Going into uni in the run up to practical exams always raises my panic levels.
It seems that the vast majority of people are hysterical about them.
What I don't understand is why?
Yes they're nerve wracking, yes there is a small chance we might fail... surely getting hysterical just makes this all worse.
We're lucky in the way that we're told quite specifically what we can expect, yet people still ask stupid questions.
"Do I have to take the pulse in a cardio exam?" ... erm, well yes.
"Should I do a PR once I've done this child's abdo exam" ... have you ever PRed an actual patient in an OSCE. No. Do what you did last time and say "to complete my exam I would like to examine the hernial orifices, do a PR and get a urine dipstick."
"Will they test me on this really obscure minor bit of a limb exam? OMG.... If I miss it am I going to fail?" .... no, they've just said that nothing is instant fail.
"I know you said nothing is instant fail, but if we fail XYZ is THAT instant fail?"
ARGH!
The next person to ask a stupid question is liable to get headbutted by me.
My other pet hate at the moment are those people who say how amazing being last in the OSCEs is as they'll know all the stations. We already know what we're being examined on. Just learn it all. Doesn't matter if your friend a week ago said they had gout/heart failure/cerebral palsy... it could change. Stop trying to guess things and just learn the stuff.
Less than 2 weeks to go now. Thank goodness.
Lily xXx
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Heard Around The Hospital: Father's Day
8 years ago
3 comments:
Good luck Lily - I have 2 weeks of exams left as well - cannot wait for summer!
We were always taught you tend not to do PR on children though unless really necessary, best to send for specialists...
Good luck!
You're right you probably wouldn't do a PR as a junior dr, but ideally you'd need one to complete an exam, so it's OK to say that. In fact on my paeds rotation nearly every child with tricky to deal with constipation had a PR. I just don't get why people have to constantly ask stupid questions when we've been told to always just tell the examiner what else we'd ideally do to complete exams or tasks.
My favourite was: 'If we have to look for Gower's sign do we have to get the child on the floor first?'
What a moron. I am one of those panicky students but felt so much better listening to that sort of idiocy because I now know I won't be coming last somehow...
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