Day 1 OSCE

So did that really just happen?

It's amazing what anxiety can do to you. I think I checked my examination reporting instructions email at least 20 times. 'Am I definitely going to this hospital at this time?' 'Oh God, what if the exam started on Monday rather than Tuesday?' 'Wait, am I sure I am meant to be here?'... I knew where I was supposed to be and when, I remembered that the first time I saw the email, but then the insecurities and nerves made me do crazy obsessive things.

So, on the day my heart rate was 92, which is definitely higher than the normal range. My resting heart rate is usually just below 60! This tells you how nervous I was feeling. We did have a nice lady giving us a debrief before the exam though. She was very light-hearted and that relaxed everyone a little bit.



Although, she did drop the news that we had to present back the history that we take in the history taking station. There was a massive groan from the audience. Shrieks of 'What? We were told we don't have to present in year 4?!'. It was all round hysterical for a good minute before we calmed down again. However, the station itself wasn't actually too bad.

Then onto the battlefield....

It started okay, had a few ups and downs, and I finished very badly on a station because I did the wrong examination! I was corrected half way through and I did manage 80% of the correct exam in the little time I had, so I really really hope I managed to salvage that.

We also had a very ambiguous Basic Life Support station. The patient was choking and we were meant to treat that first. In real life, that's what we would treat first thing, the man is choking! Duh! BUT in the exam, we were all thinking we need to do Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation... So we were all working down this list because that's the expected structure of the exam (and the mark scheme). It took me a good few seconds to start treating the choking... Then I got stuck on an endless loop of CRP, and it got to the point that I got the examiner to do chest compressions at the 4th cycle because I said my arms are too tired and therefore I cannot give adequate chest compressions. I want to both laugh and cry at this. My friend laughed very loudly at this. I can only hope that he doesn't hate me and didn't fail me because I made him work. Hmmmm...

Also had a very ambiguous station about kidney function. Yeah, that was weird. Still don't know how the ideal consultation should have gone...

Everything else was okay-ish. And just a blur!

Tomorrow is the second half of OSCE.

And now back to preparing...