The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is the second component of the test of competence administered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

It serves as a comprehensive evaluation of your professional nursing skills and knowledge in the UK, at the level expected for newly registered nurses. Through this examination, you must demonstrate your ability to effectively apply your knowledge to patient care.

The OSCE consists of 10 stations, with an approximate duration of 3 hours. Four of these stations will be scenario-based, each corresponding to a different stage in the nursing care process. This rigorous assessment is crucial in determining your readiness to enter the profession and fulfill your duties as a competent nurse.

As said above, 4 stations out of 10 are based on the nursing care process, let us look at what they are:

•     Assessment

•     Planning

•     Implementation

•     Evaluation.

RN-3 (Mental Health Nursing OSCE Stations)

1. Depression and Suicidal Ideation
2. BiPolar Disorder

Skills stations

1. De-escalation
2. Nutritional Assessment
3. Reminiscence Therapy
4. Talking Therapy
5. Physiological Observations
6. Intramuscular Injections

Finally, the two written/silent stations will be tested. One of these stations will evaluate your ability to solve a problem encountered during your practice while adhering to the Professional values outlined by the NMC.

Professional Values stations 

Candidates are presented with a brief scenario which and asks the candidate to identify what actions they would take, in line with The Code. Candidates are judged on their ability to:

• Identify aspects of The Code which are relevant to the scenario.

• Identify the appropriate actions to take to address the issues outlined in the scenario.

• Identify any consequences of not taking appropriate action.

It will also assess your communication skills in relation to this problem-solving process. The next station will focus on assessing your critical appraisal skills when it comes to research and evidence, as well as your decision-making abilities –Evidence-based Practice.

Evidence Based Practice stations 

Candidates are presented with a summary of a scientific or medical journal article about a relevant aspect of nursing practice. You are given a scenario related to the article and a required to produce a summary of the findings and how these findings relate to aspects of the scenario. Candidates are judged on their ability to:

• Read and understand summaries of scientific and medical articles and other literature.

• Analyse data and draw relevant conclusions.

• Relate patient-specific scenarios to the evidence base presented in the literature.

• Identify and provide relevant and appropriate advice that meets the specific needs of the patient identified in the scenario.

These two stations are both considered written stations within the assessment.