Collapse at the Bus Stop: History to Distinguish Cardiac Syncope from Seizure and Vasovagal Causes
A timed 10-minute history taking OSCE station with reading time, a warning bell and an examiner-style weighted checklist including critical items, marked the way a real examiner would mark it.
History taking10 min14 checklist items
- Station type
- History taking
- Time
- 10 minutes, after 60s reading
- Total marks
- 44
- Critical items
- 3 (missing one fails the station)
Candidate instructions
You are a foundation doctor in the emergency department. A 72-year-old man, Mr Arthur Hughes, has been brought in by ambulance after collapsing at a bus stop. He is now alert but tired. Take a focused history from him to distinguish cardiac syncope from a seizure and vasovagal causes. Include details of the event, prodromal symptoms, post-event symptoms, past medical history, medications, family history, and social context. You do not need to examine him. You have 10 minutes.
How the station runs
- 60 seconds of reading time with the instructions above, and nothing else.
- 10 minutes on the clock, with a warning bell before the end.
- The examiner's checklist, 14 weighted items worth 44 marks, revealed only when the station ends.
- Your score, with a critical-fail flag if a safety-critical item was missed.
The checklist stays hidden until the station is over, exactly as it would outside the exam room.
Log in to run "Collapse at the Bus Stop: History to Distinguish Cardiac Syncope from Seizure and Vasovagal Causes"
A free account starts the clock: reading time, the station itself with a warning bell, then the examiner's checklist and your score.
Taught in
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Educational content for students and clinicians in training. It does not replace professional judgement, local protocols or current prescribing information.