How medicine stations fit the exam
The AMC Clinical is 16 assessed stations plus rest stations: 2 minutes of reading, then 8 minutes in the station. Fourteen stations are scored, and a pass needs a pass on 9 or more of them. Each station gets a global rating on a 7-point scale, informed by 2 to 5 key steps and 3 to 5 assessment domains. Read how the AMC Clinical is marked for the detail.
Medicine stations most often ask for a focused history followed by a diagnosis and investigation plan, an examination with commentary, or an explanation of a diagnosis and its management. The patient is a trained role-player who gives information only when asked.
Presentations that come up in medicine stations
| System | Typical station | What the examiner wants |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular | Breathlessness and ankle swelling, chest pain, palpitations | Heart failure features and precipitants, ACS red flags, AF stroke risk |
| Respiratory | Chronic cough, haemoptysis, COPD review | Smoking history, red flags for cancer, inhaler technique and action plans |
| Endocrine | New type 2 diabetes, thyroid symptoms, fatigue | Clear explanation, lifestyle and medicines, annual cycle of care |
| Gastrointestinal | Weight loss, iron deficiency, abnormal LFTs | Red flags, alcohol history, appropriate referral for endoscopy |
| Neurology | Headache, TIA, first seizure | Red flags, urgent pathway, driving advice |
| Renal and medicines | CKD, hyperkalaemia, polypharmacy | Medicine review and safe prescribing |
Taking a medicine history in 5 to 6 minutes
- Open with a question and let the patient talk for the first 30 seconds.
- Characterise the main symptom (onset, course, severity, triggers, relieving factors).
- Ask targeted questions that separate your top two or three diagnoses, including the dangerous one.
- Cover past history, medicines and adherence, allergies, smoking, alcohol, family history and function.
- Ask what the patient thinks is going on and what worries them.
Medicine history stations often hinge on a single discriminating fact, such as a stopped beta-blocker in heart failure or NSAID use in a GI bleed. Medication history is where many candidates miss it.
Examination stations in medicine
- Wash hands, introduce yourself, explain, consent and position the patient.
- Start with general inspection and vital signs, then the relevant system.
- Perform each step; do not just say you would do it.
- Give a concise commentary of positive and important negative findings.
- Finish with a summary and the next tests you would order.
See our AMC Clinical marking guide for how examination technique and commentary are scored.
Worked station: breathlessness in an older woman
Station walk-through · Adult medicine
Candidate brief: A 72-year-old woman has 6 weeks of increasing breathlessness. Take a focused history (5 minutes), then tell her your likely diagnosis and the tests you would arrange (3 minutes).
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:30 | Introduce yourself, confirm identity, open question |
| 0:30 to 3:30 | Breathlessness: exertion, orthopnoea, PND, oedema, weight; chest pain; cough and fever; calf pain |
| 3:30 to 5:00 | Past MI and stent, BP, diabetes; medicines and adherence (stopped metoprolol); smoking; function and support |
| 5:00 to 7:30 | Explain likely heart failure in plain words; ECG, chest X-ray, BNP, bloods, echocardiogram; urgent features |
| 7:30 to 8:00 | Check understanding, answer her concern about hospital, safety-net |
Where candidates lose marks: missing the stopped beta-blocker, listing tests without saying why, and not answering "Is my heart failing?"
Management and counselling in medicine stations
- Be specific: "start a low dose of an ACE inhibitor, check kidney function and potassium in 1 to 2 weeks", not "start medicines".
- Use Australian systems where relevant: GP chronic condition management plans, practice nurse recall, Home Medicines Review.
- Match urgency to severity: ambulance, same-day ED or routine review.
- Safety-net with named symptoms and what to do.
Using the 2 minutes of reading time
- Read the setting: general practice, ward, emergency department or telehealth changes what is realistic.
- Underline each task and its time allocation, and plan your 8 minutes to match.
- Note the patient's age, sex and any cue in the brief (a medicine, an occupation, a family member present).
- Write a short list of the 3 diagnoses you must separate and the one dangerous condition you must not miss.
- In a medicine station, check whether a medication history is likely to hold the answer.
- Decide your opening sentence so you start calmly.
Check the current AMC candidate information for what you may bring or write during reading time. Whatever you plan, keep it short: there is no time to read a long list in the room.
