Family Medicine OSCE

All students will return to the Chapel Hill campus to take the OSCE on the Thursday of the 4th week of the rotation. Report to the Clinical Skills Center. The first group will take the OSCE from 10:15-1:00. The second group will take the OSCE from 12:15-3:00. You will be notified of your group assignment in advance. Please be on time. This schedule CANNOT be altered. If, for some emergency, you can't be there call the Department of Family Medicine (966-3711) and ask for Carolyn Joines (966-2824, direct).

The OSCE will be part of the Focus on Clinical Skills days that will help students hone their clinical skills. Students will get feedback on their performance the following day to maximize the educational value of this assessment.

The Family Medicine OSCE is a 3-patient examination that uses simulated patients to test student's clinical reasoning skills. Each student will see three Standardized Patient (SP) cases, 1 chronic and 2 acute. Students will have 40 minutes to complete each case. A Powerpoint presentation explains the components of the OSCE in more detail. Similar to the STEP 2 OSCE, you will not be permitted to take notes, blank paper, cell phones or other electronic aids into the exam. Like STEP 2 OSCE, you will not be allowed to re-enter the room after you have completed the history and physical.

The OSCE is graded based on student performance during the interview and the physical exam (in cases where physical exam is required) as well as on the answer to the questions students provide during the post-encounter portion of the OSCE. A standardized instrument is used by the SP to assess relationship skills. The Powerpoint presentation lists the questions asked in the post encounter portion of the OSCE.

Please dress appropriate to patient care including your white coat. Please bring your stethoscope. Other diagnostic equipment will be provided, although feel free to bring your own diagnostic kits if you wish.

This introduction along with a review of the standardized instrument and the Powerpoint presentation will hopefully prepare students well to succeed in the OSCE.  There will also be a brief introduction and Q&A session on the day of the OSCE.