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COVID-19 health and safety


​In compliance with the guidelines established by WorkSafe BC, BCCNM employs the following protocols for the safety of exam candidates, BCCNM employees, and contractors. We will continue to refine and adjust accordingly as public health guidelines evolve.

Day of the exam: What to expect

The following points outline what candidates and exam staff can expect on exam day. For more detailed information on specific health and safety protocols, see below.

  • Face masks are recommended but not mandatory​.

  • Following registration, candidates will be escorted to their candidate orientation area, and exam staff will be directed to begin their assigned duties.

  • Hand sanitizer and replacement masks will be available by request. 

  • High-touch areas will be sanitized regularly throughout the day. 

Health and safety protocols​

Masks recommended but not required

  • Face masks are recommended for candidates and all OSCE exam staff, but are not required.

  • BCCNM will make level II face masks available to all candidates and exam staff. Replacements will be available throughout the day by asking OSCE support staff. Face shields are available upon request.

  • Candidates and exam staff will have the option of wearing a face shield, except standardized patients in physical examination stations involving the head and/or neck. 

  • ​​Gloves will be available for physical exam stations.

Physical distancing

  • ​To accommodate physical distancing and limit unnecessary exposure to groups of staff, BCCNM requires separate areas for orientation and breaks for each group of candidates, examiners, support staff, and standardized patients.

  • To ensure appropriate distancing​, staff will direct candidates as they move through the exam site.

COVID-19 health and safety policy and Assumption of Risk

  • ​Candidates and exam staff are expected to review the COVID-19 Health and Safety Policy prior to exam day. 

  • Candidates are required to review and sign the health assessment and OSCE Assumption of Risk Related to COVID-19​ forms on the day of the exam, prior to arriving at the exam location. Hardcopies will be available upon registration for those that do not have access to a printer. The completed forms must be handed in at registration to be allowed into the OSCE site.

  • BCCNM staff and contracted OSCE staff are required to complete a health self-assessment prior to attending the OSCE site​.

  • BCCNM reserves the right to deny entry to any candidate or exam staff based on their health assessment form responses.

  • Candidates and exam staff​ are encouraged to inform BCCNM if they are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19. Do not come to the testing location if you are experiencing symptoms. ​

  • Candidates may withdraw and request a refund or defer to a later exam with no penalty if it is in relation to COVID-19. 

  • To request a refund or deferral please contact christy.kivari@bccnm.ca​. 

Scenario changes

​Candidate orientation will include messaging that none of the OSCE cases will involve a COVID diagnosis. Further changes will include:

  • ​​​Candidates may perform any assessment that can be done with a mask on. If a candidate feels an assessment is required that cannot be done with a mask on (e.g., looking in the mouth or nose) they must inform the examiner. The examiner will provide information or redirect the candidate as required by the station. 

  • For scenarios with children approximately 8 to 12 years old​, an adult is usually in the room. For this exam we have hired an older standardized patient to portray a child, and eliminated the adult in the room. The standardized patient has all the information from both original roles.  

  • The standardized patient may not be representative of the age stated on the client information. The candidate should assume that the standardized patient​ is the stated age in the client information.

  • OSCE checklists and PEP answer keys have been updated as applicable to include COVID-19 history and vaccination status. 

Exam deferral or withdrawal due to illness

  • At any time prior to the exam, candidates may withdraw and request a refund or defer to a later with no penalty if it is in relation to COVID-19 or symptoms associated with COVID-19.

  • BCCNM will actively screen for health status to ensure a safe working environment for all exam staff and candidates.

  • Do not come to the testing location if you are experiencing symptoms. ​

  •  The health assessment that candidates and exam staff must complete on the day of the exam will confirm health status prior to entering the OSCE site. We reserve the right to deny entry to any candidate or exam staff member based on their responses.​

  • To request a refund or a deferral, please contact christy.kivari@bccnm.ca.  ​

Travel requirements

  • ​​ ​Candidates may also be traveling from outside of the Lower Mainland. Candidates traveling internationally are required to follow the Public​ Health Office's guidelines and isolate upon arrival to BC, if directed to do so. Please visit the Government of Canada Travel website for details about quarantine exemptions.    

  • All candidates and exam staff will be required to complete a health assessment prior to entering the OSCE site to confirm that if they have travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days, they have NOT been directed to quarantine.​

Hygiene and cleaning

​BCCNM books the Ambulatory Care Building at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital campus to administer the OSCE. In addition to this regular professional cleaning at the conclusion of the exam, BCCNM takes the following measures:

  • All rooms would be set up and sanitized on prep day. At the conclusion of the exam the site would be sanitized a final time. 

  • Disinfecting cleaning wipes will be placed in each exam room and throughout the facility.

  • All contractors and candidates will be trained in the safety precautions required by WorkSafeBC.

  • Exam rooms will be sanitized throughout the day. ​We have developed a customized list of high touch areas for each scenario in order to direct cleaning attention to these spots.

  • Bed linens (when required) in the assessment room will be changed when the standardized patient has completed their portrayal for the day. Any station with rotating standardized patients, each standardized patient will have their own set of linens.

  • Standardized patient training and examiner orientation has been expanded to emphasize the importance of hand hygiene, including identifying all locations where hand sanitizer and hand washing stations are available. Hand sanitizer has always been and will continue to be included in the scenario set-up checklist.

  • During exam scenarios, examiners may intervene if an exam candidate does not sanitize their hands upon entering the exam room and attempts physical touch on the standardized patient without the use of gloves. Hand sanitizing is not included in OSCE scoring; candidates will not be penalized if they need to be reminded to use hand sanitizer. Whenever possible, physical touch should be avoided. For physical exams, candidates MUST don gloves and/or apply hand sanitizer ​prior to initiating touch on the standardized patient. ​ 

Catering

  • A stipend will be provided to staff to bring their own breakfast on site. 

  • Single use bottled water, pop and juice will be offered to all exam staff and candidates.

  • Single prepackaged snacks and individual boxed lunches ​will be made available.

  • Reusable mugs or water bottles will not be allowed on site.​

Managing a positive COVID-19 case

  • ​BCCNM will maintain administrative tracking of candidate-exam staff interactions and exam staff schedules to support contact tracing, if needed at any time. 

  • If we are alerted to, or made aware of, a positive COVID-19 test from a staff member or candidate, we will review the situation in detail as this will require appropriate notification of possible contact with all affected parties (and a possible quarantine period to follow for self-monitoring). ​