CANDIDATE ORIENTATION

© NAC / MCC Orientation 2014

NAC Examination ] [ The National Assessment Collaboration (NAC)

Examination assesses the competence of candidates;

specifically the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential

for entrance into postgraduate training in Canada.

The NAC examination may include problems in:

□ Medicine □ Surgery

□ Pediatrics □ Obstetrics and Gynecology

□ Psychiatry □ Preventive Medicine and Community Health

Confidentiality

Upon registration for this exam, you signed a document

attesting you would NOT disseminate or reveal to others

any content of the examination. This means you CANNOT

discuss or disclose exam content with others at any time, in

any way, even after the exam is over. Examples of this

include comparing patient responses with your colleagues,

sharing exam content with future exam candidates, and

posting case information or exam questions online.

Any breach in confidentiality of exam materials may lead to

disciplinary and legal measures, including invalidating your

results and preventing you from participating in future

examinations.

] [

Duration ] [ The examination duration is about three hours

Plan to be at the examination site for a minimum

of six and a half to seven hours

No external contact will be permitted during the

examination and sequestering period

No conversations about the examination will be

permitted

Candidates will not be dismissed until the time

specified on the information sheet

Items to bring ] [ Reflex hammer

Stethoscope

White lab coat without a university or hospital crest

Items that are NOT permitted:

Cell phones, pagers, media players, laptops

Electronic devices for internet access, reference or

recording purposes

Pens, pencils, pen lights

Paper, books, notebooks

Bags, briefcases, wallets, keys

Candidate notebook ] [ Do not open your notebook until the examination

begins

Inside, you will find a sheet of bar code ID labels

and some blank pages for your use during the

examination

Never rip out any pages; your notebook must be

returned intact at the end of the

examination

Introduction to the OSCE ] [ What is an OSCE?

(Objective Structured Clinical Examination)

A form of performance-based testing used to measure

candidates’ clinical competence

During an OSCE, candidates are observed and

evaluated as they go through a series of stations in

which they interview, examine and treat standardized

patients (SPs) who present various types of medical

problems

The NAC OSCE consists of 12 clinical stations of

11 minutes each

Candidate instructions ] [ At each clinical station, there is a written

statement (Candidate instructions) that:

Introduces a clinical problem

Directs the candidate to appropriately interact with

a standardized patient (SP)

Specifies the task, such as obtaining a focused

history, conducting a focused physical examination,

and/or addressing the patient’s concerns

Indicates whether there are examiner oral

questions at the eight-minute signal

Your badge has a station number that indicates

your start station

Candidate instructions are posted outside each

station

READ everything carefully

Pay attention to the statement which explains

your task

A copy of the instructions will be available inside

the room for your reference

[ Important reminders ]

[

Standardized patients (SPs)

are trained to simulate

patients’ signs and

symptoms in a reliable and

consistent manner

Treat them as you

would real patients

Hand one bar code label to the examiner as you

walk into the room (instructions on the door)

Examiners observe and assess your performance

with preset rating sheets

Physician examiners, SPs and labels ]

Physical examinations ]

Carry out any maneuvers necessary for

assessing the presenting problem

Examiners only give credit for tasks

completed satisfactorily

[ You will be expected to use the hand sanitizer that

will be available in every physical examination

station. You may be prompted by the examiner.

Be sure to drape the standardized

patients (SPs) appropriately

Physical examinations

Examiners may intervene by:

Asking you to reread the instructions

The intent is to remind you to refocus on the task and to

save you time

Stopping genital, rectal, vaginal, breast or other

invasive examinations

If such examinations are appropriate, all you need to do

is clearly inform the examiner

Help the examiner score by:

Telling the examiner what you are doing (e.g., inspection)

Describing any findings

Include findings that are normal

] [

] [ Signals

The eight-minute warning signal will indicate:

EITHER that your time with the patient is over and the

physician examiner will begin to ask you questions,

OR if there are no examiner questions (as indicated on the

candidate instructions), that you still have three minutes

remaining with the patient

A signal also indicates the beginning and the end of

each station

After each final signal, you will have two minutes to

move to the next station and read your instructions

Physician examiner oral questions may follow the

warning signal. They:

are related to the patient you just saw

ask about matters like diagnosis, management

decisions, and/or your response to an ethical issue

Candidate instructions on station doors will indicate

whether there are oral questions at the eight-minute

signal

If there are no oral questions, you will have the

full 11 minutes with the patient

[ ] Examiner oral questions at eight minutes

[ Before leaving, you must follow the sign-out procedure.

When it is your turn, hand in your:

candidate notebook (all pages intact)

ID badge

unused bar code labels including the backing sheet

Signing out ]

Congratulations! At this point, the examination is over!

Sign out on the sheet

Candidates may be required to remain on site

before or after the examination for security

reasons

The length of time depends on the time zone

There is no access to personal belongings or telephones

during this time

No conversations about the examination will be permitted

Sequestering [ ]

Remember: Any breach of examination

content or lack of cooperation could invalidate

and/or prevent access to future Medical

Council of Canada examinations.

Read your instructions carefully

Complete the specified task

Demonstrate your clinical skills

You receive credit for tasks completed satisfactorily

Treat the SPs as real patients

DO NOT leave without signing out

DO NOT divulge or disseminate any examination

content, even after the examination is over

[ ] Final review of important points

Your group leader and the support staff are

there to answer your questions and guide you

from station to station

Try to relax and stay focused on the

examination

The purpose of the examination is to provide a

fair and accurate assessment of your clinical

skills

Focus on the examination ] [

And finally,

bathroom breaks

Before the examination begins

After the examination is over

Urgent need: notify staff

] [

Results will be made available to you in your

physiciansapply.ca account, six to eight

weeks after the exam date

RESULTS

Through your online account, you will be

able to:

View your results documents

Share them with other organizations

] [