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oxford osce:exam format general advice>year:2005 2007>go back to:oxford osce home exams homepage medicine homeGeneral Advice
Stay calm…. It’s so short If you don’t understand a question ask for clarification Make sure you know which station you’re at If you’re not sure what you’ve been asked to do, just check If they’re trying to give you a hint, take it You can be asked medical questions by the surgeon and the other way round The cases were all from the ‘expected’ conditions. If I wasn’t getting to the diagnosis fast enough, the examiners often helped. Generally, it was easier and friendlier than I had thought it would be The patients were lovely (the lady I took a history from told me her diagnosis half way through the history), as were the examiners. Which was good, as I was incredibly scared! There are rarely any trick questions and they always try to help you if you do get stuck. It all goes incredibly quickly! Just try to relax and make sure you can do a slick and speedy examination. Good luck! Do not panic. The examiners can phrase the questions badly – this might be the reason why you have no idea what they are asking you! The cases and questions are predictable – use a Short Cases book to prepare for them. If you are not sure of the diagnosis then say so. They will usually try and help to lead you to the right answer – they will not fail you for not knowing everything! Some of the stations may seem ridiculous and not core – just have a go and do your best! How you approach the patient and the examination is far more important Be clear in your mind of signs and take time to be sure. They will guide you through stuff. Although you will not always get every diagnosis, that is not what they are after so relax! You need to examine as if you have done it before and be able to talk about the signs that you find. It doesn’t matter if you have no idea – think on your feet and say sensible things Stick to your guns and listen carefully to each murmur and sort out what it is before you report. I hurried a little and didn’t listen enough to the systolic murmur as the diastolic was so exciting! The data interpretation station usually involves common material. My X-rays were from the 4th year OSCE that we had, and included things like Small Bowel Obstruction and Abdominal Aortic Aneurisms Finally, good luck! |
