Prepare
How should I prepare for the assessment ?
The assessment is designed to test whether you have the skills to perform safely as an F1 doctor in the ward environment. The best way to practise is therefore to gain as much clinical and practical experience as possible, receiving feedback from an experienced teacher.
If you want to understand more about OSCEs and how to prepare for them, you may find the following books helpful (other books are also available):
- Dornan, T. and O’Neill, P. (2006). Core clinical skills for OSCEs in Medicine. (Second Edition) Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
- David R McCluskey, Essential Skills Practices for OSCEs in Medicine. (Medical Students range).
- OSCE and Clinical Skills Handbook by Katrina F. Hurley, MD, MHI, FRCPC (Director, Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University).
- Byrne, G., Hill J., Dornan, T. and O’Neill, P. (2007). Core clinical skills for OSCEs in Surgery. Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
It is important that you are familiar with European Resuscitation guidelines. More details are available from the European Resuscitation Council at www.erc.edu.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence regularly develops and reviews guidelines for many aspects of medicine. Full details are available at www.nice.org.uk.
The General Medical Council expects new graduates to be skilled patient-centred communicators. Again, this can only really be gained by experience under skilled supervision, but you may find the following book useful:
- Silverman, J., Kurtz, S. and Draper, J. (2013). Skills for communicating with patients (Third Edition). Abingdon, Oxon: Radcliffe Publishing.
We do not endorse any course or websites, apart from those listed here.
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