Cardiovascular Examination
General inspection & peripheral signs
Pulse assessment — rate, rhythm, character
Blood pressure measurement
JVP assessment with hepatojugular reflux
Precordium: inspect, palpate, auscultate
Peripheral oedema & lung bases
How it works
From reference guide to exam-ready confidence.
Browse by category
Examinations, Procedures, Prescribing, or Data Interpretation. Find the skill you need in seconds.
Structured checklist
Every skill broken into numbered steps with what to say, what to do, and what to look for.
Practice alongside scenarios
Use guides while practising related AI patient stations — study the skill, then apply it in conversation.
Track your skills
Mark off skills as you master them. See at a glance which areas still need work.
Why structured clinical skills guides matter for OSCE
A significant proportion of OSCE stations aren't just about talking — they require you to demonstrate, describe, or apply a specific clinical skill. Whether you're being asked to perform a cardiovascular examination, describe how you'd catheterise a patient, interpret a set of blood results, or write up a drug chart, the examiner is marking you against a structured checklist. They're looking for a systematic approach, the correct sequence of steps, and evidence that you understand why each step matters. Winging it isn't an option — you either know the structured approach or you don't, and the difference shows up immediately in your marks.
Having a systematic, memorised approach to each clinical skill means that when you walk into a station and read 'Perform a respiratory examination on this patient,' your brain doesn't need to figure out what to do — it executes a well-rehearsed sequence. Wash hands, introduce yourself, confirm identity, gain consent, position the patient, inspect, palpate, percuss, auscultate, thank the patient, present your findings. That sequence should be automatic, so your cognitive energy can go toward actually noticing clinical signs and adapting to what you find. Under exam pressure, with a timer counting down and an examiner watching, a structured approach is the difference between a confident performance and a panicked scramble.
The clinical skills library is organised into four categories that map directly to the types of OSCE stations you'll face. Examinations covers the systematic approaches for cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, neurological, musculoskeletal, and other clinical examinations — every step from hand hygiene to presenting findings. Procedures covers practical skills like venepuncture, cannulation, catheterisation, nasogastric tube insertion, wound closure, and more — with step-by-step instructions and safety considerations. Prescribing covers drug calculations, prescription chart writing, common prescribing scenarios, and how to avoid the errors that lose marks. Data Interpretation covers ECG reading, blood result analysis, arterial blood gas interpretation, X-ray review, and other investigative skills — with structured frameworks for working through each type systematically.
These guides are designed to complement voice practice, not replace it. The most effective workflow is: study the clinical skills guide first to learn the structured approach, then practise the related AI patient scenario to apply it in a realistic consultation. For example, study the cardiovascular examination checklist, then attempt a scenario where the presenting complaint is chest pain and you need to describe your examination findings. This combination of theoretical knowledge and applied practice builds the deep understanding that examiners are looking for.
Every checklist is built around what OSCE examiners actually mark. We've analysed marking schemes and examiner reports to ensure each guide covers the specific steps that earn marks — and flags the common omissions that lose them. This isn't a textbook rewriting the anatomy of the brachial plexus. It's a practical, exam-focused reference that tells you exactly what to do, in what order, and what the examiner expects to see at each stage.
The four pillars of clinical skills
Examination guides
Cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, neurological, musculoskeletal, and more — complete systematic approaches from inspection to presenting findings.
Procedure guides
Venepuncture, cannulation, catheterisation, NG tube insertion, wound care, and other practical skills with step-by-step instructions.
Prescribing frameworks
Drug calculations, prescription chart writing, common prescribing errors, and structured approaches to prescribing stations.
Data interpretation
ECG reading, blood results, ABGs, X-rays, and other investigations — with structured frameworks for systematic analysis.
Step-by-step checklists
Every skill broken into numbered steps. Know exactly what to say, what to do, and what to look for at each stage.
Examiner marking points
Each guide highlights the specific steps that examiners mark — and the common omissions that cost candidates marks.
Companion to voice practice
Study the skill guide, then practise the related AI patient scenario. Theory and application in one workflow.
Organised by specialty
Skills grouped by specialty area so you can revise systematically — cardiology, respiratory, gastro, neuro, and more.
Frequently asked questions
The library covers all the clinical examinations, procedures, prescribing tasks, and data interpretation skills that appear in PLAB 2 and MLA OSCE stations. This includes all the major system examinations (cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, neurological, musculoskeletal, cranial nerves, thyroid, breast, and more), common procedures (venepuncture, cannulation, catheterisation, NG tube, wound closure, basic life support), prescribing scenarios (drug charts, calculations, common errors), and data interpretation (ECG, blood results, ABGs, X-rays, CT heads). The library is continuously updated as new stations are added.
The clinical skills themselves are the same regardless of which exam you're taking — a cardiovascular examination is a cardiovascular examination. However, each guide notes where there are format-specific considerations. For example, PLAB 2 stations are 8 minutes and MLA OSCE stations are 10 minutes, so the level of detail you can include in your examination differs slightly. The guides cover the complete approach and indicate which steps are essential versus which are 'if time allows' additions.
Absolutely — that's one of the best ways to use them. Open the relevant clinical skills guide alongside an AI patient session. You can refer to the checklist while practising the consultation, which helps you internalise the structured approach. Over time, you'll find you need to reference the guide less and less as the steps become automatic. Think of it as training wheels — essential at first, then gradually unnecessary.
Yes. Every guide is built around the marking points that OSCE examiners actually assess. We've analysed published marking schemes, examiner reports, and candidate feedback to ensure each checklist covers the steps that earn marks. The guides also flag common mistakes and omissions — the things candidates frequently miss under pressure — so you know exactly what to watch out for.
Start with the skills that appear most frequently in OSCE stations — cardiovascular examination, respiratory examination, abdominal examination, and history taking frameworks are the highest-yield. If you're using the analytics dashboard, check your specialty breakdown to see which areas you're weakest in, then prioritise the clinical skills for those specialties. As a general rule, you should be comfortable with all the examination guides and at least the most common procedures before your exam. Data interpretation and prescribing can be revised closer to exam day as they're more knowledge-based than technique-based.