearly – being too apprehensive can give the impression you donβt really know what youβre doing and make the patient nervous too.
Manners cost nothing
Always be polite, empathetic and honest to your patient. Listen to them carefully and let them speak. Thank them and the examiner at the end of the station. After all, theyβve given up their free time to help you. A significant amount of marks are often awarded just for demonstrating these generic communication skills, so don’t neglect them!
Keep calm and carry on
Donβt worry about making mistakes during the OSCE β you havenβt got time to panic. Stay calm, take a deep breath and continue as you were.
Think again
Once you finish your examination you may have some spare time; donβt let this go to waste. Look around to see if thereβs any equipment in the room youβve not used.
If you remember something youβve missed, then feel free to go back and do it β youβve only got marks to gain.
Donβt waste a good mistakeβ¦
It can be easy to just wipe all memories of a bad OSCE out of your brain. However, if you write those errors down you can review them for your next exam and ensure you donβt make the same mistakes again. Talking to your coursemates about their experience can help too β no one said that you can only learn from your own mistakes.
Good luck!