OSCE Communication Skills for Nurses: How to Open, Explain and Close a Station
Strong OSCE communication skills are often what separate a pass from a near miss. Many candidates know the clinical steps perfectly, yet lose marks on OSCE communication skills by rushing the conversation and forgetting the person in front of them. This guide gives you a simple, repeatable pattern, open, explain and close, with example phrases you can practise aloud. Used well, it steadies your clinical performance and keeps the examiner seeing safe, person-centred care. For the professional standards behind every station, see our NMC Code OSCE guide.
Quick answer (Updated October 2026). Good communication in an OSCE means introducing yourself, checking identity and consent, explaining in plain words, checking understanding and closing politely. Practise aloud with a timer. Confirm the NMC’s current OSCE format before your exam date.
If your exam falls on or after 26 October 2026, see our NMC OSCE update for the new field-specific scenarios. The ten-station structure, four APIE, four clinical skills and two silent written stations, stays the same.
Opening a station: the first 30 seconds
Your OSCE communication skills are on show from the first greeting, so how you open sets the tone for everything that follows. Within the first moments, aim to greet the patient, give your name and role, confirm who they are and gain consent before you touch anything. This is where consent in osce is won or lost, so make it explicit rather than assumed.
Two phrases to practise:
For an adult patient: “Hello, my name is [name] and I am the nurse looking after you today. Can I check your name and date of birth? I would like to examine your [area]. Are you happy for me to go ahead?”
For an anxious patient: “I can see this feels worrying. I will explain each step before I do it, and you can ask me to stop at any time. Is that alright?”
Close the opening by settling privacy and comfort: draw the curtain, check their position and ask about pain. Examiners watch for the values behind the words, so our guide to NHS values in the OSCE is worth reading alongside your nmc osce preparation.
Explaining clearly and checking understanding
Once the station is underway, strong communication in osce for nurses depends on plain language delivered in short chunks. Avoid jargon, pause often, and use open and closed questions deliberately: open questions to explore (“How have you been feeling since this morning?”) and closed questions to confirm (“Have you taken any pain relief today?”).
Check understanding with teach-back rather than asking “Does that make sense?”. Ask the patient to tell you, in their own words, what they will do.
A short worked example:
Nurse: “I am starting you on an Asthali inhaler that helps to ease your asthma. You can take one puff in the morning and one in the evening. If you are unable to hold your breath for 10 seconds, you can take it with the help of a spacer. To check I have explained it clearly, can you tell me how you will take it?”
Patient: “One puff in the morning and evening .”
Nurse: “That is exactly right. Thank you.”
When a station involves handover or escalation, your spoken structure matters as much as your words. Our SBAR in OSCE guide shows how to keep sbar in osce clear and complete under pressure.
Closing a station and handing over
A rushed ending can undo good work. Close by summarising what you did in one or two sentences, inviting questions, explaining the next step and thanking the patient. If the scenario calls for it, escalate your concern or document your findings before the time ends.
In the linked APIE stations, your closing in one station feeds the next, so a clear evaluation carries forward into planning and implementation. In the silent written stations, the same clarity shows in how you record care. Strong OSCE communication skills therefore run through the whole circuit, not only the spoken stations. You do not need to memorise any marking scheme to do this well. You need a calm, consistent close every time.
Common OSCE communication skills mistakes, and a practice routine
A few habits cost marks again and again:
Using clinical jargon the patient cannot follow.
Interrupting, or talking over a worried patient or relative.
Starting a task before gaining consent.
Ignoring emotion, and pressing on when the patient is upset.
Unclear safety-netting, so the patient does not know what to do if things change.
The fix is rehearsal, not more theory. Build a simple three-step routine into your nmc osce preparation:
Record yourself running a station aloud, start to finish.
Review it with a peer, marking where you rushed or lapsed into jargon.
Repeat the station until the open, explain, close pattern feels automatic.
Fold this into a structured timetable. Our eight-week OSCE plan shows where to place communication practice across your nmc osce preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are communication marks separate from clinical skills?It depends on the station. Communication is assessed throughout, and in some stations it carries specific marks. Read the current NMC guidance for your field, as the detail can change, rather than relying on older summaries.
Does my accent matter?Clarity matters, not accent. Slow your pace, pronounce key words carefully and check the patient has understood. A clear, unhurried explanation lands far more easily than a fast, polished one.
How do I practise communication alone? Record yourself completing a full station aloud, review it honestly, then role-play with a study partner or in front of a mirror. Repetition builds the calm, natural delivery examiners look for.
Conclusion
Strong OSCE communication skills come down to three things done consistently: open well, explain plainly and close safely. Master that pattern, rehearse it aloud, and the conversation will steady your clinical performance rather than derail it. If you would like structured practice with feedback, join our UK OSCE training for nurses. Register now.
Disclaimer
This page offers general guidance on communication skills for the NMC OSCE. Station content, timing and assessment criteria are set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and approved test providers and may change. Always check the latest official NMC materials and marking criteria for your field and exam date.
Comments