Go on an OSCE course

Should I go on a course?

I think you should go on a course if you have not done an OSCE before.

It is so different to other types of exam that you don't want to experience it for the first time on the day of the exam.

And there are techniques you need to learn like:

time management,

spending a few minutes preparing your thoughts before starting the station - particularly noting what you have been asked to do,

good communication skills,

handling a viva,

dealing with specific stations like a labour ward scenario, an obstetric emergency etc.,

emptying your head after each station so that you are not wasting time thinking about how you might have given a better answer

RCOG courses in London and elsewhere.

The RCOG runs courses in London.

They are regarded as very good.

I used to teach on them before I became very ancient and can vouch for their quality.

Nowadays the College takes its courses to other countries.

I think this is great.

Coming to the UK and paying for accommodation can cost a small fortune.

Add the cost of the course and you are paying a great deal.

If you can find one nearer home, it will be a lot more convenient and cheaper.

But of identical quality to the ones that are run at the College itself.

You can find the courses on the RCOG website.

The London ones are very popular, so you need to be quick to book on one.

They tend to be fully booked within a few hours of the results of the written being published.

A deficiency with all OSCE courses has been that they are very good at giving experience of what a circuit is like, but no good for teaching you how to correct errors and do things better.

The RCOG has now set up a course that focuses on technique - MRCOG Final Preparation Intensive OSCE Course.

It is also incorporating some coaching into its other courses, but I don't have details.

Send me feedback about any course you go on.

Where should I stay in London if I book a course at the RCOG?

A lot of trainees have stayed at the YMCA Indian Student Hostel.

Although it has “Indian” and “Christian” in its title, it is used by all nationalities and religious groups.

The feedback I get is that it is basic but clean and reasonably priced.

It is within walking distance of the RCOG.

A benefit is that if you stay there you are likely to meet with other exam candidates.

Check its website: http://www.indianymca.org/.

You can stay at the RCOG, but the accommodation is expensive and limited.

Travelodge hotels are a bit less basic than the YMCA, but more expensive.

The nearest is the London Central Marylebone Hotel.

It is about a mile from the RCOG.

There are lots of other hotels.

You can locate them by using one of the internet companies such as Booking.com.

It lets you search by area, but does not recognise the RCOG.

Put in Baker Street and it will come up with a load of hotels near the College.

MRCOG Final Preparation Intensive OSCE Course.

What do courses offer and what are their limitations?

This is really important.

There is a notion that courses are the comprehensive answer to preparing for the OSCE.

They most certainly are not.

All you can expect them to do is give you the experience of doing an OSCE circuit.

And an appreciation of the techniques you need to survive.

But they don't teach technique.

They simply don't have time.

You do the circuit and at the end of each station the examiner says a few words.

In the tutorials we spend hours practising simple things like introducing ourselves.

You couldn't expect a course to replicate this - there is not the time.

You need to find another way to get the techniques.

And then you need to practise them.

The only way I know is to listen to the tutorials.

The exception to this is a new course started by the College in 2014.

I hope it will be really worthwhile: send me feedback if you go on it.

Which courses should I consider?

I think all the courses will give you similar training.

Which means none!

Just the experience of doing a cicuit or two.

There might be some time spent on technique, but it will be severely limited.

Be realistic about what courses can offer.

One thing to look out for are courses in which you go round the circuit in pairs.

At half the stations you are "active" and perform like a candidate.

At the other stations you are just an observer.

This might be OK if you are partnered with a potential gold medallist and can see brilliant technique.

But it is more likely that you will be observing someone who is no better than you and you are mostly wasting your time.

I suspect that these courses are just adding people to get more money.

I would not pay to go on such a course.

Does the Bolton course offer anything different?

The Bolton course is different to the others.

First of all, it is cheaper - Phil Chia who runs it is not interested in using it to make money.

He charges just enough to cover the costs of running it.

A unique feature is that I usually run a tutorial the next day to deal with the stations that proved difficult.

The course is usually on a Saturday and we spend all day on the Sunday in the tutorial.

I think this is the ideal package.

Do the circuit to see what it is like and learn the types of stations that you need to work on.

Then discuss and practise appropriate techniques the next day.

I don't charge for the tutorial, so it is like a 2-day course at a fraction of the price of other 2-day courses.

And the opportunity to learn and improve techniques, which other courses do not give.

I should add that I have nothing to gain from singling out the Bolton course.

I usually attend as an examiner, but that is my only connection.

The course is run by Phil Chia.

I have no involvement other than helping out as an examiner and putting some information about it on my website.

The reason I run the next-day tutorial is that most of the trainees who come to the tutorials are from the NW of England.

Most of them go to the Bolton course.

So, it makes sense for us to have a tutorial to pick up things that were a problem on the course.

There is information here about the date of the course and how to apply.

How many courses should I go on?

There is a tendency to go on as many OSCE courses as you can afford.

I think this is a waste of money and may even be a disadvantage.

You are not going to learn anything new.

The downside is that every circuit will have a station at which you do badly.

One course = 1 bad station.

Two courses = 2 bad stations …..

Go on 5 courses and you have 5 bad stations and begin to think you are no good!

My advice is one course, two at the most.

As you are not being taught technique, I can't see what you gain by going on multiple courses.

And they are horribly expensive.

How do I acquire the skills that courses don't teach?

The only way I know is to listen to the tutorials / podcasts.

And to follow the advice on the website.

You already know most of what you need.

Get a tutorial from an anaesthetist about adult resuscitation.

Similarly, get a tutorial from a paediatrician about neonatal resuscitation.

Get the theatre sister to show you all the basic instruments including hysteroscopes and cystoscopes.

Get her to show you the diathermy machine and explain how it works.

If you have not seen colposcopy / hysteroscopy, attend a couple of sessions.

Practise tying knots in case you have a station in which you have to teach a junior.

There are books that give examples and they are helpful.

But I haven't found one that really deals with all the techniques.

Technique 1 is how to cope with an OSCE circuit.

The best way to learn is by going on a course that provides at least one OSCE circuit.

The key things are basics:

time management,

forgetting what you said or did not say at a station as soon as it is over: concentrate on the station you are at,

taking time at the start of each station to read the information about the station carefully,

be clear about exactly what you have been asked to do - there are no marks for anything else,

taking time at the start of each station to write a plan for the station,

Technique 2 includes all the techniques for the different types of station.

How can you learn them?

We are back to the tutorials and the advice on the website.

Make sure you polish your communication skills.

Get a friend or relative to act as roleplayer.

Practise your introduction, explanation of recessive inheritance, breaking bad news etc.

Get someone to act as an examiner and practise vivas.

It is very hard to talk for 15 minutes with an examiner showing no response.

Start practising so that you are not learning how to do it on the big day.

How do I practise the skills necessary for the exam?

The ones you need to practise most are the communication skills.

Both role-play and viva.

You need someone to practise with.

Possibly the best will be another exam candidate - they will be as motivated as you to put in the time.

But a non-medical person is very useful as they can pull you up on the use of medical jargon.

And tell you when your explanations do not make sense.