Objective Standardized Clinical Examination

We took our first OSCE yesterday and it was pretty challenging.  It consisted of a large amount of questions which you must answer strictly from memory.  No multiple choice questions, all fill-in the blank! This format is quite different from what we are used to at UWS.  Up to this point we have been taking Scantron tests and preparing for them is not as taxing.

The nice thing about Scantron exams is that you can usually pick out the right answer through a process of elimination.  If you have looked through the required material, you will know the answer when you see it or at least rule others out.  The OSCE was very challenging because we must follow our professor's lead with what he considers pertinent to memorize.  Being there is so much information to memorize, there is really no way you can get it all in your brain prior to the exam.  This means it comes down to critical thinking during the exam versus doing a massive knowledge purge and forgetting it a day later.

I am anxious to know how I did because this is the only thing that remains in my way to get sent to an offsite clinic in two weeks.  If I don't pass, then I remain at the Campus Health Center until the end of the term when I retake the exam in week 8 or 9.  There is another exam held today which is a skills competency exam.  I am not as worried about this exam because we have been practicing these skills since we started the program and I trust I can figure out what it is they want from me.

Here's to doing it live!