Thursday, March 01, 2007

Clinical Research Class and OSCE Review

We had an assignment for class where we were asked to go to any waiting room and make observations about the people there. Ironically, I went to the CCF ER last Friday afternoon and did my observations there. Of course, I did not expect to be returning there later that evening as a patient! But on the bright side, it made my report today rather interesting. We weren't supposed to be doing active participation in our waiting room experiences, but it was an interesting contrast to my initial quiet observation. So I spoke first about my observations of other patients during the afternoon, then about my own experience as a patient overnight. While I was not in any condition to keep notes the second time, I am not likely to quickly forget the experience!

In the afternoon, I had a review session for the OSCE in a few weeks. We went through all of the clinical skills checklists with a standardized patient. Our patient was one of the people we had interviewed during our last communications class. Last time, he was portraying a problem alcohol drinker, but today he was normal. It's pretty funny when we get the same standardized patients in new roles. I feel a lot better now about some of the skills that we learned like six months ago. I barely remembered where the heart is by now, let alone how to do the cardio exam!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Cclcmer, what type of clothes should one wear to second look? A suit or just formal wear?

CCLCM Student said...

You should dress nicely, but suits probably aren't necessary. I'd say you can't go wrong with business casual. Double check your info packet though to make sure there isn't a formal event that I don't know about.

Anonymous said...

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Haha, I was looking for OSCE tips on Google and came across your blog. We're having our OSCE on the cardiovascular system on Monday. :) I'm a medical student in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, which also has a five-year MD course, and I'm graduating in 2011 too. Anyway, I thought I'd leave a comment before leaving. :) Good luck with your studies!

CCLCM Student said...

That's cool. I didn't know that the students do OSCEs at med schools in other countries too! Anyway, just remember to wash your hands before and after each patient. Oh, and examine the heart from the patient's right side. That was one of the things I did wrong during the cardiac portion of the exam last year, lol. Good luck, I know you'll do great. :-)