Preparation materials

Midwifery OSCE assessments

As part of the ongoing development of the Test of Competence OSCE for midwifery, we have made some changes to the existing assessments and released a small number of new stations which will come into use from Monday 26 June.  These changes will ensure a wider coverage of the standards, code of practice and blueprint and forms part of our routine maintenance to keep the test valid and reliable. 

Candidates will still sit a 10 station OSCE but these changes will mean that there will be a greater selection of skills that could be assessed which will make the assessment less predictable. We will continue to develop new stations covering different skills and scenarios, so it is important that candidates and those supporting them incorporate the NMC blueprint and standards into their preparation for the test.

The new stations are:

APIE stations 

• Antenatal
• Postnatal

Clinical skills stations 

• Birth
• Postnatal Sepsis
• Unexpected Breech Birth
• Neonatal blood glucose monitoring
• Intramuscular injection
• Removal of urinary catheter

Evidence Based Practice

• Induction of labour at term

Professional Values

• Safeguarding women and children

In addition to these changes the existing stations have been updated.  Systematic Examination of the Newborn has been amended to require candidates to carry out two aspects (heart, eyes hips or testes) as opposed to one aspect and it has been split from the postnatal check.  There are also other small changes to the existing stations to bring them into line with the latest best clinical practice and to ensure that the APIE stations flow more logically and are clearer and there is no duplication of tasks for candidates.   

The marking criteria available to trusts and candidates have also been updated as we are seeing higher numbers of candidates attempting to rote learn the marking criteria. This is problematic as they no longer approach the assessment with an open mind and in some cases find the assessment challenging when presented with new or different scenarios.The updated marking guidance are more holistic and will give trusts and candidates the key points that that all candidates will be assessed on.  They should be used by candidates to confirm understanding of the different skills that they need to demonstrate across the OSCE but the standards, code, and blueprint should form the basis of all teaching and learning.   

All candidates who sit their assessment prior to 26 June 2023 will not be presented with the updates covered above.  All candidates who sit on or after 26 June will experience the changes we have made.

As part of the ongoing development of the OSCE we have made some changes to the existing midwifery materials. When we introduced our new and revised test content in June 2023, feedback and ideas were shared with us on how we could strengthen and improve the candidate experience.

We have introduced the IV flush and VIP station. Following the feedback, we have re-introduced the marking schemes for all midwifery stations as we do for nursing. We have updated the charts and diagrams in the mock examination to reflect the changes we have made in the diagrams and charts that candidates use in the live exam. We hope this will provide candidates with the opportunity to use this as part of their ongoing preparation and learning for the test of competence.

Over the coming days the following documents will be updated and published on our website reflecting all of our 2021 materials:

• Midwifery Station Timings – to include the IV flush and VIP station which has been set at 12 minutes. We have not reduced any of the timings across any aspect of the test at this time.
• Midwifery Marking Criteria – to include the IV flush and VIP station.
• Midwifery Mock OSCE
• Supporting Documents

The changes to the above documents will be implemented from 11 December 2023 (excluding the IV flush and VIP station).

To give employers and candidates time to prepare and incorporate this skill into their learning and preparation programmes, the IV flush and VIP station will not be implemented until 15 January 2023.

ACER, our new test development partner, have recently taken on the test of competence work. They have reviewed many areas of the midwifery test and we have made some minor changes and updates which do not impact the preparation that employers are providing to candidates or change the level of preparation candidates need to do prior to the exam.