NMC Midwifery OSCE study plan
NMC Midwifery OSCE · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of midwifery care & Basic midwifery care and clinical skills
Perform a structured antenatal history and risk assessment on a simulated woman within 8 minutes, verbalising each decision
Carry out and interpret maternal vital signs, urinalysis, BMI and fundal height measurement, stating the action threshold for each
Demonstrate abdominal palpation and auscultation of the fetal heart with correct hand placement and documented findings
Document a full antenatal episode of care using an ABCDE-style structured record and justify each entry against local guidance
Your checkpoint
A timed 8-minute antenatal assessment station, video-recorded and self-scored against a 40-point checklist, with three named strengths and three remediation actions written up
Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of midwifery care & Basic midwifery care and clinical skills
Interpret 10 cardiotocographs, classifying each as normal, suspicious or pathological with documented rationale
Plot a partograph from a written labour scenario and identify the point at which escalation is triggered
Explain and demonstrate the technique and consent process for a vaginal examination on a model
Prioritise three concurrent intrapartum findings by clinical urgency and justify the order using an escalation framework
Your checkpoint
A portfolio of 10 correctly categorised CTG strips plus one completed partograph, both marked against national interpretation criteria with a pass mark of 9/10 and 100% of escalation triggers identified
Basic midwifery care and clinical skills & Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of midwifery care
Conduct a systematic newborn physical examination on a model, naming each structure examined and the normal finding
Perform a postpartum maternal assessment covering uterine tone, lochia, perineum, bladder and thromboprophylaxis
Deliver newborn resuscitation in a team drill, assigning roles and timing each intervention
Facilitate a first postnatal feed, positioning the baby and articulating three signs of effective attachment
Your checkpoint
A timed neonatal resuscitation drill completed in under 90 seconds to first effective ventilation, with a written debrief identifying two system and two individual learning points
Professional values and midwifery practice & Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of midwifery care
Map five clinical decisions from a scenario to the specific NMC Code standards that govern them
Apply the principles of valid consent, capacity and refusal to three midwifery scenarios, stating the legal basis for each outcome
Identify safeguarding triggers in two written cases and state the referral route and timescale
Calculate and check ten medicine doses using an independent double-check process, verbalising each step
Your checkpoint
A one-page decision-justification sheet for three consent and safeguarding scenarios, each citing the relevant standard and referral timescale, marked against a model answer with no omissions
Evidence-based practice and effective communication & Professional values and midwifery practice
Critically appraise three national guidelines, stating the strength of evidence behind each recommendation
Translate one guideline recommendation into a scripted conversation with a woman choosing an alternative option
Structure an SBAR handover for a deteriorating woman and deliver it in under 60 seconds
Demonstrate shared decision-making in a recorded scenario, evidencing two instances of checking understanding
Your checkpoint
A one-page critical appraisal summary of three guidelines plus a recorded 3-minute shared decision-making conversation scored against a communication rubric of at least 80%
Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of midwifery care & Evidence-based practice and effective communication
Integrate assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation across six linked OSCE-style stations under time pressure
Prioritise and escalate in two deteriorating-woman scenarios, stating the trigger, the action and the review timeframe
Write contemporaneous notes for each station within the station time, covering all legally required elements
Deliver and receive structured feedback on each station, converting it into one testable action
Your checkpoint
A complete six-station mock circuit scored station-by-station, with a written remediation plan for every station scoring below 70%
Basic midwifery care and clinical skills & Professional values and midwifery practice
Manage two obstetric emergencies on a simulator, sequencing the manoeuvres and drugs correctly
Perform drug calculations under timed conditions to a standard of 100% accuracy
Demonstrate correct infection prevention and sharps handling across three practical stations
Document an emergency episode in real time, meeting the standards for accuracy, legibility and accountability
Your checkpoint
A timed 20-item drug calculation paper passed at 100%, plus two emergency drill debriefs naming the sequencing errors corrected
Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of midwifery care & Professional values and midwifery practice & Basic midwifery care and clinical skills & Evidence-based practice and effective communication
Complete a full ten-station timed mock OSCE across all four domains
Rank stations by score and re-run the two weakest stations to a passing standard
Consolidate a personal error log of recurring faults and the correction for each
Rehearse a 2-minute professional values station answer on scope of practice and raising concerns
Your checkpoint
A full ten-station mock OSCE scoring at least 80% overall with no single station below 65%, plus a final one-page readiness summary listing residual risks
Milestones
Week 2: Interpret 10 CTG strips with at least 9 correct categorisations and complete one partograph with every escalation trigger correctly identified
Week 4: Justify three consent/safeguarding decisions with the correct NMC standard and referral timescale cited in each, and score 10/10 on the medicine double-check exercise
Week 6: Complete the six-station mock circuit, achieving at least 70% on four of six stations and producing a written remediation plan for the rest
Week 8: Pass the full ten-station mock OSCE at 80% or above overall with no station below 65%, and submit the completed error log