OBGYN 546
OSCE Tips & Tricks
2026-2027
Core Content
Supplementary Content
“Every test, examination and OSCE is a celebration
of what you have learned”
What does OSCE stand for?
Objective Structured Clinical Examination
History of the OSCE
Assessment of Clinical Competence Using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Medical Education 1979; 13: 41-54
https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/1/5955/447.full.pdf
OSCE Stations
The purpose of each station may vary
In addition to biomedical knowledge, OSCEs can assess:
OBGYN 546
Week 6 - Thursday or Friday
All students to report at
8:45 AM and finish between 11:30 AM and 12:00 PM
OSCE
Hybrid
Three student groups;
All students will be sequestered before and/or after the exam
Format
Three stations
2 minutes to read and prepare, 10 minute stations,
Pen & paper allowed
Details
Top 10 OSCE Tips and Tricks
Wear appropriate attire
1
The assessor in this station doesn’t know what happened in the last station
- PGY4 OBGYN Resident
2
Describe your answer if you can’t recall the exact specific medical terminology
3
Read the stem very carefully
4
“Under pressure you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training”
5
Have (or at least fake) CONFIDENCE!!
6
Having confidence
vs
Projecting confidence
Practice, Practice, Practice
7
Narrate. No one can read your mind
“I think overall the best advice is to talk/think out loud and explain all the steps you are taking. Even if you’re performing a skill correctly, vocalizing what you are doing and what you are looking for is key to ensure the examiner awards you credit.”
8
Leave the jokes at the door
9
Don’t forget the easy points
“Remember to include appropriate draping, lighting, patient comfort etc. as part of your practicing.”
10
Get ready to give an OSCAR winning performance
We have a “global rating score” component
Words of Wisdom
“If the examiner prompts you, don't panic, it doesn't mean you are failing. Likely they are just trying to get you all the points you deserve for your knowledge.”
“I think a good osce tip is to practice answering certain questions quickly example: on physical exam I will look at general appearance, ABCs, and vitals. Then get more specific. But saying the first part always gets you points!”
“My best tip would be to not worry about mistakes or bombing a station, move on and focus on the next because often messing up one station is ok and you can still pass if you do your best on the rest!”
Let’s practice…
You have two minutes with this stem – What are you going to do with yourself?�
You are called by the ER staff to assess a patient:
Ms. Jones is a 22 year old who presents to the ER with a 2 days history of left lower quadrant and generalized pelvic pain.
You walk in the examination room…
History
The patient tells you the following…
The patient is a 22 year old, G2P0A2.
The pain started two days ago and has been worsening in the LLQ. It doesn’t radiate, relieved a bit with acetaminophen and ibuprofen. She has no urinary or GI symptoms other than some nausea. She noticed some yellow thick vaginal discharge, and is unsure if she has had a fever.
She works as a cashier. Her past medical and surgical histories are unremarkable other than two D&Cs for therapeutic abortions when she was 17 and 18 years old. 2 years ago, she had chlamydia which was treated with “one pill”. Her LMP was “sometime last month”, her last pap was 2 years ago. Her age at first intercourse was when she was 15, she had 4 sexual partners in the last year, all males. She is on the pill, and uses condoms when she remembers. She smokes one pack per day, and likes go out with her friends and drink at least 4 times a week.
Then the examiner asks…
Points would be given for:
Gyne Causes:
Non-Gyne Causes:
Next question asked:
Points would be given for:
Skin:
Head:
Face:
Neck:
Chest and Cardiovascular Exam
Abdomen:
Pelvic:
Vitals, BMI
General Appearance
The patient then tells you…
Her BMI is 25, she looks generally well but a mildly flushed. Her vitals are normal, however her temperature is 37.8 degrees celsius. There are no abnormalities on head and neck, chest or respiratory exam. Her abdomen is tender, especially in the left lower quadrant, but there is no guarding or peritoneal signs. There are no palpable inguinal nodes. The vulva is normal. On speculum exam you see purulent discharge from the vagina. Bimanual exam is difficult to perform since she is exceedingly tender.
What labs would you like to do as a work up?
Points would be given for:
The patient then says…
Her pregnancy test comes back negative. Microscopy of vaginal fluid shows ≥3 WBC per high power field (most sensitive but not specific). WBC is 15000. Urine negative. All other cultures/ PCR/ serology are pending. Pelvic US shows swelling of the fallopian tubes bilaterally but no definite collections.
�What is your most likely diagnosis at this point?
Diagnosis
PID/Endometritis/Salpengitis/TOA
Additional examiner or patient questions…