December OSCES

Re: December OSCES

rosie111 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:28:08 GMT

I'm pretty sure they don't ask the question at the end any more, that bit has been removed x

Re: December OSCES

Rhiannon Hutton — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:18:33 GMT

Make sure you write the correct units in the final answer for your calculations: e.g mls/hr, kcals. mls etc
Check expiry date/broached date carefully on the bottles for the injection of medication tasks. They may have 2 bottles exactly the same but just that 1 is out of date
Talk the examiner through what you are doing and over exaggerate everything (e.g. shaking bottle before drawing up drugs, checking expiry date, checking vaporiser etc - this just helps to make sure they don't miss anything!
Dont rush through it! Listen to questions and think about the answer before you give them your answer. In my exam they asked me what it meant when an instrument had gold handles. I replied tungsten carbide and then she asked where you would find that. In my rush to get it over and done with I said the handles thinking she meant where is the gold (forgetting she had already said it in her question)! As soon as she turned the timer off I realised what she meant but it was too late!
And finally, try not to panic! Easier said than done I know! I was a complete wreck the day of my exam! But the feeling of relief once its done is incredible!

Re: December OSCES

Gemma Burden RVN — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:11:22 GMT

I took my practicals back in 2004 so I know things will have changed, but the biggest bit of advice I can give you is to read through your task carefully. I worked with a nurse that saw the phrase "focus on the red spot" in her question, then spent all of her time looking for a harvest mite, assuming that is what the question was asking her to do, when in reality she had to focus on a pen spot on a slide to show she could use a microscope, then identify the mite on a slide on a different microscope. It is easy to panic knowing that you have to complete your tasks in a set amount of time, but I went into my exams thinking it was better to do my task properly and run out of time than to rush and do completely the wrong thing. And although the time limits can seem a bit tight, I found that I actually had a lot more time available when I did the real things than I had thought I would have. Good luck