How do I pass OMM practicals?

[zealously]

Hi all,

The majority of the OMM practical exams at my school are set up like this: You have to palpate a specific anatomical structure (radial head, fibular head, etc.) and determine if the ease of motion is in one direction or the other direction. If you determine the correct direction of ease, you pass. If you do not determine it correctly, you fail and have to retest. You can only retest three times before you have to repeat the course.

My issue is that I always seem to determine the direction of ease in the wrong direction. I practice intensely for OMM practicals and my motions are always fluid and rehearsed. Unfortunately, the only part I cannot practice is actually diagnosing the correct somatic dysfunction. No matter how much I practice the palpation and the techniques, going into a practical exam I know I'm always going to be 50/50 on whether or not the instructor agrees or disagrees with my diagnosis.

I have failed over half of the practical exams so far. I failed one exam two times in a row and came very close to having to repeat the whole course. I just received my grade back for the most recent practical exam and learned I failed again for having the incorrect diagnosis. Does anyone have any tips on how I can start passing OMM practicals? I'm honestly open to trying anything at this point.

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[ortnakas]

You’re a first year? Ask second years at your school for tips and tricks— OMM can be pretty variable between schools so in person advice will serve you better than SDN’s.

If you have any approachable faculty, bring a classmate and ask if they’d be willing to help you practice diagnosis.

 

[Hippocrates II]

At my school, 99% of the practical is confidence and logical reasoning. By that I mean if you aren't fumbling over your words/actions and you can articulate why a diagnosis is what it is based on whatever you're finding, you'll pass. I just always assumed OMM etiquette was that you simply agreed with someone's diagnosis as I have never been challenged on mine, and I don't know what I'm doing.

Now, if your school is actually determining a correct diagnosis and then disagreeing with you over half the time:

1) You have my sympathy because that's complete and utter garbage.

2) You should ask classmates who are passing how they're doing it.

Otherwise, I don't think anyone on here can really walk you through how to diagnose something like a fibular head. You just feel for movement in either direction, but it's usually so minor and inconsequential that I can't actually believe someone would tell you that your diagnosis is wrong.

 

[Alkaidius]

Like Hippo said, that's such wank of a setup haha. At my place, the OMM Faculty acknowledges that there's "Book OMM" and "Real-world OMM" and that while they try to teach us both, for examination purposes they want us to stick to book logic. When I make a diagnosis during a practical I always favor the "majority rule". So like: "...this person's foot is internally rotated, inverted, but I feel the Fibular Head go anterior...OH WELL, that's 2 out of 3, Posterior Head it is~" It's why I do all the most "subjective" tests lasts.

 

[hungrydoc710]

At school, as long as you are going thru the right motions and can articulate to some degree why you did what, you pass and get 100%.
If you fail, you just repeat that lab portion. You get a 70% on that part of OMM class, but they will pass you second time.

Hopefully the ease of my pre-clinical OMM stuff won't hinder me during COMLEX PE testing.

 

[Cheeni17]

Fake it like we all do confidently. Walk in like a used furniture salesman and sell that semen stained recliner for 2000$

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Your school is definitely making it harder than it needs to be. At my school they rarely even check our diagnosis, and as long as we have the right set up to treat the diagnosis that we gave, we get 100%. It's pretty much the easiest thing I honestly have to worry about in medical school.

 

[Cheeni17]

Your school is definitely making it harder than it needs to be. At my school they rarely even check our diagnosis, and as long as we have the right set up to treat the diagnosis that we gave, we get 100%. It's pretty much the easiest thing I honestly have to worry about in medical school.

They can’t check it since shifting, coughing, farting changes the ugh “diagnosis”

 

[zealously]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm glad to hear that this isn't the norm at other DO schools. I do my best to articulate my findings out loud while I'm diagnosing and it does help at times. I've heard the confidence thing before but I don't think it applies in my case. You can confidently say anything you want but they will still check your diagnosis meticulously all the same.

I may try asking the upperclassmen how they got through it. It's just difficult because everyone has such variable advice.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

If you dont agree with the faculty diagnosis, why are you not seeking help and input from upper classmates and help from OMM faculty? Gee, a student would never make up a diagnosis and learn the treatment for said diagnosis for a practical exam? Would they? I see that all the time. It's just easier to do do it the correct way. It's not that hard.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Fake it like we all do confidently. Walk in like a used furniture salesman and sell that semen stained recliner for 2000$

So little? That's pitiful man. If you aren't bringing in 4k then you aren't applying yourself properly.

Gee, a student would never make up a diagnosis and learn the treatment for said diagnosis for a practical exam? Would they? I see that all the time. It's just easier to do do it the correct way. It's not that hard.

Well seeing as the entire endeavor is built on a shaky foundation of things that were made up in the first place....

 

[Cheeni17]

If you dont agree with the faculty diagnosis, why are you not seeking help and input from upper classmates and help from OMM faculty? Gee, a student would never make up a diagnosis and learn the treatment for said diagnosis for a practical exam? Would they? I see that all the time. It's just easier to do do it the correct way. It's not that hard.

I faked every diagnosis on my PE and passed same back in school. Except for the few legit techniques. Everyone else should do the same. A good portion of OMM is crap and should be faked with confidence

 

[Neopolymath]

I faked every diagnosis on my PE and passed same back in school. Except for the few legit techniques. Everyone else should do the same. A good portion of OMM is crap and should be faked with confidence

Explain this PE situation. Need to learn your ways

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I faked every diagnosis on my PE and passed same back in school. Except for the few legit techniques. Everyone else should do the same. A good portion of OMM is crap and should be faked with confidence

LOL. You wouldn't have passed mine! I have a very sensitive BS detector. As I said, it ain't that hard to do it the right way.

 

[Cheeni17]

LOL. You wouldn't have passed mine! I have a very sensitive BS detector. As I said, it ain't that hard to do it the right way.

I would say challenge accepted but I haven’t used omm for two years lol

 

[Cheeni17]

Explain this PE situation. Need to learn your ways

Get expert at one tech per body. Memorize one dx. Treat for that dx and chart that dx. Nobody knows if they are sidebent whatever rotated rofl left for real

 

[Cheeni17]

LOL. You wouldn't have passed mine! I have a very sensitive BS detector. As I said, it ain't that hard to do it the right way.

Yeah but you can’t prove it’s a bad dx using findings which change q 4 seconds

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Yeah but you can’t prove it’s a bad dx using findings which change q 4 seconds

Dont really understand what you said, but if your DX doesnt match mine, I would make you treat mine. Once again, it ain't that hard to do it the right way.

 

[Cheeni17]

Dont really understand what you said, but if your DX doesnt match mine, I would make you treat mine. Once again, it ain't that hard to do it the right way.

If you fart hard enough L4 moves around

 

[tradersluck]

I faked every diagnosis on my PE and passed same back in school. Except for the few legit techniques. Everyone else should do the same. A good portion of OMM is crap and should be faked with confidence

I start M1 in August and I'm kind of spooked about this. I just got done convincing ADCOMs that I'm ethical and accountable, but the education system will require me to YOLO a diagnosis based on black magic to make the Old Boy's Club feel good about themselves legitimize the old guard?

I feel bad for the students. That's got to be so overwhelmingly stressful.