Muslim Medics Mock OSCE 2006
On Saturday 10 April, the ground floor of the SAF building was filled with 30 eager 3rd year medical students. Nervously waiting in the student union room, they prepared to start a Mock version of the exam that faces them in just a few weeks: Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE).
Many weeks of planning with the union took place before the event was finally under way. The logistics of the event were a huge undertaking: From room bookings to health and safety assessments, everything had to be organised well in advance. When the event was first advertised, such was the demand that all places were filled within one hour (with paid members given priority). In total, thirty students were offered the opportunity of a pre-exam mock on a first-come, first-served basis. Indeed, emails were still coming in thick and fast hours after all of the places had been allocated.
After weeks of organisation, the day of the Mock OSCE was here. All of the examiners arrived, and the volunteers arrived bright and early. The event was organised by Muslim Medics, and Mustaffa Junaid (President) and other senior members of the society were there on the day to co-ordinate and make sure everything ran smoothly. Sponsorship for the event came from the Medical Defence Union (MDU), and a £5 entrance fee was charged a to help cover costs. The Muslim Doctors Association (MDA) managed to bring in the help of various, supporting doctors, including an A&E consultant.
This is the first professional standard Mock OSCE that has taken place at Imperial. There have been a few other mock-ups in recent years, but this is the first truly professional one, using qualified doctors as examiners. Volunteers to act as patients were drummed up by with the prospect of a free-lunch afterwards (which no student could refuse). There were 15 stations in all: Five ten-minute stations and ten five-minute stations, ranging from history taking stations to hands-on suturing. The doctors kindly gave all the students feedback and, judging by the thanks received from the students, the day was an absolute success. Following this feedback, the Muslim Medics are already planning for next year's Mock OSCE, and are hoping to make it larger and more thorough.
The Muslim Medics wish luck to all students that have their real OSCE in a couple of weeks time.
