NAC OSCE Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the NAC OSCE exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 NAC OSCE Exam Format at a Glance
📚 NAC OSCE Topics to Study (23)
✍️ Sample NAC OSCE Questions & Answers
1. A 3-year-old child presents with a barking cough, stridor at rest, and subcostal retractions. Which clinical scoring system is used to assess severity in Canadian paediatric emergency departments?
The Westley Croup Score assesses stridor, retractions, air entry, cyanosis, and level of consciousness to grade croup severity and guide dexamethasone dosing, as used in Canadian paediatric centres.
2. A patient with capacity refuses a blood transfusion on religious grounds despite being told it may be life-saving. What is the ethically and legally correct response in Canada?
Canadian law (Malette v Shulman, 1990 Ontario Court of Appeal) established that a competent adult's informed refusal of treatment must be respected even if it results in death; autonomy overrides beneficence.
3. A patient with known type 2 diabetes presents with confusion, rapid breathing, and fruity breath odour. Blood glucose is 28 mmol/L. What is the MOST likely diagnosis?
The triad of hyperglycemia (28 mmol/L), Kussmaul breathing (deep rapid breathing — respiratory compensation for metabolic acidosis), and fruity breath (acetone from ketone production) is classic for DKA. While more common in type 1 diabetes, DKA can occur in type 2 diabetes. Treatment priorities are IV fluids, insulin infusion, and electrolyte replacement (especially potassium).
4. A 50-year-old male with type 2 diabetes has a fasting glucose of 7.4 mmol/L and HbA1c of 6.8% on two separate occasions. According to Diabetes Canada guidelines, what is the diagnosis?
Diabetes Canada 2023 guidelines define diabetes as FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L or HbA1c ≥6.5% on two separate occasions in asymptomatic individuals, both criteria met here.
5. A newborn has persistent cyanosis that does not improve with supplemental oxygen. Which congenital cardiac lesion should be MOST suspected?
TGA causes parallel rather than series circulation, so supplemental oxygen does not improve saturations; this hyperoxia test (nitrogen washout test) distinguishes cardiac from pulmonary causes of cyanosis.
6. According to Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), which level is assigned to a patient presenting with severe respiratory distress, SpO₂ 88%, and inability to complete sentences?
CTAS 1 (Resuscitation) applies to conditions with immediate threat to life such as severe respiratory failure; the patient requires immediate physician assessment and intervention.