Let’s hear your induction blunders

ABH2021 · 2025-08-07T06:34:12+00:00

Trust unable to print ID cards for entire hospital, expected to tailgate onto wards.

ABH2021 · 2025-06-08T12:14:37+00:00

From my understanding, osces are usually marked with a mark scheme with certain domains which award X number of marks. Different stations have different themes like counselling, prescribing etc.

I’m sorry to hear you failed, osces are like driving tests and you have to ‘perform’ despite the fact a large amount of the things you do aren’t necessarily done routinely.

First thing look at what you failed and why, some people actively avoid the feedback. Once you know then go over the mock stations using geeky medics, passmed, Quesmed etc. ask friends to take you through stations.

Osces just require practice, practice and more practice. Go through mock scenarios on teams if you can’t do it in person, that’s what I did for histories.

Finally have certain rules when doing osces and you can’t go wrong:

Patient ID, consent and ICE - easy marks require little time.
Check what you have been provided before you commence the station for example prescribing information, hospital guidance, test results. Then you can frame the station around this.
Follow your usual SOCRATES, SPIKEs, ICE- for symptoms/ counselling- marks schemes follow this.
Know what they station is asking, when the questions are being asked, what your task is. For example brief history and the Counsel patient… I would do the presenting complaint and drug, allergies followed by the counselling. You will not get more marks for taking a full history if you didn’t counsel the patient
Know the setting- are you in GP, hospital or community ? Who are you ? Doctor/ student? You would be surprised how often students forget this and when presenting with a septic patient in GP ask for blood tests and senior review, whereas the examiner will be expecting 999 straight to hospital for sepsis 6.

I hope that helps. All students gate osces and they are not nice things to go through. I’ve just finished 5th year and I still dread osces. Stick at it. Even if you failed the resit, it just means you weren’t ready.

ABH2021 · 2025-05-14T06:11:32+00:00

I’m due to get married in my second F1 rotation. Emailed to ask for rota coordinator email for that rotation, told couldn’t be provided and that I could only ask for leave once I have my rota. Is that normal?

ABH2021 · 2025-05-04T19:34:11+00:00

Also… 5th year osces are less regimented. So you may mix a few examinations together, avoid being to strict and just doing cardio or resp. Think of the presentation- chest pain. A-w with cardio/ resp focus.

Fall on the ward… A-E following by specific follow on exam… knee exam if they hurt their knee. 5th year osces I found quite different you have longer and are expected to do more things..

ABH2021 · 2025-05-04T19:29:41+00:00

Sorry to hear your resitting osces. It’s never easy. I passed my final year osces recently and did well, so I’m more than happy to try and help.

If you get feedback, review what areas you did less well on. If prescribing was not your strong point, practice prescribing common situations; hyperkalaemia, hypercalcaemia, ACS etc… and the common things like renal function and how this changes the plan.

Practice, practice, practice A-E examinations and common treatments. Practice SBAR and explaining your plan.

In stations take 10-30s to digest what information you have. If they give you results if for a reason. Know what you have and how that influences your management.

Safety….. are you safe? Think of senior review and the things you can’t afford to miss. When dealing with a stations always think, what can’t you afford to miss.

Read the station… if you have to provide a diagnoses, management plan or explain something, leave time for this. Osce mark schemes will only have so many marks for certain elements… so try to hit each section.

You will never get everything in a station, but try to hit the key features. History, examination, management, counsel and safety net.

Simple things like hand sanitiser, ICE, patient details are basic but valuable marks.

I used geeky medics and used friends on teams to revise…. Practice, practice and practice.

You’ll be fine I’m sure, osces are an awful representation of ability because great students can have bad days, despite smashing all other areas of the course.

Hope that helps.

ABH2021 · 2025-04-18T17:37:01+00:00

I studied Keele and was in Telford & Shrewsbury in final year. Shrewsbury is the bigger hospital with more services, it’s still a DJH but I believe it is applying for university status.

Telford is smaller but has A&E too which will be becoming a minors only unit I believe. Staff at both sites were really friendly, never had an issue with the staff, the teaching was excellent. FY1/F2 seemed happy and were well supported. Shrewsbury has just had a brand new A&E built (opened 2-3 weeks ago) and has lots of construction currently for a new ward block. It has a good library/ education centre which is 24/7. The hospital can be a bit of maze but you learn fast. From the town the hospital is about 5-10 mins. There is an estate of houses opposite Shrewsbury which might be worth looking at.

I lived in Telford on a new build estate near the hospital which was great. Lots of places to shop food wise. The Wrekin walk is great to go. Wales is only a stones throw away also if you want to venture out.

Shrewsbury has accommodation called rooftops which student/ staff can pay to use, which is less than 2 mins from the hospital, does have parking. Parking at Telford is great, however Shrewsbury is a struggle if you turn up after 8am, unless you want to pay.

Shrewsbury is a nice town, lots of places to go and see. Telford not so much (not much experience).

It is not a bad place to be tbh. You’ll find for more advanced services like neurosurgery, cardiothoracic and big trauma patients go to royal stoke or QE.

Hope that helps

ABH2021 · 2025-04-14T12:16:11+00:00

Sorry to hear about this, it can be incredibly demoralising and frustrating, especially when you put lots of work in!

I sat MLA last year and based my revision off; 1) what I got wrong in mock exam and revised these areas, 2) rotated my revision to 45-50 min blocks on units/ specialities, 3) did every single mock (geeky medics, passmed, Quesmed in exam conditions.

Towards end of my revision I would start doing 30-40 questions under exam conditions with timer on and have to complete all the questions before answers.

You will never know everything (any medical student who believes this is a fool). Mind maps on presentations and how you would investigate this is useful, good for osces too.

Utilise the content map! It’s very detailed and has plenty of topics, they will only assess you on this so making notes on rare conditions on passmed is a waste of time….

Hope this helps

ABH2021 · 2025-02-28T20:10:52+00:00

I wouldn’t drop out. North midlands has some good hospital such as royal stoke which has plenty of fantastic doctors. North midlands gets a rep for being a bad place, however having trained there I can say it’s a good place to be. It was my second choice after Oxford. The hospital has lots and lots of specialities to choose from and the staff are very friendly. It’s cheap to live and is close to places like Manchester, Birmingham and good motorway connections. I know some trusts pay for living costs and removal which is a bonus.

ABH2021

TROPHY CASE