Question: In the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA), what happens if I don't finish a case in the 10 minutes allowed; will I fail?
Answer: In most CSA cases you will be speaking right up to the buzzer and you may well be left with things unsaid. This should not cause you worry, providing that you have paid attention to each of the three domains and covered the important points before then. Remember that you will not be given credit for anything you say after the buzzer sounds and so it's important not to spend too much time on your data gathering; if time is moving on, be prepared to sum up and move on to clinical management. If your case naturally finishes before 10 minutes, then all well and good, but are you really sure you have covered all the bases?
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