Skip to content
JL JobLabs
Part A of 3 The 20 Skills Stations Chapter 8 of 35

Oxygen Therapy: OSCE Station Checklist

The NMC OSCE oxygen station: target saturations, device and flow-rate choice, COPD rules, safety checks, and 5 practice questions with answers.

Start reading ← Course contents ~5 min read
JobLabs Editorial
By JobLabs Editorial · UK healthcare reference editorial team
· · 2 min read

The oxygen station tests a mindset shift: oxygen is a drug. It has a dose (device plus flow rate), a target (a saturation range on the chart), side effects, and a prescription. Candidates who treat it as a comfort blanket, more is better, fail the clinical half of this station.

The two target ranges to know cold:

  • 94 to 98% for most acutely ill adults.
  • 88 to 92% for patients at risk of hypercapnic respiratory failure, classically some people with COPD, until blood gases say otherwise.

The scenario tells you which patient you have. The mark is matching target, device and flow, and saying why.

The device ladder

The three devices on the station, with their working flow rates:

DeviceFlow rateDelivered oxygen
Nasal cannulae1–6 L/min~24–44%
Venturi maskSet by colour-coded valveFixed percentage
Non-rebreather (reservoir) mask15 L/minHigh concentration (emergency)
  • Nasal cannulae, 1 to 6 L/min, roughly 24 to 44%: comfortable, allows eating and talking, for stable patients needing a little support.
  • Venturi mask, colour-coded valves, fixed percentage: the precision tool, and the answer for CO2 retainers, because the delivered concentration doesn’t drift with the patient’s breathing pattern.
  • Non-rebreather (reservoir) mask, 15 L/min, bag inflated before fitting: the emergency device for the acutely hypoxic patient while help is coming.

Flow rates outside a device’s design range are marked errors: a reservoir mask at 4 L/min or cannulae at 10 L/min are both wrong equipment answers wearing plausible numbers.

The sequence around the clinical decision is standard: check the prescription (or in an emergency, act then get it prescribed, and say that’s the rule), hand hygiene, consent and explanation, fit the device properly (cannulae prong orientation, mask seal, reservoir pre-filled), then reassess. Titration is the ongoing skill: saturations checked, response noted, flow adjusted within the prescribed range toward target, escalation if the patient isn’t responding.

Safety counselling

Oxygen accelerates fire. The explanation to the patient includes no smoking, no naked flames, and telling staff before removing the device. Humidification enters the conversation for high flows over longer periods, and skin checks behind the ears and across the cheeks matter for anyone on a mask or cannulae for days; pressure damage from oxygen tubing is a real audit finding on real wards.

Documentation: device, flow, target range, the saturations achieved, and your reassessment plan. An oxygen record that reads “O2 given” is the documentation fail; the chart wants the dose like any other drug.

Five questions below, then the station that guards every cannula on the ward: IV flush and VIP scoring.

Sources & further reading

  1. 1NMC — Test of competencenmc.org.uk
  2. 2BTS — Emergency oxygen guidelinebrit-thoracic.org.uk
  3. 3NICE — COPD guidancenice.org.uk
Key takeaway from Oxygen Therapy: OSCE Station Checklist

Frequently asked questions

Which oxygen device gives which concentration?
Nasal cannulae at 1 to 6 L/min deliver roughly 24 to 44%; a Venturi mask delivers a fixed percentage set by the colour-coded valve; a non-rebreather mask at 15 L/min delivers high concentration for emergencies.
Why is oxygen prescribed like a drug?
Because it has a dose (flow and device), a target (saturation range) and harms at the wrong dose, especially in patients who rely on hypoxic drive. Outside emergencies it needs a prescription with a target range on the chart.
Why a Venturi mask for COPD patients at risk of CO2 retention?
The Venturi valve fixes the delivered percentage regardless of the patient's breathing pattern, so you can hold them precisely in the 88 to 92% window without drifting into over-oxygenation.

Check your understanding

Quick quiz: Oxygen Therapy: OSCE Station Checklist

5questions. Click an answer to see the explanation. Your score is saved on this device only.

  1. 1

    Standard target saturations for a 40-year-old with pneumonia and no lung disease history:

  2. 2

    A COPD patient known to retain CO2 needs oxygen. The safest setup is:

  3. 3

    A non-rebreather (reservoir) mask is run at:

  4. 4

    The patient on 2 L/min nasal cannulae now shows saturations of 91% (target 94 to 98%). You should:

  5. 5

    Which safety point belongs in your patient explanation?

Keep reading

Oxygen Therapy Scenario Questions

Oxygen Therapy Scenario Questions

NMC CBT oxygen practice: oxygen as a prescribed drug, target saturations, delivery devices, CO2 retainers, and worked scenario answers.

Peak Flow (PEFR): OSCE Station Checklist

Peak Flow (PEFR): OSCE Station Checklist

The NMC OSCE peak flow station: technique coaching, best of three, predicted values and personal best, and 5 practice questions with answers.

Inhaled Medication: OSCE Station Checklist

Inhaled Medication: OSCE Station Checklist

The NMC OSCE inhaled medication station: MDI technique, spacers, steroid mouth-rinse, patient teaching, and 5 practice questions with answers.