On the day
Tips to help you on the day!
keep calm!
Just remember that this is the day you've been practising for, it's now your day to shine! Whilst we're sure it will go very smoothly, we have prepared a few tips that might help. The first thing you must do is to keep calm. Keep in mind that most of the cases were inspired by real people with real problems, similar to those you have been dealing with on a daily basis for the past few months. Also take solace in all the hard work you've done up until this point in time, it will all come flooding back to help you, on the day. Please read below for some more helpful advice.
Make your way
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Make sure you arrive with plenty of time. That means 0900 for the morning group or 1215 for the afternoon group.
Make sure you find the correct entrance! I know this sounds daft, but we spent 10 minutes needlessly stressing because we couldn't locate the examination entrance. Please see the map to the right that shows which entrance to use for the exam. The red marker is placed near the examination entrance. Once in you will need to sign in, and hand over your phone and show your ID. From there you get given an introductory power point, that goes though the basics of the exam, including how the iPad works. |
Be yourself
You're now in the exam. This is NOT the time to try something new, or different. Now is the time to be yourself. Below are some of the things that worked well for us during the exam.
Before the first patient you will get around 10 minutes with the iPad, where you can go through all the cases of the day, and see the "doctor" information for all of them. Advice varies on whether one should run through all the cases in advance. There are advantages to each approach, which I will outline now. Some pro's of going through the cases in advance includes being able to have a guess at what might be coming up, this might give you time to get specific sections of the BNF ready, such as looking at diabetic medication, or rechecking HRT information etc before the patients come in. The disadvantage is that you may well come across a case that you feel you know little about, this might then pre occupy your mind for the remainder of the session, which could adversely affect your performance. If you do decide to have a look, try to limit yourself to the first half of the cases (up until the break), you can look at the remainder of the cases during the break.
Before the first patient you will get around 10 minutes with the iPad, where you can go through all the cases of the day, and see the "doctor" information for all of them. Advice varies on whether one should run through all the cases in advance. There are advantages to each approach, which I will outline now. Some pro's of going through the cases in advance includes being able to have a guess at what might be coming up, this might give you time to get specific sections of the BNF ready, such as looking at diabetic medication, or rechecking HRT information etc before the patients come in. The disadvantage is that you may well come across a case that you feel you know little about, this might then pre occupy your mind for the remainder of the session, which could adversely affect your performance. If you do decide to have a look, try to limit yourself to the first half of the cases (up until the break), you can look at the remainder of the cases during the break.
Oh no... I don't know
Firstly, remember the first point, keep calm and don't panic! Hopefully you will have read in our revision guide about how to prepare yourself for "dealing with the unknown". You will have therefore practised consultations with topics which you knew nothing or little about. If you have; great - if not, then no need to fear. If you get a case that you get stuck in - and it's likely you'll get at least one, then the following will help:
- Remember the basic structure. Even if you know nothing about the case, you can always gather data, ask about social and personal impact, enquire about ICE. Perform an examination if appropriate.
- If you still have no idea, then be honest. Explain to the patient (as you would in real life) that you are not sure what's going on, and then make a sensible and safe management plan. You may not get top marks, but as long as your plan is safe and sensible and you safety net, then you should score enough to get through that case
Finally over!
Finally the exam is now over, the advice however is not! Doesn't matter how tempted you are, do not give in to the urge to compare notes with colleagues who have taken the exam on the same day as you. This will only have one logical outcome - and that is one of self doubt and angst. What's done is done, discussion with peers will not highlight anything that will alter your score now. What's more, we have found certain cases where three candidates came away with three differing management plans, despite this all three passed the station.
Now that the exam is over, forget about it, and move on. Plan a break or a holiday - anything to take your mind off things, I'd opt for somewhere like below! Good luck!
Now that the exam is over, forget about it, and move on. Plan a break or a holiday - anything to take your mind off things, I'd opt for somewhere like below! Good luck!
