If you are preparing for the NMC OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination), the Planning Station is an important opportunity to demonstrate your ability to think like a nurse and develop a safe, structured and patient-centred plan of care.

The Planning Station assesses your ability to look at a patient’s clinical situation, identify the most appropriate nursing priorities and develop care plans that are realistic, measurable and focused on the individual patient’s needs.

For many candidates, the challenge is not knowing what nursing care is required. The difficulty is knowing how to organise that knowledge within the limited examination time and how to document it clearly.

What is APIE in nursing care planning?

APIE is a way of making nursing decisions visible and logical. Assessment means collecting and interpreting relevant information about the person’s condition, risks, preferences and abilities. Planning means identifying priorities, agreeing on suitable goals and selecting appropriate care. Implementation is carrying out, communicating or arranging the planned actions safely. Evaluation means checking what changed, recording the result and adapting the plan if necessary. These stages form a cycle rather than four separate boxes: an unexpected finding during evaluation may send you back to assessment.

In OSCE preparation, this structure helps you demonstrate why you chose a particular action, not just list tasks. For example, “encourage fluids” is too vague if you have not checked the person’s condition, fluid restrictions or ability to swallow. A stronger plan links a relevant finding to an individualised action, an achievable goal and a method of review. That connection matters whether the task asks you to document care, discuss priorities or respond to a scenario. Refer to the latest station instructions and candidate information for your route to understand exactly what you must produce and how your performance is assessed.

The key to approaching this station successfully is to understand the four essential components of the care plan:

1. Nursing Problem
2. Aim of Care
3. Interventions
4. Re-evaluation Time

These four components form the foundation of an effective NMC OSCE Planning Station response.

This guide explains how to approach the station, how to prioritise problems, how to create appropriate aims, how to write practical interventions and how to select an appropriate re-evaluation timeframe.

What Is the NMC OSCE Planning Station?

The Planning Station is a 14-minute written station in the NMC OSCE. You are presented with a clinical scenario involving a patient’s condition and are required to develop two appropriate care plans based on the patient’s needs.

Your care plans should be:

• Relevant to the patient scenario
• Prioritised appropriately
• Person-centred
• Specific and measurable
• Achievable and realistic
• Time-bound

The purpose is not simply to write as much information as possible. Instead, you need to demonstrate that you can identify the patient’s most important needs and develop a safe and appropriate plan of care.Think of the station as an opportunity to demonstrate:

What is the patient’s problem? What do I want to achieve? What will I do about it? When will I reassess the patient?

If you can consistently answer these four questions, you will have a clear structure for approaching the Planning Station.

The Four Essential Components of the Care Plan

The four main components are:

1. Nursing Problem

What is the problem/complaint or what is the patient’s priority nursing need?

2. Aim of Care

What outcome do you want to achieve?

3. Interventions

What nursing actions will you take to achieve the aim?

4. Re-evaluation Time

When will you reassess the patient and determine whether the plan is working?

Understanding the relationship between these four components is essential.

1. Nursing Problem

The nursing problem is the foundation of your care plan.

Before writing anything else, you need to identify what the patient needs from a nursing perspective.

Your nursing problem should come directly from the information provided in the scenario.

The nursing problem should be identified from the scenario and appropriately prioritised, with the most urgent nursing problem selected. In some circumstances, if nothing is provided directly in the planning scenario, information may need to be considered from the assessment scenario.

How Do You Identify the Nursing Problem?

Read the scenario carefully.

Do not immediately start writing your care plan.

First, ask yourself:

• What is happening to the patient?
• What is the patient’s primary concern?
• What nursing need is most urgent?
• Is there an immediate risk?
• What problem requires nursing intervention?
• What information in the scenario supports this problem?

The patient’s primary need or concern should be prioritised over a less urgent nursing need.

The important point is that you should not select a problem simply because it is easy to write about.

Select the problem because it is relevant to the patient’s condition and requires appropriate nursing care.

Prioritisation Is Important

One of the most important skills tested in the Planning Station is prioritisation.

A scenario may contain several pieces of information. However, you are not expected to write a care plan for every piece of information.

You need to identify the most appropriate priorities.

Remember:

Not every piece of information has equal priority.

Your role is to identify what matters most for the patient’s immediate and ongoing care.

2. Aim of Care

Once you have identified the nursing problem, the next step is to determine what you want to achieve.

This is your Aim of Care.

The aim should describe the desired outcome of your nursing care. It should be specific, measurable, achievable and realistic for the patient’s condition.

A useful way to think about it is:

If my interventions are successful, what improvement should I see in the patient?

Your answer becomes the basis of your aim.

Make Your Aim SMART

SMART means:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Your aim should therefore be focused rather than vague.

For example, avoid writing an aim that does not clearly describe the expected outcome.

Instead, make your aim directly connected to the nursing problem.

Nursing Problem:

Risk of falls due to confusion.

Aim:

The patient will remain free from risk of falls.

This is directly linked to the identified problem.

Your Aim Must Be Achievable

A common mistake is creating an outcome that is unrealistic for the available timeframe or the patient’s condition.

