Fever and fast pulse after bowel surgery
RCSI OSCE practice station
Vital signs · 1 min to read · 10 min to perform
Take and record observations on the chart and use any screening tool you think he needs.
Mr Rajesh NairI feel dreadful, nurse. I'm burning up and my tummy is sore.
Free · no sign-up · uses your one free station
Open the full station (charts, voice, result letter) →The task
You are the nurse on a surgical ward. Mr Rajesh Nair, aged 52, had bowel surgery two days ago and is now feeling unwell with shivers. A healthcare assistant is available. Introduce yourself, confirm his identity and carry out a systematic assessment. Take and record observations on the chart and use any screening tool you think he needs. Decide how urgent this is and telephone the registrar using ISBAR. Say aloud what you are doing, record your findings and explain the plan to him.
What this station tests
- Apply the national sepsis screening tool and the INEWS chart together.
- Do not wait to repeat observations when sepsis is suspected.
- Give the allergy history when asking for antibiotics.
- On a red flag, complete the Sepsis 6 within one hour, with cultures before antibiotics unless that delays them by more than 45 minutes.
- Monitor urine output and escalate using ISBAR with numbers.
Sources for the clinical content
- HSE: sepsis screening tool for adults (September 2025)
- National Clinical Guideline No. 26: sepsis management for adults, summary
- National Clinical Guideline No. 1: INEWS V2 summary, including the scoring key
- HSE: ISBAR communication tool
- NMBI: Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics
- RCSI: overseas aptitude test preparation (public topic list)
An original practice scenario with invented patients. Not an exam question.