Exam set-pieces

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Exam set-pieces refer to those cases that can be considered likely to turn up in the exam setting and can be prepared for. In the oral exam, having a prepared "speech" for these set-pieces allows the candidate to focus less on the stress of describing what is in front of them and more on considering the questions that might develop later during the exam.

Set-pieces

Set-pieces can be broken down by the film that is shown.

Plain radiograph
Chest radiograph

Chest radiographs seem to be a staple of the viva.  While the amount of cross-sectional imaging displayed in vivas constantly increases, if you get through one without seeing a chest radiograph, it will be more out of luck than judgment.

So you need to be prepared to see one and consider the common diagnoses shown using a chest radiograph in the exam setting. This can be broken down by the age of the patient:

Ultrasound

Ultrasound imaging usually makes up the majority of women’s imaging and may come up in most viva subjects.  While the amount of cross-sectional imaging displayed in vivas constantly increases, MRI imaging is still a subspecialty and in depth reporting skills are not being tested.

So you need to be prepared to look at multiple images quickly, have a systematic reporting approach and tie all the findings into a diagnosis.

Exam technique