It’s the time of the year that all students dread, their oral clinical examinations, which in the medical field, consist of being examined on the interaction between the delegate and a simulated patient. The types of stations vary from being assessed on how to examine a patient, to taking a history and perhaps even being interviewed by the examiner 1 on 1 to assess knowledge.
I was very fortunate to be behind the scenes examining the examiners, ensuring that there was consistency in marking throughout, and also examining the students.
Here are my top 5 tips for getting through your OSCE’s:
1 - Turn up to your exam. It does happen and unfortunately if you’re not there we can’t mark your hard work from the year.
2 - Look the part. You’re about to join a world where people will trust you with their lives. Messy hair, scruffy clothes and looking like you’ve just got up from bed doesn’t make a good impression.
3 - Listen to the patient. We all get nervous, and we as examiners know you are too, however, don’t miss important information that the patient is telling you because you are too caught up in your own ‘system of questions’.
4 - Don’t worry if you pause. Taking a breath, recalibrating is totally ok. Just make sure it’s not the whole 5-10 minutes of the station. Take a moment to gather your thoughts and hold you head high and go strong.
5 - Enjoy it! These moments will forever stay with you and you’ll reflect back on how far you’ve come. At the end of the day it’s a simulated scenario, so don’t get yourself too stressed if it hasn’t worked out the way you wanted. There’s always another station and another opportunity.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the calibre of students coming through and the experience made me confident to know that I can fully trust our health professionals of tomorrow. Wishing you all the best of luck going through your exams.
Thanks for watching and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment in the comments section below or pop by and see me in clinic.
Treatment time is around 20 minutes and swelling and bruising is seen straight after settling at around 3-5 days with optimal results at 2 weeks.
If you’re interested in finding out more or to book, head over to drnora.com.
Take care and stay healthy 😘
Dr Nora 💉
Warning: any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
In today’s episode of Dr Nora, I take a close look at the 3200 Littmann Bluetooth Electronic Stethoscope and see whether it’s worth the hefty price tag of $700AUD.
Boosting the ability to record up to 30 second clips of the heart with Bluetooth transfer, I was excited to add this scope to my collection. Watch on to see what’s included in the box, what it sounds like and how to transfer the tracks onto your computer.
I’ve challenged myself to take up a new hobby of watercolour painting. Here I’ve drawn some memories from what I consider to be the best airport in the world - Changi Airport, Singapore. It literally had everything, a pool, a free movie theatre, indoor forests an abundance of shops and an extensive food court. 🛫
Painting this was actually quite fun and relaxing, a nice change from the routine of day to day activities and I hope to continue and improve my skills, so stay tuned for more. 👩🎨 Have you taken up any new hobbies recently?
In this episode we take a listen to the male heart before, during and after exercise with no added commentary.
As you’ll notice, listening to the heart at rest, the beats are crisp and clear. During and after exercise, you may hear some lung sounds which can alter the clarity of the heart beat sound. Listen to how the heart relaxes to its resting state after exercise and the heartbeat becomes clearer again - truly beautiful.
Be sure to stay tuned for my next set of videos where we will be listening to a female patient with a murmur. I am also excited to share with you that I’ll be reviewing another electronic stethoscope very soon.
Thanks for watching and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment in the comments section below or pop by and see me in clinic.
