Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to share that the feedback from candidates, Trusts/Agencies, Examiners and Administration support for the new candidate flow i.e. candidates who have undertaken their OSCE examination with one examiner within the same bay, has been overwhelmingly positive.
Therefore on 10th February 2020 we are rolling out phase 2 of the trial. This means every candidate will undertake their OSCE using the new flow. By doing so we are able to examine 36 candidates daily undertaking first sits. The candidates will be divided into 3 cohorts. Please see the timings below for the average time each candidate will spend in the centre. However this may change if unforeseen circumstances occur.
For cohort 1 (7.30am) and cohort 2 (9.45am) if you are booking flights back to England, Scotland or Wales from Belfast you should book a late flight to enable you to get to Belfast in good time. Please note for cohort 3 (1pm) candidates, please do not book any transport from the centre any earlier than 5.30pm/5.45pm. Whist we can do our best, we cannot and will not rush candidates through their examination. Please take this into consideration when booking flights, accommodation etc.
Cohort 1 (12 candidates)-arrive at Ulster CTC at 7.30am (do not arrive before 7.30am please as there will be no-one at the centre to welcome you). On arrival candidates will be provided with their lanyards (photographs), have a briefing; have the opportunity to practice with the equipment before starting their examination around 8.15am. The candidates will finish their examination around 10.45am. The candidate then will have their identification checks completed with NMC identification verification officers and complete a short feedback questionnaire (voluntary) on their experiences before leaving the centre.
Cohort 2 (12 candidates)-arrive at Ulster CTC at 9.45am (do not arrive before 9.45am please as you will have a longer wait and this does not help with anxiety). Candidates will have their identification checks completed with NMC identification verification officers first, then they will be provided with their lanyards (photographs), have a briefing; have the opportunity to practice with the equipment and commence their examination around 11.15am. The candidates should be finished their OSCE around 1.45pm. The candidates also complete a short feedback questionnaire on their experience before leaving the centre (voluntary).
Cohort 3 (12 candidates)-arrive at Ulster CTC at 1pm (do not arrive before 1pm please as you will have a longer wait and this does not help with anxiety). Candidates will have their identification checks completed with NMC identification verification officers first, then they will be provided with their lanyards (photographs), have a briefing; have the opportunity to practice with the equipment and commence their examination around 2.15pm. The candidates should be finished their OSCE around 4.45pm. The candidates also complete a short feedback questionnaire on their experience before leaving the centre (voluntary).
We will be organising resits on dedicated days, on a weekly basis and candidates will be emailed a time to arrive at the centre. This will reduce the time candidates need to wait before undertaking their resit. We hope introducing the new flow will help streamline the candidate journey and help us more accurately predict the length of time candidates spend in the centre. As you know we adopt a person centred approach when examining candidates and for that reason the timings above may change in response to the needs of the candidate.
Kindest regards,
Stephanie Martin
RGN, LPE, BSc, PD Dip Edu, MSc, FHEA, FCHERP
Competence Test Centre Manager