Preparation for MRCEM OSCE
If you have cleared your MRCEM Primary and Intermediate and are on the lookout for the best ways to prepare for MRCEM OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination), you will find this helpful.
Eligibility for the Exam
You will need a medical qualification approved by the GMC for the purpose of registration. Moreover, you should complete the UK Foundation Programme or equivalent and pass the MRCEM Primary and MRCEM Intermediate SBA. Lastly, you must possess 24 months experience including 6 months in Emergency Medicine.
Since seats are limited, if oversubscribed, the following criteria will be taken into account to allocate available places to candidates. Preference will be given to those in a GMC approved UK ST3 training post and who are in year 3 of the approved Irish training programme. Those who have an employment contract with the NHS will also be given consideration. Those who were not allotted a place at the most recent sitting will be given chances next. The remaining will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Format of the Exam
This is a practical exam. Moreover, your clinical skills will be tested while examining a patient in the presence of an examiner. Furthermore, the MRCEM OSCE consists of 16 8-minute stations, with one minute reading between stations.
Cost of the Exam
The price of MRCEM (OSCE) Objective Structured Clinical Examination is around 450 pounds in the UK, 650 pounds in India and 750 pounds in Malaysia.
How to Prepare for the Exam
MRCEM OSCE is all about practical assessment and clinical examination. Moreover, the best possible preparation is lots of practice. Besides, picking up physical signs is important. In addition, find consultants within your hospital who are OSCE examiners or registrars who have passed the exam recently. They can further observe and comment on your history taking and exam skills. Lastly, form a group with other doctors who are taking the MRCEM OSCE exam. This way you can further share patients and practice delivering your findings out loud. In addition, this will enable you to pass and get confidence in your examination. Furthermore, make sure that you diagnose thoughtfully and communicate clearly with patients and colleagues.
Manage Time
You should start well in advance and try to practice 3 or 4 patients per shift. This will further enable you to run through the most likely scenarios within a month. Moreover, you need to practice with a variety of people and cover as many scenarios as possible. This will further build confidence and make you feel prepared.
You should not let nervousness negatively influence you on exam day. In addition, take the minute before each station to fully read and digest the task at hand. Lastly, be meticulous with your reading and formulate a plan for the scenario at hand.
Use Other Resources
There is a huge collection of useful videos on Youtube. Moreover, you will get to see examples and mock OSCE stations which will show you how the candidates go through the process.
Grasp Pie Charts
You will come across a pie chart while reading that explains how marks are broken down at that station. This may be teaching skills, communication skills or clinical knowledge. Furthermore, if a scenario lends you a topic that you are well versed in, it is tempting to showcase all your knowledge. Besides, if it only accounts for 25% of the mark and teaching skills account for a greater percentage, you need to further prioritize your teaching skills.
Read the Room
Make sure that you don’t overlook anything when you walk into the station. Look out further for any equipment or ques from the actor. They are meant to be addressed as part of the examination. Moreover, when people overlook cues and props from hand gel to x-ray machines, they end up losing marks in the assessment.
We talk to doctors on a regular basis about their exam experiences and career goals to ensure we are creating up to date, valuable, credible and educational material for you. We want to wish you best of luck with your MRCEM exams.
By : admin