DrNB · DM Critical Care Medicine: Examination Guide Series Volume 2, Part 2B

DrNB · DM Critical Care Medicine: Examination Guide Series

Volume 2, Part 2B — Systems-Based OSCE Vignettes

Practical Examination Guide

The OSCE component rewards fast, structured thinking at short clinical stations — a different skill from the extended work-ups of the long case. This volume is the practical companion to Part 2A, built around 20 vignette-based cases across nine systems chapters, each mirroring the real OSCE station format so candidates train for exactly what they’ll face.

What’s inside

• 20 OSCE-style vignettes across nine systems chapters:
• Cardiac critical illness — heart failure, ACS, dysrhythmias (3 cases)
• Renal critical illness and CRRT (2 cases)
• Haematological emergencies (3 cases)
• Endocrine emergencies (3 cases)
• Toxicology (3 cases)
• Obstetric and polytrauma critical illness (2 cases)
• Gastrointestinal critical illness — pancreatitis and hepatic failure (1 case)
• A complex multi-device case combining VA-ECMO, CRRT, and mechanical ventilation (1 case)
• End-of-life and palliative care in the ICU (2 cases)
• Each vignette in true OSCE format — a concise clinical scenario with vitals and investigations, explicit candidate tasks, pathophysiology discussion, and evidence-based management
• Referenced management algorithms and examiner pearls following every case
• Key exam points flagged throughout to highlight the facts examiners most often probe
• Fully referenced to landmark trials (3CPO, ESCAPE, and others) and core texts — Irwin & Rippe, Marino’s The ICU Book, and Oh’s Intensive Care Manual

Designed for the practical/OSCE component of the DrNB CCM examination, and equally valuable for DM Critical Care Medicine candidates, FNB Critical Care Medicine trainees, and intensivists seeking a fast, case-based refresher across the full spread of ICU systems and emergencies.

This is Part 2B of a multi-volume DrNB Critical Care Medicine Examination Guide Series — the OSCE companion to Part 2A’s long cases within Volume 2 (the practical examination), following the Volume 1 theory papers (Parts 1A–1D).

Disclaimer: An independent educational resource for exam preparation, not affiliated with NBEMS. Clinical decisions require individual patient assessment by qualified clinicians.

By Dr. Gunadhar Padhi — Chief Intensivist, HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai; MD, IDCCM, FCCCM, ECMO (Paris); author of the DrNB Critical Care Medicine Examination Guide Series.