So I have had my OSCE's, or the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations
Hopefully you will find this link helpful...OSCE
Osce's seem to get everyone a little worried and nervous as you are performing so to speak rather than writing down on a piece of paper or being sat at a computer.
I will say don't worry, but of course you will!
Not every university does these, and not all Osce's are the same. So it is best to see what your university does in regards to assessments. My university did only have them in final year, but now we have them at the end of each year once again.
This year, we have six stations, each assessing a different skill.
Each station is something many of us will have carried out on placement, depending on your placement of course! But we have learnt about them in theory in our lectures and tutorials, then we will have also carried out the skill to learn in our practical classes.
Our stations this year involved Basic Life Support, Oxygen Therapy, handwashing etc.
So it is important to know what you are doing! Not only for the exam, but in your career as a nurse. As nobody wants an incompetent nurse i'm sure!
These stations are approximately five minutes each and there is an assessor sat in each one. Sometime there will be Simman or a mannequin, other times there will be real live patients (actors). However, regardless of whether or not your patient is real or not, it is imperative you interact and show confidence. Even if you are a bundle of nerves inside!
The osce's are your chance to demonstrate your knowledge and competence in a given situation. It is important to demonstrate this so the university knows you can do this and you can show them independently away from your classroom peers.
Osce's are nerve wracking for people but they are over so quick that you may not realise just how little time you actually have. It is good to show the skills you have learnt over the course of the year and to even have that confidence within yourself. As a nurse you need to be confident within yourself that you can carry out those tasks. Three years goes by very quickly, and before you know it you will be out on your own as a fully qualified nurse.
So use those practical classes and placement as practice and gaining experience. This will help towards your final exams at the end of each year, and once you qualify.
The osce's at our university lasted over 2 days, but you yourself are in and out within half an hour! Shortest exam you may ever actually have!
We did have that opportunity that if we had finished before the 5 minutes was up, we could step outside the station. If we then realised we had forgotten something, we could go back into the station and go over it or inform the examiner sat inside. As long as it was within the allotted time frame.
I get my results soon and hopefully I passed.
Just my written exams all coming up so it is a lot of revision to be doing now.
Luckily, having worked all year and even just doing an hour after classes most days or on the days it didnt quite sink it, has helped revision so much as I feel like I have retained a lot more than I thought I had!
So just a little tip when you do start. If there are those days where it hasn't quite sunk in, revise a little of it and go over it that same day or even the day after while it is still somewhat fresh in your mind. Even if it is only for an hour. It helps immensely and will pay dividends when it comes to exam time!
The osce's are your chance to demonstrate your knowledge and competence in a given situation. It is important to demonstrate this so the university knows you can do this and you can show them independently away from your classroom peers.
Osce's are nerve wracking for people but they are over so quick that you may not realise just how little time you actually have. It is good to show the skills you have learnt over the course of the year and to even have that confidence within yourself. As a nurse you need to be confident within yourself that you can carry out those tasks. Three years goes by very quickly, and before you know it you will be out on your own as a fully qualified nurse.
So use those practical classes and placement as practice and gaining experience. This will help towards your final exams at the end of each year, and once you qualify.
The osce's at our university lasted over 2 days, but you yourself are in and out within half an hour! Shortest exam you may ever actually have!
We did have that opportunity that if we had finished before the 5 minutes was up, we could step outside the station. If we then realised we had forgotten something, we could go back into the station and go over it or inform the examiner sat inside. As long as it was within the allotted time frame.
I get my results soon and hopefully I passed.
Just my written exams all coming up so it is a lot of revision to be doing now.
Luckily, having worked all year and even just doing an hour after classes most days or on the days it didnt quite sink it, has helped revision so much as I feel like I have retained a lot more than I thought I had!
So just a little tip when you do start. If there are those days where it hasn't quite sunk in, revise a little of it and go over it that same day or even the day after while it is still somewhat fresh in your mind. Even if it is only for an hour. It helps immensely and will pay dividends when it comes to exam time!
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