GraduateMedicine - Twilight 2
Hi and thanks for joining me on this training.
My name is Tom Rolley for Graduate Medicine.
First of all I'd just like to put out a massive congratulations to everyone who got through their exams on the weekend.
What I want to touch on today is this second Twilight Zone that you may find yourself in, which is between the end of the AKT through until results come out.
Now that the OSCE requires not just a pass for the AKT, but also the KFP... it's almost I think a four week gap from now until you know that you've passed AKT/KFP and that you can enter into the OSCE.
What is the risk at this point?
The risk is that it feels like you've been through this massive journey, got through KFP, got through AKT and I'm done, I'm collapsing down.
It can feel like, "Oh my goodness, I'm done! I don't have much left in the tank"
But do not forget there's still one more exam to come.
My interpretation of the entire exam thing, is the best way to do it is to actually run through and think of it as three different ways of examining your capacity to be a independent and competent GP.
So what do we do?
How do you not fall in a trap here?
Let me tell you a little about what happened for me - it was that I did nothing for three weeks, and then I got through and I passed AKT. I went, "Oh my goodness, I've now got to sit the OSCE."
And it was a bit of a shock.
I was like, "Oh my goodness, I've forgotten a bunch of stuff."
It was a element of panic that came into me as I realized I only had eight, nine weeks until the OSCE.
What I'd suggest is you want to avoid that.
That you could have this time to not be at panic stations, but rather that when you pass your AKT and KFP that it's a smooth journey, that you're already dialed in around your skill sets.
Let's talk about that possibility, what would that require?
Well, I think number one, you're going to need a study group.
If you have got through this far without a study group, that's fine, but it is going to be challenging to do the OSCE prep without at least one other person.
My suggestion is if you do not have a study group where you can actually get together and work live together, then you need to have that.
The second thing, you should have this already, but if you don't, you need to go and get Susan Wearne's book. I think she's had 75 cases for OSCE in that book.
The reason I say you should have that is because I found it highly useful to reflect on for the KFP when I started the OSCE and went, "Oh gee, I wished I'd had this book when I sat the KFP. So you should definitely have it.
If you don't, get that, you're going to need it.
Really the major move now is to make sure that you have memorized and have really smoothed out your clinical skills.
This is your history taking, but particularly your examination skills.
We're talking about Talley and O'Connor style Clinical Examinations where you can go through and examine the knee.
Examine the shoulder.
Examine the cardiovascular system.
Examine the abdomen.
Examine the cranial nerves and all of these procedures are all smooth and you know them well.
The reason that you want that is because the art form of the OSCE is to move beyond knowing or memorizing these clinical skills into actually having them down so smoothly, that you can move into interpretation of the information that is coming in during the actual cases.
If you are not already dialed in on your clinical skills, then you definitely want to do that at this point, so that as you find out, yes you've passed AKT.
Yes you've passed KFP
You're now moving into being able to interpret results that are coming back from the examiners and actually fitting it into, "Hey, what's going on for this patient?"
That's what I suggest and that's the benefit for you for actually working on having those smoothly at this point.
Now let's talk about the other aspect.
Let's say that you don't pass AKT or you don't pass KFP or you don't pass both of them.
Where does this leave you?
Well, presumably you're going to have to come back and loop back and do the AKT and KFP again.
Hopefully at this point, you have been through those exams, you've learnt something from going through them and that you can then reset when the results are out and go, "Okay, where do I go from here?"
You definitely want to be continuing with the thought that yes, you have passed and therefore not dropping the ball right now, not just forgetting about the exams, but rather having a smooth plan for the next three to four weeks as you come into results that when you find out yes, you have passed.
Now you have to sit OSCE that you are ready and you do not have the experience that I had, which was, "Oh my goodness, I still have one exam to go and I totally forgot about it."
Thanks for joining me on this training, hope you found a lot of value from it and look forward to seeing you again on future trainings.
If you do need some more help, please check out a resource that may benefit you here 4 secrets to find the time to pass the FRACGP.
