The New NMC OSCE exam
- By (29 articles)
The OSCE exam usually includes a circuit of 10 short stations, in which each candidate is examined on a one-to-one basis with one or two impartial examiners and patients, who are either real or simulated. Each station has a different examiner, where clinical skills are tested, rather than pure theoretical knowledge; the sum of the pass marks of all the stations determines the overall pass mark for the OSCE.
An OSCE is designed to be:
a) Objective. All candidates are assessed using the same stations and marking scheme.
b) Structured. Stations have a very specific task and involve a clinical examination, designed to apply clinical and theoretical knowledge.
On the 2nd of August 2021, the NMC changed the OSCE exam structure for nurses and midwives, by upgrading the standards in the NMC test of competence; it increased the stations from 6 to 10:
· 4 stations will continue to be based around a scenario: the APIE (Assessment, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation).
· 6 skill stations (instead of two): 2 pairs of two skills (4 in total), 1 professional values, and 1 critical appraisal.
The time limits are:
· Assessment 20 min.
· Planning 14 min.
· Implementation 15 min.
· Evaluation 14 min.
· For all the skills 6-15 minutes.
What are the APIE stations?
· Assessment: Full A-E assessment (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure).
· Planning: write two care plans (same as before).
· Implementation: drug administration (same as before).
· Evaluation: a non-assessed written SBAR assessment, and an assessed verbal handover to another healthcare professional (the examiner).
The new patient scenarios for APIE are Pneumonia, Subdural, Anxiety, UTI, Hernia, Asthma, Chronic Cardiac Failure, Ectopic, Dementia/Confusion, Leg ulcer, and Diabetes.
The new skill stations are Administration of Inhaled Medication, Blood Glucose Monitoring, Catheter Specimen of urine, Fine Bore NG, Fluid Balance (4 different patient variants), In-hospital Resuscitation (no defib), Intramuscular injection, IV flush and VIP score, Pain Assessment, Peak Expiratory Flow rate, Pressure Area Assessment, Removal of Urinary Catheter, Subcutaneous injection, Urine Analysis, and Wound Assessment and Aseptic non-touch technique (ANTT).
If you are still confused and require more information about OSCE, give us a call at 02036376722 or email our NMT. We are committed to providing the best courses and support in the entire UK!
