The Viva/OSCE is a standardised observed clinical assessment in psychiatry for interns
at the end of their four week run.
The main goal of the Viva is to assess the intern's skills in several areas.
These are:
- interviewing skills which includes ability to make rapport, eye contact, use of
open ended vs close ended questions, following up leads, gathering pertinent
information and exploring social/family background
- the ability of the
intern to make the patient feel at ease
- the ability to perform and
report properly on a mental status examination
- the ability to summarise
a case succinctly
- the ability to come up with a working diagnosis and
differential diagnosis using the DSM4 5 axis
- the ability to formulate a safe and appropriate management plan using the biopsychosocial
model.
Actual process
A scenario is provided to the intern ie, "You are the locum GP in a surgery and
a new patient arrived complaining of low mood". The intern is given 15 minutes to
interview an actor/patient. The interview is videotaped for quality control purposes.
It is expected that the intern should obtain all the necessary information to make
a diagnosis during this limited time. After 15 minutes, the interview is discontinued
and the intern is assessed by the examiner/s. The question and answer portion lasts
for 15 minutes.
Though the examiners can ask anything relevant to the case, the usual questions
focus on:
- brief summary of the case
- mental state findings
- multiaxial diagnosis - 5 axes plus differentials
- safety management
- biopsychosocial management
Most interns do well in the OSCE. The very small minority who do not fare well fail
because of the following:
- poor rapport with the patient (ie, checklist type of interrogation)
- inability to elicit safety risks (to self, others or self care)
- poor safety management
Other OSCE information
Tips for surviving OSCE & Marking Schedule(23.3KB PDF)
Please contact Dr Tony Fernando or Saira Khan if you need clarification about your
run, OSCE or if you need any assistance with your psychiatry review. Dr Fernando
is generally available on Thursdays for student consultations.
For Dr Fernando’s contact: a.fernando@auckland.ac.nz
or +64 21 644 356 (mobile).
For Saira: s.khan@auckland.ac.nz or
+64 9 373 7599 ext 86751.
