The OSCE - 5th Term

For our term, the CPD department was trying new things, adding technology, working on improving feedback for students and whatnot. The Exam was confusing in terms of expectations and format, and it seems to be changing a lot every term.

We had a big scare in terms of how many people failed the exam and what that means, but you don't have to fail this exam!

There's a couple things you can do to help you out:


1) First, obviously, Practice your Systems in completion, but also know the specific sections for special testing, eg. Sciatica or Appendicitis. The CPD Complete file is a great overview that should be enough to pass, but it ironically is not complete, you should add some things to it and make it yours.


2) PRACTICE WITH A TIMER. Can't really emphasize this enough. Get your WIIPEEP down to UNDER A MINUTE. And then practice doing a full history and Full System Exams in 7-8 minutes. Let the timer go off, then finish the exam in completion if you take too long. Find ways to shorten your exam and get it in the time allotted. Don't substitute Quality and Content for time. 
Also, when you practice your interviews, have the practice patient give you 3-4 complaints. We had some long interviews, but you can shorten them if you expect the following:


Sometimes the patient will just be pregnant but they will complain of nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, etc. So try to hone in on what is going on so you can get through the interview instead of asking every detail, you can focus on what is important.


3) *** Practice by vignette*** This is EXACTLY how you need to do this: Example, person comes in with an injured Shoulder... blah blah. Think to yourself, okay. What do I test? You should be thinking musculo-skeletal, CNS 1, and maybe pulses and arterial insufficiency for the affected side. You should think to do all these things. You need to practice this method with a variety of body parts and injuries. This is how you can predict the exam. It never hurts to do more, it shows you understand and have knowledge of the pathology, and demonstrates you have more skills. Plus, the Step II CS exam will be very similar.


4) Since the OSCE is SGU's way of somewhat preparing you for Clinical Step 2 type testing... Check out the USMLE Step II CS website http://www.usmle.org/step-2-cs/. There you will find what you can expect for the future, and follow similar expectations for both this exam and the future. This way you won't be underestimating This OSCE Exam.


5) A confusing topic for us was figuring out just WHAT exactly to perform in each station. If you practice via rule #3, you will be less surprised on test day. You wont be penalized for doing more.
Remember how many minor stations and how many Major stations there are and keep track on test day.

6) For now, HERE are some practice situations.... http://www.oscehome.com/

Finally.. GOODLUCK to you all. I wish you the best.