OSCE › Teaching
Teaching the junior student nurse
One RCSI station puts a student nurse in front of you and asks you to teach. RCSI names the topics it currently uses, and one reading for the station itself: NMBI’s Quality Clinical Learning Environment. So the assessor is marking two things: that the facts are right and sourced, and that you teach the way a preceptor is meant to: ask first, plain words, check they got it, feedback that is specific and kind.
Pick a topic
H. pylori ulcer and gastroscopy →FreeMr Ryan, 52, in bed 4, has been admitted with epigastric pain and is for a gastroscopy this afternoon; his GP found H. pylori on a breath test.8 facts to cover · 7 minOsteoporosis, osteopenia and the DXA scan →FreeMrs Grant, 71, in bed 2, is day three after a hip fracture from a fall at home. Her DXA scan report has arrived: T-score minus 2.7 at the hip.8 facts to cover · 7 minConstipation and colonoscopy →Mr Byrne, 64, in bed 7, is for a colonoscopy tomorrow after a positive BowelScreen test; he also complains he has been constipated for a fortnight.8 facts to cover · 7 minLung cancer and bronchoscopy →Mr Keane, 68, a smoker of 40 years, in bed 9, had a chest X-ray and CT for a cough with blood-streaked sputum. He is for a bronchoscopy in the morning.8 facts to cover · 7 minHypertension and the 24-hour blood pressure monitor →Mrs Fox, 58, has had two clinic readings of 152/94 and 148/92. The doctor has ordered a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor before starting any tablet.8 facts to cover · 7 minObesity, BMI and waist measurement →Mr Connolly, 45, is 1.75 m tall and weighs 98 kg. His waist measures 104 cm. He is being assessed before a knee operation.8 facts to cover · 7 minPre-operative assessment and post-operative care →Mrs Dunne, 66, in bed 3, is second on the list for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. She is fasting, her consent form is signed and her left wrist has an identity band.8 facts to cover · 7 min
How you teach, every time
The same eight habits are marked on every topic. Learn them once.
- 1Asked first what the student already knows about it, and built on thatNMBI QCLE, p. 6: mutual respect, partnership, support and trust
- 2Used plain words, and explained each medical term the first time it came upNMBI Code 2025, Principle 3: communication
- 3Kept an order: what it is, why it matters, what happens, what the nurse doesRCSI descriptor: "You are required to explain..."
- 4Named where the facts come from (HSE page, NMBI, the society), and told the student where to read moreRCSI reading list is the marking reference
- 5Asked the student to tell it back in their own words, and corrected gentlyNMBI QCLE, p. 11: assessment involves questioning and feedback
- 6Feedback was specific, immediate and balanced: something done well, one thing to work onNMBI QCLE, p. 11: good feedback is specific, immediate, balanced
- 7Said clearly what the student may do and what stays with the registered nurseNMBI QCLE: students learn with the supervision of registered nurses; supernumerary
- 8Finished inside the time, with a minute left for questionsRCSI: ten minutes per station