NMC Midwifery OSCE study guide
NMC Midwifery OSCE · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The NMC Midwifery OSCE is the practical, simulated clinical examination that internationally trained midwives may be required to complete as part of applying to join the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in the UK. Rather than testing recall through written papers, it places candidates in a series of timed stations where they must demonstrate midwifery care with a simulated mother, baby, or colleague, and with an assessor observing against a checklist. The NMC Midwifery OSCE study guide has 4 sections and about 1,344 words.
01Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of midwifery care
This domain tests whether you can move logically from gathering information to acting on it and then checking that the action worked. Assessment means collecting subjective data (her account, her preferences, her pain, her worries) and objective data (observations, urinalysis, blood pressure, auscultation of the fetal heart, CTG, blood results) and interpreting both against her gestation, history and baseline.
322 words, about 2 min02Professional values and midwifery practice
The NMC Code organises expectations under four themes: prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. Questions in this domain reward the answer that keeps the woman at the centre while keeping you accountable for your own actions.
346 words, about 2 min03Basic midwifery care and clinical skills
This domain rewards precision. Expect questions on maternal and fetal observations, infection prevention, medicines management, aseptic technique, perineal and bladder care, infant feeding support, and neonatal assessment.
364 words, about 2 min04Evidence-based practice and effective communication
Evidence-based practice means combining the best available research, your clinical expertise and the woman's values and preferences. Know the hierarchy: systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials sit above cohort studies, case series and expert opinion; guidelines from NICE, RCOG and WHO synthesise this evidence but are not a substitute for individualised discussion.
312 words, about 2 min