MFPH exams - Part B (OSPHE) tips

Please note this is an article from the archive and has not been recently updated. For current articles please click here.

Introduction

Passed the Part A? Congratulations! As you'll probably know by this stage, the MFPH Part B is the Objective Structured Public Health Exam (OSPHE), and is designed to be sat 6-9 months after the Part A (although this can be flexible depending on your circumstances, so discuss with your Programme Director if need be).

There's actually quite a lot of good revision material for the OSPHE on the web already (see links below), and these are just my particular experiences and recommendations - ultimately, passing the OSPHE, if the exam does 'what is says on the tin', shouldn't be a big hurdle for anyone who's practising public health day-to-day, so my main 'tip' is to not get psyched-out by other people's stories about the exam or how to revise for it - do whatever feels comfortable for you - arguably revision shouldn't be necessary at all.

If there are any other resources out there you know about which may be useful for others, please let me know - thanks.

Background preparation

OK, so this bit isn't rocket science, but remember to apply for the exam in good time (the spaces can fill up early, so you should be thinking about this soon after the glow of passing the Part A is over!), and take a look at the resources on the FPH website - the structure of the exam, mock stations etc. All actually quite useful.

How long before the exam should you start revision? Everyone is different - as a guide, I went on a revision course (the one in Newcastle) a month before the exam and did a few preparation stations between then and the exam. I also took 3 days' study leave immediately before the exam to make sure I had enough sleep.

Structure of the OSPHE

The OSPHE consists of 6 practical stations, each lasting 8 minutes, in which you have to do your public health 'thing'. Preceding each station is an 8 minute preparation station, in which you read information on who you are supposed to play (e.g. a DPH, CCDC, public health trainee), who you will be talking with (e.g. a DPH, journalist, concerned member of the public), and your task (e.g. to discuss some local mortality data you are given, advise on service redesign etc. etc. - anything you might reasonably be asked to do as a public health trainee).

Psychology of the exam

Everyone is different, so this may not apply to you, but I found myself quite stressed about the thought of the OSPHE. Don't be. If you are reasonable at public health practice in your normal job, and the exam is worth its salt, you should pass. And you should pass without doing a jot of work for the OSPHE. Now, I'm not advocating doing no work for the exam, but just not to get too worried about it. As a practical exam, you'll do much better being yourself and relaxed, than worrying too much about what reading you did before the exam (most of which will be irrelevant), whether you're following a particular framework you've been taught for answers, and how your body language is. I think some reading and practise is sensible (see below for my tips), just don't get into a cycle of over-analysing your performance when you're preparing - there is no single 'correct' way to pass the stations. Personally, I found that generic frameworks for approaching the OSPHE stations didn't work for me, and overcomplicated things, and it was easier just to remember to introduce myself properly, do the task, then tie things up at the end. Which felt a bit more like what I did in real life!

Background reading

Most background reading will probably help you feel relaxed and prepared for the exam, rather than actually of being any use in the exam itself! Revising all the detail from your Part A notes is not necessary - you are given all the background information you need for each station. That said, I found these targeted bits of reading of some value:

take a look at a couple of NICE guidance documents and, say, HPA guidance, just so you know how it's laid out - not to remember its contents
one of the lists of lay definitions of common stats/epi terms available on the web; useful to remind you that you will be expected to explain things in lay terms, but take with a pinch of salt - some of the language is still arguably a bit technical, and the list may be too comprehensive (e.g. you're unlikely to have to explain what ROC curves are)
read one of the examiner's marking schemes for the OSPHE, so you get an idea what sorts of things are looked for
a quick skim of your Part A notes only - to identify areas which could be relevant to a practical exam - for example: criteria for screening programmes; how to go about HNA, HIA, change management; disease/chemical outbreak management (generic management); basic critical appraisal - so you can objectively judge any data/reports you are given; risk communication; etc. (but not many more)

Some people advocated learning how to 'speed read' as part of Part B revision; whilst you do need to be able read relatively quickly, I personally think this is a bit of red herring and a waste of time! But that's just me and you may find it valuable.

