Focused History: 28-year-old woman with intermittent palpitations
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 min15 checklist items
- Station type
- History taking
- Time
- 10 minutes, after 60s reading
- Total marks
- 24.5
- Critical items
- 3 (missing one fails the station)
Candidate instructions
You are working in an outpatient cardiology clinic. Take a focused history from a 28-year-old woman presenting with intermittent palpitations. You have 10 minutes. You should explore the nature of the palpitations, possible triggers, associated symptoms, and any red flags. Pay particular attention to caffeine intake, thyroid symptoms, and syncope. You do not need to perform a physical examination. Use the time to formulate a diagnosis and explain your findings to the patient.
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, 15 weighted items worth 24.5 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 "Focused History: 28-year-old woman with intermittent palpitations"
A free account starts the clock: reading time, the station itself with a warning bell, then the examiner's checklist and your score.
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Educational content for students and clinicians in training. It does not replace professional judgement, local protocols or current prescribing information.