Clinical Skills Assessment Medical OSCE Exam (OSCE home)

Neurology OSCEs

Prepare yourself for these common neurology topics in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations

The common topics that have been tested in OSCE exams during USMLE Step 2 CS, MCCQE Part II, PLAB 2, OSCEs for medical students and medical school clinical finals, Clinical Skills Assessment for International Medical Graduates are:

• Head injury: ER management.

• Cervical spine trauma.

• Bacterial meningitis.

• Unsteadiness/ Dizziness/ Ataxia.

• Loss of consciousness/ Comatose management.

• Tremor/ Parkinsonism.

• Stroke/ TIA.

• Subarachnoid hemorrhage.

• Headache: all types and settings.

• Temporal arteritis.

• Seizure: attack at ER setting/ Follow up consult.

• Memory impairment.

• B 12 neuropathy.

• Chronic back pain.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Sciatica/ leg pain.

• Gait disturbances.

• Weakness.

• Numbness.

• Pituitary adenoma.

• Complete neurological examination.

• Limb neurological examination.

• Cranial nerves examination.

• Coordination examination.

• Glasgow coma scale.

Common Neurology OSCEs 

Common OSCE exam cases that have been seen in USMLE Step 2 CS, MCCQE II, PLAB 2, OSCEs for medical students and medical school clinical finals, Clinical Skills Assessment for International Medical Graduates are:

(Please note: For USMLE Step 2 CS, there is no examiner in the room. The encounter is video monitored and taped. Thus, there will be no questions asked in the room other than the patient's questions. However, during physical examination, you are still required to explain what are you going to do to the patient before physically touching him/her. All USMLE Step 2 CS stations are of 15 minutes long and require focused history taking, physical examination, and counselling as needed. Thus, ignore the last statement in the following sample stations about the available time and required tasks to do.).

1. Larry Warren is a 32 year old man who presents to the you in the walk-in clinic complaining of headache. Please take focused history and address his concerns in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Headache).

2. Jerry La point is a 53 year old gentleman who comes to the emergency complaining of sudden severe headache. Please take focused history and perform a focused physical examination in the next 10/15 minutes. (Headache).

3. Michael Jones is a 55 year old bus driver who was brought to the emergency by family members because he had a 'spell'. Please take a focused history in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Seizure).

4. Albert Russel is 55 year old man who comes to your office for the first time to have  a check up examination. Please perform a complete cranial nerves examination in the 5/10/15 ten minutes. (Cranial nerves examination).

5. Steve Barreto is 67 year old man who came to your office because he has been having frequent falls which made him very concerned. Please talk to him and address his concerns in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Fall / Unsteadiness/ Dizziness/ Ataxia.).

6. Frank Sullivan is a 57 year old man who came to the emergency by an ambulance because of weakness of his right arm and leg. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 10/15 minutes. (Stroke).

7. Javid Ehsani is 58 years old man who had some transient attacks of left eye blindness and was rushed to the emergency by his family. Please take focused history and address his concerns in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Temporal arteritis).

8. David Harrison is  a 66 year old businessman who comes to your office because of unsteady walking pattern. Please take focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Unsteadiness/ Dizziness/ Ataxia.).

9. A middle aged man was brought by the police to the emergency after being found unconscious. Please manage the case in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Loss of consciousness/ Comatose management.).

10. John Smith is 80 years old man presents to the emergency having sudden onset of speaking difficulty earlier today. It has now resolved. Please take focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (TIA).

11. Tony Longfield is 16 years old male who is a know case of epilepsy on medication came to your office referred from the driver licence authority. Please talk to him in the next ten minutes. (Epilepsy).

12. Maria Lanzonzo is 60 year old woman came to your office complaining of tremor. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Tremor/ Parkinsonism).

13. George Haung is 26 year old man who was brought to the emergency by his partner. She said that he had the 'flu' for the last two days and has complained of headache and fever. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Meningitis).

14. Leanne Price is 32 year old who came to your office because of right hand tingling and numbness. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Carpel Tunnel).

15. Anthony Smitherman is 44 year old man who came to your office because of fatigue and problems with walking with staggering. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (B₁₂ Neuropathy).

16. Eric Brown, a 28 year old male, was brought to the emergency unconscious after falling from a platform at work this morning. Please perform a complete neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Head injury/ Cervical spine: ER management.).

17. Bob Jackson, a 46 year old construction man, came to your office because of  sudden back pain for two days. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 10/15 minutes. (Back pain).

18. Leo alfanso is 47 year old man who had leg pain for years getting worse recently. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 5/10/15 minutes. (Sciatica).

19. John Riddle is 26 year old male who had a minor car accident a week ago. He came to your office because he noticed that he don't see on the sides. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 10/15 minutes. (Pituitary).

20. Sue Haung is 30 year old woman who had a car accident three days ago. She came to your office because of neck pain. Please take a focused history and perform a focused neurological exam in the next 10/15 minutes. (Whip splash C-spine injury).

Now;

What do you have to do in these OSCE stations in order to cover the checklist?..... 

What to ask to be thorough and cover the differential diagnosis?.... 

How to ask in an efficient, respectful, and empathic  way?.....

How to wrap up the station?.....

How to counsel the patient?..... 

How to perform a complete, safe, and respectful physical examination?.....

Your biggest challenge in OSCE exams is the limited available time.

You need to memorize sets of questions and actions to be asked and done while you're in an autopilot manner!

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