The aim should be something that can realistically be achieved within the given timeframe.

Before writing your aim, ask:

“Can this realistically happen within the care plan timeframe?”

If the answer is no, reconsider the aim.

Your care plan should demonstrate realistic nursing judgement rather than an ideal outcome that cannot reasonably be achieved.

3. Interventions

The intervention section describes what you are going to do to help the patient achieve the identified aim.

The interventions should be:

• Safe
• Practical
• Evidence-based
• Relevant to the nursing problem
• Patient-centred
• Clearly written

The interventions are nursing actions designed to help the patient reach the identified aim and highlights the importance of describing the plan of action and including referral where appropriate.

Use Clear Action Words

One useful approach is to begin interventions with clear nursing action words.

Examples include:

• Explain
• Monitor
• Assess
• Teach
• Administer
• Refer
• Instruct
• Document

These action words help make your interventions clear and demonstrate what you intend to do.

Make Your Interventions Relevant to the Problem

Every intervention should have a purpose.

Ask yourself:

“How will this intervention help achieve my aim?”

If you cannot explain the connection between your intervention and your aim, reconsider whether the intervention is appropriate.

For example, if the nursing problem is related to falls risk, interventions should focus on reducing that risk and maintaining patient safety.

If the problem is pain, interventions should focus on assessment, appropriate management, monitoring and reassessment.

Include Referral When Appropriate

This means you should consider whether another healthcare professional or service may need to be involved in the patient’s care.

However, referral should be relevant to the identified problem.

Do not add referrals simply to make the care plan longer.

Think clinically:

• Does the patient require additional assessment?
• Does the problem require input from another professional?
• Is referral appropriate based on the patient’s condition?

The referral should support the patient’s care and be connected to the nursing problem.

4. Re-evaluation Time

Re-evaluation time is another essential component of the care plan.

It is also an area that candidates may misunderstand.

The re-evaluation timeframe should use the nearest possible date and time, while taking the patient’s condition into consideration.

Your re-evaluation time should be:

• Time-bound
• Realistic
• Appropriate for the nursing problem
• Based on the intervention
• Consistent with the care plan’s validity

The most important question to ask is:

When does this patient need to be reassessed?

The answer depends on the nursing problem.

Re-evaluation Depends on the Nursing Problem

Different problems require different reassessment intervals.

For problems where sudden or rapid changes are possible, a shorter reassessment period may be appropriate.

The problems like pain and risk for bleeding, where reassessment may be required after 30 minutes.

For problems less likely to change immediately, such as Infection, a longer interval such as 4 hours may be appropriate.

Therefore, do not use the same re-evaluation timeframe automatically for every care plan.

The timeframe should make clinical sense.

How to Approach the 14-Minute Planning Station

Time management is extremely important.

You have only 14 minutes to complete the 2 written care plans.

Therefore, you should not spend too much time thinking about one section while leaving insufficient time for the rest.

A structured approach can help.

Step 1: Read the Scenario Carefully

Start by understanding the patient.

Identify:

• The patient’s condition
• Current concerns
• Risks
• Symptoms
• Relevant assessment findings
• Patient priorities

Do not start writing immediately.

Step 2: Identify Your Two Priorities

The station requires two appropriate care plans.

Therefore, identify the two most relevant nursing problems.

Think:

“Which two problems require the greatest nursing priority based on the scenario?”

Avoid selecting two problems that are essentially the same.

Try to identify two meaningful areas of care that reflect the patient’s needs.

Step 3: Write the Nursing Problem

Keep it clear and relevant.

Do not use unnecessary wording.

Your nursing problem should demonstrate that you have understood the scenario.

Step 4: Create the Aim

Ask:

“What do I want to achieve?”

Make the outcome specific, measurable, achievable and realistic.

Step 5: Choose the Re-evaluation Time

Consider:

• How quickly could the patient’s condition change?
• How frequently does the problem need reassessment?
• Is the timeframe realistic?

Then document the nearest appropriate date and time.

Step 6: Write Your Interventions

Use clear action words.

Think about:

• Explain
• Monitor
• Assess
• Teach
• Administer
• Refer
• Instruct
• Document

Only include interventions that are relevant to the problem.

Think Holistically

Patient-centred care means looking beyond physical symptoms.

The source specifically recommends thinking holistically and considering psychological, social and emotional needs when planning care.

For example, a patient experiencing reduced mobility may also have:

• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Nutritional intake

While the nursing problem should remain focused and prioritised, your interventions should demonstrate an understanding that the patient is a person rather than simply a clinical condition.

The Importance of Documentation

Your written care plan needs to be clear and understandable.

Ensure to keep your writing clear, legible and straight to the point because of the 14-minute time limit. Also remember to document name, date and signature at the end of the care plan.

This means presentation matters.

Avoid:

• Unnecessary long sentences
• Excessive explanations
• Unclear handwriting
• Repeating the same intervention
• Irrelevant information

Focus on writing what is necessary to demonstrate safe nursing care.

Know Your Assessment Tools

Candidates should also be familiar with appropriate assessment tools, such as wound assessment or pain assessment, where appropriate.