High-yield stations to prepare
These presentations come up repeatedly in medicine practice stations. Each is in our bank as a full station with a role-player script and marking checklist.
| Station | Likely task | Key step examiners look for |
|---|---|---|
| Breathlessness and ankle swelling | History, diagnosis, tests | Orthopnoea, PND, oedema and the precipitant |
| Chest pain on exertion | History | Risk factors and ACS red flags, urgent pathway |
| Irregular pulse | Examination | Rate, rhythm, signs of heart failure, stroke risk |
| Sudden severe headache | History | Thunderclap onset and subarachnoid haemorrhage |
| Tiredness for three months | History | Anaemia, thyroid, diabetes, depression, sleep, malignancy |
| Starting anticoagulation | Counselling | Bleeding risk, adherence, interactions |
| New type 2 diabetes | Counselling | Plain explanation and lifestyle with specifics |
| Acute gout | Counselling | Flare treatment and urate-lowering plan |
| Tremor and slowness | Examination | Bradykinesia with decrement and rigidity |
| Swollen painful hands | Examination | Synovitis, function and early referral |
A one-week practice plan
| Day | Practice |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Read the structure on this page and run 2 adult medicine stations untimed with a partner |
| Day 2 | Run 3 stations with the 2-minute reading timer and an 8-minute station timer |
| Day 3 | Record 2 stations on your phone; watch for jargon, interruptions and missed tasks |
| Day 4 | Swap roles: play the patient and the examiner, marking against the checklist |
| Day 5 | Run 3 new stations back to back with a 2-minute gap, as on exam day |
| Day 6 | Repeat the stations where your global rating was below 4 |
| Day 7 | Rest, then review your notes on the common mistakes below |
Our station bank lets you filter by discipline and station type, so you can follow this plan for each area of the exam.
Common mistakes in medicine stations
- A scattergun list of closed questions instead of a focused history.
- Forgetting medicines, adherence and over-the-counter products.
- Giving a diagnosis without linking it to this patient's findings.
- Ordering every test rather than the ones that change management.
- Running out of time before the counselling task.
Practise these as timed stations with a partner playing the patient and another marking against the checklist. Each of our adult medicine stations has a candidate brief, role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and a model approach.
Free sample adult medicine stations
Candidate briefs from our AMC Clinical station bank. Read the task, plan your 8 minutes, then open the marking checklist.
Breathlessness and ankle swelling (8 minutes)
You are a doctor in a general practice in regional Victoria. Mrs Margaret O'Neill, 72, has come in because she is short of breath.
Tasks:
- Take a focused history (5 minutes).
- Tell the patient your most likely diagnosis and the investigations you would arrange (3 minutes).
Show the marking checklist
- Introduces self, confirms identity and gains consent
- Characterises breathlessness: onset, progression, exercise tolerance in concrete terms
- Asks about orthopnoea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea (critical)
- Asks about ankle swelling and weight gain
- Screens for chest pain, palpitations, cough, fever and calf pain
- Takes a full medication history and identifies that metoprolol was stopped (critical)
- Asks about cardiac history and risk factors
- Uses clear, jargon-free explanation of likely heart failure
- Names ECG, chest X-ray, BNP or NT-proBNP and echocardiogram (critical)
- Includes bloods: FBC, UEC, LFT, TSH, HbA1c and lipids
- Responds to the question about hospital honestly, with safety-netting
The full station adds the role-player script, examiner notes and a model approach.
Irregular pulse: cardiovascular examination (8 minutes)
You are a resident in a medical outpatient clinic. Mr Arjun Mehta, 67, was referred because his GP found an irregular pulse.
Tasks:
- Perform a focused cardiovascular examination, explaining what you are doing to the examiner (5 minutes).
- Present your findings and most likely diagnosis to the examiner (3 minutes).
The examiner will give you findings you cannot elicit on the role-player.
The role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and model approach open with a plan.
Practise adult medicine stations free
Every adult medicine station in our bank
The bank holds 16 adult medicine stations across 3 station types: Counselling and education (4), History taking (4), Physical examination (8). Each one has a candidate brief, role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and model approach.
- Breathlessness and ankle swellingHistory taking · free
- Acute gout and long-term treatmentCounselling and education
- Cardiovascular examination: murmurPhysical examination
- Chest pain on exertionHistory taking
- Chronic cough: respiratory examinationPhysical examination
- Irregular pulse: cardiovascular examinationPhysical examination
- New diagnosis of osteoporosisCounselling and education
- New diagnosis of type 2 diabetesCounselling and education
- Numb feet: neurological examination of the lower limbsPhysical examination
- Starting anticoagulation for atrial fibrillationCounselling and education
- Sudden severe headacheHistory taking
- Swollen calf: lower limb assessmentPhysical examination
- Swollen painful hands: hand examinationPhysical examination
- Tiredness for three monthsHistory taking
- Tremor and slowness: Parkinsonism examinationPhysical examination
- Yellow eyes: abdominal examinationPhysical examination
Common questions
Are AMC Clinical medicine stations set in hospital or general practice?
Both. The AMC describes stations set in hospital and community settings, so expect emergency, ward and general practice scenarios.
Do I need to examine the role-player in a medicine station?
When the task asks for an examination, perform it on the role-player and describe findings to the examiner. Some stations give findings on cards instead.
How many medicine stations will I have?
The AMC does not publish a fixed number per discipline. Stations cover medicine, surgery, women's health, paediatrics and mental health across the exam.
What makes a medicine station a pass?
A global rating of 4 or more out of 7, informed by the key steps and domains. Completing all the tasks matters.
Sources
Clinical content is summarised from current Australian guidance at the date above. Guidelines change, so always check the latest edition.