Saturday, December 10, 2011

OSPE Exam Information for Saint George's University School of Medicine

An Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) is a modern type of examination often used in health sciences to test practical skill performance outside of the clinical setting. The OSPEs within this program will test your knowledge of image evaluation from technical and quality perspectives.  There are two OSPEs that will be given during your academic career at SGU.
-1st term, it is taken one week before finals
-They started implementing this test at an earlier time just recently due to a lot of students failing it in the past.
-To prepare for the exam- read through all of your histology clinical lectures and biochemistry/anatomy diseases.  Also, be sure to know all the physical exams given in your lab manual.
-Brian thought the exam was fair. This is not new info.  You should already know everything pretty well. He studied the day before the exam to prepare.  Brian got 20 out of 20 correct.
-Practice questions Composed of physical and clinical diagnosis.
1. Auscultate (listen to) heart valves - either aortic, pulmonary, mitral, or tricuspid. Lung lobes - Right (this one has three) and left lobes - know the outline from sternum/ribs to vertebrae level.
2. Locate and palpate pulses - radial, ulnar, carotid, dorsalis pedis, or posterior tibial
3. Testing extraocular eye muscles - superior oblique, inferior oblique, medial, lateral, superior, and inferior rectus. Know which nerves control specified muscle.
4. Muscle test for cranial nerves III, IV, V, VI, VII, IX, XI, XII.
5. Testing for direct/indirect pupillary light reflexes. Know the efferent/afferent limbs of the reflex in both eyes. 
6. Percuss or palpate liver or spleen
7. Testing knee ligaments or meniscus- medal and lateral collateral ligaments, medial and lateral meniscus, ACL or PCL
8. Clinical case- Patient has high glucose, overweight, and lab findings indicating patient is diabetic (you will need to come to that conclusion based on knowledge of lab findings).  Picture provided of physical findings ie diabetic ulcers, swollen interphalangeal joints, muscle atrophy....choose the picture that correlates for the given lab values.
9. Scenario given- patient has inadequate nutrition, deficiency in a certain vitamin. Picture shows legs bowed, bleeding gums, skin blotches, bruising....you must diagnose based on given clinical information.
-Link to another student's opinion of the OSPE
-Below I included some details about the exam.

Clinical skills objectives included in course syllabus for each Term 1 Basic Science courses.
20 times stations with students rotating.
OSPE scores contribute 11% to the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in year 2. 
OSPE is mandatory.
20 multiple choice questions - 9 anatomy, 3 histology, 7 biochemistry, 1 bioethics
7 out of 20 questions requires performing clinical skills on patient. 
Examiner at each station to evaluate your skill. Will inform you of specific letter to bubble on scantron.
Don't talk with the examiner. 
75 seconds per question.
No extra time given to students with special accomodations. 
You are required to take the exam next term if you missed the current one. 
OSPE scores will be released along with your final grades for Anatomy.
Dress professionally.
Females must wear close toed shoes.

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