This is important because assessment should support your nursing decision-making.

If the scenario involves pain, for example, consider whether an appropriate pain assessment is required.

If the scenario involves a wound, consider appropriate wound assessment.

However, always relate the assessment tool to the patient’s actual problem.

Common Mistakes Candidates Should Avoid

1. Choosing an Irrelevant Nursing Problem

Your problem must come from the scenario.

Do not write a generic problem simply because you have memorised it.

2. Failing to Prioritise

The station requires two appropriate care plans.

Do not choose problems randomly.

Identify the most important nursing priorities.

3. Writing an Unrealistic Aim

The aim must be achievable within the available timeframe.

Avoid outcomes that are unrealistic for the patient’s current condition.

4. Using the Same Re-evaluation Time for Every Problem

Re-evaluation depends on the problem and patient condition.

A rapidly changing problem may require earlier reassessment than a problem that is less likely to change immediately.

5. Writing Vague Interventions

Interventions should describe what you will actually do.

Use clear action words such as:

Assess, Monitor, Explain, Teach, Instruct, Administer, Refer and Document.

6. Forgetting Referral

If referral is appropriate to the identified problem, include it.

The intervention section should consider referral where clinically relevant.

7. Forgetting Your Details at the End

Ensure to document name, date and signature at the end of the care plan.

Make this part of your routine practice.

A Simple Planning Station Formula

One of the easiest ways to remember the structure is:

PROBLEM

What is wrong?

↓

AIM

What do I want to achieve?

↓

RE-EVALUATION

When will I check whether the plan is working?

↓

INTERVENTIONS

What will I do?

This simple sequence can help you organise your thoughts quickly during the examination.

Planning Station Preparation Strategy

Preparation should involve more than memorising care plans.

Practise Different Scenarios

Use different clinical situations and practise identifying two priorities.

The source recommends scenarios such as post-operative care, falls risk, pain and respiratory issues.

Practise Under Time Pressure

Set a timer and practise completing your care plans within the 14-minute station timeframe.

This will help you identify whether you:

• Spend too long reading
• Struggle to identify priorities
• Write too much
• Take too long to formulate interventions
• Forget the re-evaluation time
• Forget your name, date and signature

The goal is to develop a consistent process.

Final Exam Tips for the NMC OSCE Planning Station

The Planning Station gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you can think like a nurse.

You need to show that you can:

• Identify patient needs
• Prioritise appropriately
• Develop realistic goals
• Select safe nursing interventions
• Reassess the effectiveness of care
• Document clearly

If you consistently follow this structure, your care plan will become more organised and easier to complete within the examination timeframe.

Conclusion

The NMC OSCE Planning Station is designed to assess your ability to create a structured, safe and patient-centred plan of care. It is a 14-minute written station in which you are required to develop two appropriate care plans based on the patient’s needs.

Remember that good care planning is not about writing the longest answer. It is about demonstrating clear clinical thinking, prioritisation, patient-centred care and safe nursing practice.

Practise different scenarios, work under timed conditions, improve the clarity of your written documentation and become confident in identifying the two most important priorities.

With regular practice, the Planning Station can become a structured and manageable part of your NMC OSCE preparation.

At Mentor Merlin, focused preparation and practice can help you become more confident in approaching OSCE stations, understanding the marking expectations and managing your time effectively. Make sure you continue practising with different scenarios so that you are prepared to apply your knowledge rather than simply memorise answers.

Frequently asked questions about APIE and the NMC OSCE

1. How to identify the Nursing problem?

Ans. The nursing problem should be identified from the scenario and appropriately prioritised, with the most urgent nursing problem selected. In some circumstances, if nothing is provided directly in the planning scenario, information may need to be considered from the assessment scenario.

2. How to identify the re-evaluation time frame?

Ans. The re-evaluation timeframe depends on nursing problem. The re-evaluation timeframe should use the nearest possible date and time, while taking the patient’s condition into consideration.

3. How to document interventions while documenting care plans?

Ans. One useful approach is to begin interventions with clear nursing action words such as Explain, Monitor, Assess, Teach, Administer, Refer, Instruct, Document

4. How to frame an appropriate aim for the nursing problem?

Ans. The aim should describe the desired outcome of your nursing care. It should be specific, measurable, achievable and realistic for the patient’s condition.

Learn it. See it. Understand it. Watch these videos for better insight:

References

1. NMC. Test of competence 2021: Nursing; Test specification for candidates. 2021. Available from: [LINK].
2. NMC. The Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. 2018. Available from: [LINK].
3. Lister S, Hofland J, Grafton H. The Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures. 10^th ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 2020.
4. Resuscitation Council (UK). ABCDE Approach. Available from: [LINK].
5. Royal College of Physicians. National Early Warning Score (NEWS). 2017. Available from: [LINK].
6. NICE. Head injury: assessment and early management. 2023. Available from: [LINK].

Read our recent blog – “NMC OSCE Clinical Nursing Station Timing Changes October 2026: What Candidates Need to Know” – to ensure your journey stays on track.
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