OSCE Update 2024: Important Changes Every International Nurse Must Know Before Their Exam
Something Changed in the OSCE — and If You’re Preparing Right Now, You Need to Read This
We’re not going to bury this in a long introduction. If you have an OSCE coming up, or you’re deep in preparation, some things have changed that you genuinely need to know about. Not big dramatic changes — but the kind of quiet shifts that catch people off guard on exam day when they were expecting something different.
So let’s just go through it, honestly and clearly.
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OSCE Update 2024: Important Changes Every International Nurse Must Know Before Their Exam
The Pain Assessment Station — This One Caught a Lot of People Out
For a while, the Specific Physiological Assessment station was focused on neurological assessment. That has now changed. It’s pain assessment now, and if you’ve been spending your preparation time on neuro, you’ll want to shift your focus.
What does that actually mean in practice? You’ll be expected to walk through a structured pain assessment — tools like PQRST or COLDSPA are your friends here — and show that you can not only assess pain properly but also manage it. That means knowing both the medication side of things and the non-pharmacological approaches like positioning, distraction techniques, heat therapy, and so on.
The good news is that pain assessment is something most nurses have done hundreds of times. The challenge in the OSCE is doing it clearly, calmly, and in a way that shows the assessor you know exactly what you’re doing and why.
The Medications in the Communication Station Have Changed
This one is a quieter update but worth mentioning. In the Communication and Teamwork station, some of the specific medications in the scenario are different now.
If you’ve been training with older materials, or if someone gave you notes based on a previous scenario, those medication details may no longer match. This is exactly why memorising scenario specifics is a trap. The station is testing how you communicate about medications — how you hand over information, how you raise a concern, how you check and clarify. The drug name is almost beside the point. Your process is what matters.
The Patient Names Have Changed Too — Please Stop Memorising Scenarios
We say this with genuine care for every student we train: please stop learning scripts.
Patient names and character details across the scenarios have been updated. If you’ve been rehearsing responses built around a specific patient profile — their name, their backstory, the exact words you’re going to say — you’re setting yourself up for a very stressful experience when the details don’t match.
The OSCE is not asking you to recall a rehearsed performance. It’s asking you to show up as a nurse. Read the brief on the day. Respond to the person in front of you. Trust what you actually know.
The CPR Station — A Few Things to Be Ready For
This one is still evolving and nothing is confirmed yet, but here’s what we know and what we think you should be prepared for.
There’s a possibility the CPR scenario shifts from paediatric to adult. Not confirmed — but worth being comfortable with both rather than assuming it’ll be one or the other. There’s also a possibility you’ll be working with an Ambu bag, so if that’s not something you’ve practiced recently, now’s the time.
The thing we really want you to think about though is this: the AED machine in the scenario may appear to be faulty at first. It might not respond the way you expect. That is almost certainly intentional. What they want to see in that moment is not panic — they want to see someone who recognises the problem, troubleshoots it, keeps the team informed, and keeps things moving.
Delegate clearly. Stay calm. Don’t let a faulty machine derail your whole station.
What All of This Is Really Saying
If you step back and look at all these changes together, they’re all pointing at the same thing. The OSCE is not trying to catch you out on facts. It’s watching how you perform under pressure. It’s watching whether you can communicate when things get complicated. It’s watching whether you stay composed when something unexpected happens — like a scenario that doesn’t match what you memorised, or an AED that won’t cooperate.
That’s the real exam. Everything else is just the setting.
How We Prepare Our Students for This at NZSC
We update everything as soon as changes come through. Our students aren’t training on last year’s scenarios — they’re training on what’s current, because that’s the only thing that actually matters.
More than that, we train through real simulation. Not scripts. Not memorised answers. Real scenarios, unexpected moments, communication challenges, and the kind of pressure that makes exam day feel familiar rather than terrifying. And that’s why our students are passing — over 600 of them, with a 96% first-attempt success rate since the OSCE launched in 2024.
More updates will come as we learn more. We’ll keep sharing everything as soon as we know it. And if you want to train with a team that stays ahead of every change — we’re here.
Get in touch:
Website: www.nzsc.ac.nz
Instagram: @nzsc_skillsconnect
Facebook: New Zealand Skills Connect
WhatsApp: +64 22 903 2915
Email: info@nzsc.ac.nz
📩 Get in touch:
🌐 Website: www.nzsc.ac.nz
📸 Instagram: @nzsc_skillsconnect
📘 Facebook: New Zealand Skills Connect
📱 WhatsApp: +64 22 903 2915
📧 Email: info@nzsc.ac.nz
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