Practising stations

Given that this is a practical exam, you should probably do some practical stations as revision, but don't get hung up on doing every single one available. Some pointers:

there are a lot of mock stations available - see Links, below
not all mock stations available are of the same quality - you may have perfectly legitimate concerns about the marking schemes for some of the non-FPH stations - don't necessarily assume you are in the wrong
try asking lots of different 'types' of people to help you with mock stations - e.g. DPH, comms manager (or journalist if you can get hold of one), girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife, fellow trainees (but beware possible conflicts of interest if they're taking the exam at the same time as you!) - as a guide, I did 6 stations with 6 different people like this in preparation
try being the roleplayer sometimes too - it can help you understand what constraints and liberties there are in that role
I was sceptical about this, but do try repeating the odd station - it can be useful to try different approaches, and realise that there are lots of acceptable answers
also you can try on your own reading the odd station scenario and working out roughly what you'd say, then checking it against the marking scheme
consider a revision course (see Links, below) - but don't get put off if other people are doing more/less/different revision to you

What to say and do in stations

In summary, relax, be yourself and do whatever you'd normally do! But, for completeness...

introduce yourself; do the task at hand; summarize what you've said in the last minute of the station (if you remember to)
be polite
check and acknowledge the roleplayer's level of understanding / knowledge / position at the outset
signpost the roleplayer to other sources of help and/or offer to meet them again another time which suits both of you, if necessary
stay calm and agree to disagree if necessary (realise that even when you've successfully answered a station, your opposite number may still be in an antagonistic mood or not accept what you're saying);
offer sympathy/empathy where appropriate
question the validity/accuracy of any data you're given (but then use it anyway, since you'll likely have no choice)
for media-type questions - always offer reassurance and empathy for those affected, and remember you can go all 'politician' and answer an aggressive/leading question with a statement rather than 'yes' or 'no' - e.g. Q: 'are you saying the public are being foolish to panic about the radiation threat?' / A: 'the HPA [explain what this is] considers the radiation threat to be minimal and we would like to reassure your viewers that all steps have been taken to prevent any harm to the public'
try (if you can) to enjoy it

Practical stuff to know a few days before the OSPHE

Preparation material

You are given a folder to carry around with you with the notes for all 6 practical stations. You can write in these, or on separate paper in each preparation room (although this latter paper must be left behind at the end of each corresponding practical station).

Preparation material will tell you who you are, who you are meeting, what you should do in the station, and usually include further information relevant to your task, for example local epidemiology or an extract from NICE guidance. (Concerns when the OSPHE first came in about being given too much written information seem to have been addressed - certainly when I took it, in December 2007, no station had more than about 2 pages of A4 information to read during preparation.)

Preparation room

Not a lot in here - some pens, paper and water. One thing I was told (not sure how accurate it is) - if there are flip chart pens and pad in the preparation room, use them to support your presentation. Another thing, sounds obvious, but just double-check when you get in the preparation room that you are preparing for the correct station! (There is a copy of the station bumph in the preparation room, which should correlate with the information in your folder.) Oh, and there's a clock on the wall should you need it (although you are allowed to keep watches on). There is a verbal warning a minute before the end of each station and a noise when the station time is up, at which point you should move immediately to the next one.

Practical station

In practical stations there will be a minimum of two people - the examiner and the roleplayer. This may vary between exams, but at ours, the examiner greeted me and checked my name badge as soon as I went into the room, and introduced me to the roleplayer. I'm sure you'll be told on the day exactly what will happen. Once you've been introduced to the roleplayer, do whatever you are told in the station preparation pack.

Moving between stations

You also have about a minute between all stations (preparation and practical) to move between rooms - don't worry about this at all, just look blank every time you come out of a room and someone will show you the way! Most rooms are adjacent, but at some point in the OSPHE you'll have to move quite a long way between stations, so just be led by one of the admin staff. When you get to your next station you'll have a few seconds before you can go into the room which you can usefully use to (a) check you're at the station you think you should be at; and (b) if you're going into a practical station, rehearse your first few words.

Results

These tend to be out pretty quickly - a week or so after the exam - so not too long to agonise.

Final word(s)

I know it's easy to say in retrospect, but I found the exam to be fair - so if you're okay in everyday practice, you should be okay in the exam too. Good luck!