I wonder if there is anyone out there who, like me, who has been slogging through the NMC application process and has taken or will take the OSCE? Are any of you ANGRY about the OSCE? I am.
Those of us applying to be registered in the UK have been put through the ringer, been vetted in every way imaginable (references, one year of practical experience required, education hours, training hours, IELTS, etc), and the fact that they add a practical test on top of that is just redundant, unnecessary, and a huge waste of time and resources for everyone. Especially amid the UK nursing shortage, when they should be facilitating the immigration of well-qualified nurses, not hindering us!
I recently took the OSCE and failed the skills section for absolutely bogus and arbitrary reasons. But before finding out that I had a "partial fail", I initially came out of that test feeling confident, like I had done well, and there is no way they would judge me to be an incompetent nurse. But despite my feeling that I performed well, I also emerged from the test simultaneously angry and frustrated, for having just committed 5 weeks of my life to stressing, floundering through disorganized, overabundant study materials on the Nile website, and traveling across the world... all for a test that clearly has nothing to do with assessing a nurse's competence. All the OSCE succeeds in testing is our willingness to jump through meaningless hoops and pay excessive fees!
The fact that we are subjected to this psychological roller coaster is infuriating... especially from an organization whose bedrock is the holistic caretaking of all people!
And why the exorbitant fees? Why do we have to repay the fee if we sit again for the test? Exactly whose pockets are we lining? The whole thing just rubs me the wrong way.
I'm just appalled at what I and others have been through with the OSCE. I plan to appeal my test result and also lodge a complaint both with the University of Northampton and the NMC, who are the controllers of the OSCE. If anyone is interested, I will share what I write, and I encourage ANYONE who is frustrated to write to the NMC and make yourself heard!!!
I am from the Philippines but have lived over here for 8 years now and has worked as a band 3 CSW for 2 years. I suppose my brain and skills are a bit rusty now but I have put in a lot of hours, specially after I failed the first time. It is really frustrating to have failed again but I will not give up. I know in myself that I am a good nurse and even my patients keep telling me that I will make a fantastic staff nurse and that means a lot, a lot more than two failures in the OSCE!
I know what you mean, and I agree with you 100%. Do you live in the UK? I do think they are asking us to jump through hoops but I also see where they are coming from that they want to safeguard the population by ensuring nurses know their stuff. However, I am sure there are better ways of ensuring that overseas nurses are vetted properly before they could practice in the country. For example, why not get assessors in hospitals or universities who are able to do so in a clinical setting (instead of an exam environment) and make sure they have completed X amounts of tasks and procedures until they are signed off? It would make more sense then as the nurses will be evaluated to certain standards of an NHS trust instead of the outdated nursing assessment forms of a trust that the examinees have no personal experience with and may never will.
Unfortunately I was not able to pass my second sitting because I underdosed my patient. I feel so devastated, the nerves really got the best of me. I kept on crying the whole day yesterday. I am in the verge of getting kicked out of UK because of an exam which just focused on one area. Im not sure if I am still here for the third sitting.
I just have received my re-sit results and I have failed again. Apparently I did not check the respiratory rate although I obviously stood there for an entire minute, holding my fob watch and looking at the patient (for respiratory rate), my mistake was not verbalising what I was there for. They say treat the actor as a normal patient- when I look after a 'normal' patient, I don't tell him that I am counting his RR as this could make him uncomfortable and make him breathe faster or slower than normal. I am so annoyed and upset! I came out of that exam room thinking I more than likely passed it as all the errors that I knew I made on my first attempt I had rectified and there was not much I would have changed and if there was, they were very minimal and would not put a patient at risk. I would love to know what marks they give and what they take away for little mistakes and how they affect the overall mark.
i dont think they do an overall mark. If you fail in one station they automatically fail you in APIE or skills. I really feel bad about the exam, I too was not successful on my second attempt. Its just frustrating having to fly all the way here just to be tested in an extremely pressured situation like the OSCE. I just feel bad about it. I am in the verge of being kicked out in this country because of the examination. Had so many sleepless nights and even waking up from an OSCE nightmare. I don't even know what to do anymore. Would anyone help me out please?? Please send me a message. I will greatly appreciate it.
Hi Andrei! Try to look for another sponsor instead. Was it just the Implementation part that you had a problem with?
hi! Do i have to find another sponsor instead?? My current employer are working on with it for me to have a 3rd take. It was only implementation. Only one mistake. Its really infuriating.
ImAFabNurse
4 Posts
I am from the Philippines but have lived over here for 8 years now and has worked as a band 3 CSW for 2 years. I suppose my brain and skills are a bit rusty now but I have put in a lot of hours, specially after I failed the first time. It is really frustrating to have failed again but I will not give up. I know in myself that I am a good nurse and even my patients keep telling me that I will make a fantastic staff nurse and that means a lot, a lot more than two failures in the OSCE!