History Taking & OSCE Examination Introductory Course for Fourth Year Medical Students

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley

Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is presented as a structured assessment of clinical skills, emphasizing history taking and physical examination within brief stations. The course explains the principles of OSCE, including differential diagnosis, patient-model scenarios, required step-by-step commentary, and time management during short assessments. Guidance covers preparation through daily practice of new examination skills, maintaining calm and clear communication, and continual improvement toward professional performance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages209

Reading Time8 h 47 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Acknowledgement

Contents

Section 1: History

Gathering Information

Patient profile

Presenting/Chief complaint

Section 2: Physical Examination

Settings of the Physical Examination and General Rules

The General Examination

Examination of the Thyroid Gland Function

Cardiovascular System Examination

Respiratory System Examination

Gastrointestinal & Renal Examination

Musculoskeletal System Examination

Nervous System Examination

Section 3: Appendix

Abbreviations

Previous years OSCE stations

History application form

| | | الرحمن الرحيم | الله | | بسم | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | History Taking & OSCE Examination Introductory Course for Fourth Year Medical Students
Edited by | | | | | | | Hanan Mansour
Reviewed by | | | | | | | Abdallah Beano
Abdallah Mansour Rema Al-Jondi Abeer Yassin Eman Sadaqa Suha Abu-Khalaf Sahar Almustafa | Ala’a Azzouqa
Anas Al-Bawaliz Doua’a Sallam Fadwa Al-Qadi Basma Al-Nashash Shatha Dmour Mohammad Zmaili | | | Published by
| | | Last modification on July, 2015. | | | | | | Preface OSCE is the abbreviation of “Objective Structured Clinical Examination”. This examination tests your clinical skills in gathering medical information from patients by history taking and physical examination. It is structured around a differential diagnosis of the presenting complaint; which is the systematic method of diagnosing a disorder (e.g., headache) that lacks unique symptoms or signs. OSCE is made up of few stations; in each you spend few minutes (around 5 mins usually) to gather the medical information required. Questions are easy to answer if you had studied them and come in short statements. The exam is done on models usually (your colleagues) not true patients. You are obligated to comment on each step as you proceed along the examination. An examiner will be present in the room, but he’s not supposed to talk neither instruct you through those 5 minutes … so don’t try to ask for his help, he’s is present to assign you a mark only. 5 minutes may seem short time, actually they are not!…5 mins will be enough Insha’a Allah to answer the provided question if you used them wisely. Don’t panic, Don’t hesitate making ‘mmmm’or ‘ahhhhh’, and be polite. Self-confidence and clear voice are essential to master this exam. Preparing for OSCE requires daily practice. Don’t leave its study for the last week of the semester. Try to practice one new physical examination skill each day, because practice is the key to master any skill. Never be satisfied with your skills, try always to improve and fine tune them up to professionalism. This dossier is intentionally made for daily-life clinical practice, to make your understanding of the provided topics more comprehensive. I’ve intension to make an exam night review version, asking Allah to give me good well and time to manage that. The dossier is the gather of practice and learning from residents and colleges plus reading OSCE books and websites, but in the core is based on Macleaod’s Clinical Examination Book 12th edition. I highly recommend that you build a good relationship with Macleaod’s book; I think ofit as the heart of clinical books. For any suggestions to improve the contents or the design, please contact me on; [http://www.facebook.com/hananmnsr or email me on](http://www.facebook.com/hananmnsr or email me on); [hanan.ju@gmail.com](hanan.ju@gmail.com)[ ](hanan.ju@gmail.com)Your suggestions are welcomed 􀀭 may Allah bless you Acknowledgement I am grateful to all those medical students who helped or contributed once in the past for making O SCE dossier; for ours being a continuation of theirs. I would like to thank MD. Mai Al-toos, my introductory course instructor, for her tolerance, encouragement, and dedication for teaching. I greatly appreciate the work of the reviewers named, that was precise and of value to develop the content of this dossier. Finally, with a heart full of gratitude, I would like to thank our medical committee, named Saleh Roman, Anas Al-bawaliz, Abdallah Mansour, Belal Abu-hazem and Bara’a Al-sharqawi, for their giving and support through those hard years of medical school. I am and all my work is the fruit of my parents, for whom I’m grateful to the end of my life, and for whom I dedicate this work. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ( فَمَ نْ يَعْمَ لْ مِ ثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًّ ا يَرَ هُ ۞ وَ مَ نْ يَعْمَ لْ مِ ثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَ هُ ) سورة الزلزلة – الآيتان 7 و 8 اللهم تقبل أعمالنا

FAQs

What does OSCE test and how is it structured?

OSCE tests clinical skills in gathering medical information through history taking and physical examination. It is structured into a few short stations, each requiring focused information collection and commentary as you proceed.

How should a student approach the OSCE time limit in each station?

Students typically have about 5 minutes per station. Using time wisely and answering in short, clear statements helps manage the questions effectively without panic.

What is included in gathering patient history for OSCE?

History gathering covers patient profile details, referral source and timing, who provided the history and when it was taken, and the presenting or chief complaint in the patient’s own words with duration and necessary clarification.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley