EDIC Part II Examination

Preparing to take EDIC II?

An EDIC II Preparation Course has been developed by the Clinical Training Committee. For more information, visit the EDIC II Preparation Course webpage.

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EDIC Part II – Objectively Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

The standard requirements expected for EDIC Part II are that of a senior trainee nearing completion of specialist training in ICM, and capable of safe, independent practice. Candidates should be able to communicate effectively in English and be capable of consulting and drawing appropriately on the fullness of multi-disciplinary patient support. Some sub speciality knowledge is expected, including for example, some general aspects of paediatric, organ donation and transplant critical care.

Only those candidates who have successfully passed EDIC Part I may take the Part II OSCE examination. Candidates who fail are informed that they are free to have another go. A maximum of three attempts is allowed.

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Important Information

1. All candidates should receive an automatic electronic response when registration is complete. This message is NOT a confirmation that the candidate has a guaranteed seat. Your seat at the EDIC Part II exam is only guaranteed after the validation of your application by the office (by the closing date of applications).
2. Candidates should wait for validation before making any travel arrangements (e.g. work leave, flight/hotel reservations, visa application, etc.) ESICM is not responsible for any costs incurred by validated or unvalidated candidates.
3. Candidates credit cards are not charged by ESICM until the validation process is complete. Note that some financial institutions may provisionally deduct the fee immediately upon entering the credit card data during registration, these funds are held by the individual bank – not ESICM, so any issues must be resolved by the candidate with their own bank.

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General Information

The EDIC Part II examination currently follows the model of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and a blueprint derived from competencies listed in the CoBaTrICE syllabus. For domains description and competence statement, see table 3 of the original CoBaTrICE publication in Intensive Care Medicine 2006 (vol. 32 pp 1371-1382).

This year the exam will take place in a virtual format and only directors, local coordinators, examiners and exam centre technical responsible will be physically in the exam centres.

The exam will follow the same proceedings: Candidates will have to pass several skill stations, including three different clinical scenarios using imitation patient charts and three computer stations where reading and interpretation of imaging, curves and biochemical scenarios are tested. They will connect to a virtual examination room (centre) and to a specific virtual station and will remain connected in the same station as different examiners will examine them. The exam lasts 2 hours, approximately.

More information is available in the guidelines that will be provided to the candidates.

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Step 1: get ready for the exam

Surroundings

The environment in which you decide to take the exam must meet the following requirements:

• The room must be quiet in order to avoid any distractions.
• You must be alone in the room.
• The workspace must be clear of all materials and unauthorised supports: books, notes and other written materials as well as devices: tablets, watches, recording equipment, calculators and mobile phones. The proctor or invigilator will supervise you have cleared all before the exam.
• Taking pictures or screenshots, writing notes or copying/pasting any element of the exam content are strictly prohibited.
• There should be no background noise from radio, television or other devices.
• You must be dressed appropriately, with your face visible to the proctor all the time.
• No breaks are allowed.

Failure to adhere to the rules set out renders your exam result invalid

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Technical requirements

Verify that your computer meets the requirements before registering for the EDIC exam. The following material is required:

• Computer or laptop. Smartphones or tablets are not allowed to take the exam.
• A strong and stable internet connection.
  • Preferable if you have a fixed network cable or at least an excellent WIFI connection.
  • Make sure that nobody else is in your network to avoid consuming bandwidth.
• Webcam, speaker and microphone. Headsets or earphones are not allowed.

The exam cannot be taken if these requirements are not met:

• Check the invitation letter to identify your examination room (centre) and virtual station allocation. 
• Use a modern and compatible browser such as Chrome or Firefox or MS Edge. Safari is not advisable as it will not be able to complete the audio setup.
• Verify you can use the webcam, microphone and speaker. Camera and microphone need to be on during the whole exam.
• Close all your software and do not open any other communication tool: Skype, Teams, Zoom, etc. 
• Verify that you have allowed the browser (Chrome, Firefox) to use the audio and camera.
• Check carefully that you have all prepared for the exam day.

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Step 2: exam day

The exam will take place in the online communication platform Big Blue Button. You will be allocated to one of the examination rooms (centre) and virtual stations, according to the time slot indicated in the invitation letter. You will take the whole exam in the same examination room (centre) and virtual station:

• Copy the direct virtual station link (provided by email in due time) and paste it into your browser address bar.
• Use either Chrome, MS Edge or Firefox. Avoid Safari as it may involve some issues.
• If you cannot connect, please wait for a few minutes and retry. 

If you are in the afternoon time slot do not connect earlier since you will disturb the previous examinee and you might get disqualified