Practical Skills and Clinical Internship/On-the-Job Training
This domain tests how your clinical internship is judged: competence shown under supervision, an honest logbook, and safe professional behaviour on the floor.
How OJT is assessed
- Logbook and skill checklist - every procedure signed by the supervisor with date and setting.
- Attendance and punctuality - hospitals document duty hours.
- Direct observation - the assessor watches the sequence, not just the result.
- Feedback and reflection - you are expected to know your own gaps and act on them.
The progression you must be able to describe
Observe → assist → perform under supervision → perform independently only after being declared competent. Typical competencies: hand hygiene and PPE, bed making, vital signs, temperature/pulse/respiration charting, bed bath, oral care, feeding, positioning and turning, ambulation and transfer, intake–output charting, specimen labelling and transport, waste segregation, and basic documentation.
Patient safety behaviours
Identify the patient before every task, explain what you are about to do, keep privacy, escalate abnormal findings rather than waiting for the round, and use SBAR when you report.
Worked example
During posting you measure a BP of 160/100 mmHg in a patient with a headache. Reasoning: check the cuff and technique, repeat after 5 minutes with the patient rested, then report to the staff nurse using SBAR - Situation: BP 160/100 with headache; Background: known hypertensive, on treatment; Assessment: raised above baseline, symptomatic; Recommendation: review now. Never simply record the number without reporting it.
Traps that cost marks
- Filling in logbook entries for procedures you did not do.
- Performing an invasive or unaided procedure before being declared competent.
- Arguing with a supervisor instead of reporting a concern through the proper channel.
- Leaving an abnormal finding unreported, or reporting it without any measurement detail.