The ST3 Plastics Consent Station

Five minutes, one patient, one operation to explain. The consent station of the ST3 Plastic Surgery interview is a pure communication test: the decision to operate has already been made, and your job is to explain it so clearly that a person with no medical training understands what they are agreeing to.

What actually happens

An assessor plays the patient, or a parent if the case is paediatric. The alternatives were covered at an earlier clinic visit, so you go straight into explaining the chosen procedure and taking consent. The assessor mostly listens, then asks the questions a real patient would ask. “Am I going to lose my leg?” “Could I die from this?” And the moment you say “flap” or “anastomosis” without explaining it, they will ask you what it means. That is not curiosity. It is the jargon check, and it is marked.

What you are marked on

• Operative environment and anaesthesia: where and how the operation happens.
• Operative technique: what you will actually do, in plain terms.
• Postoperative regime: recovery, dressings, time off, follow-up.
• Risks and complications: the material and common risks, honestly.
• Overall communication: structure, clarity, empathy, and checking understanding.

Where candidates lose marks

Unexplained jargon is the classic one. After that: rushing through the risks, skipping the recovery period entirely, and delivering the whole thing as a monologue without once checking the patient is following. A consent conversation is a dialogue. Treat it like one.

How to prepare

Build one repeatable structure you can apply to any operation: what it is and why, what happens before, during and after, the risks that matter, and what recovery looks like, checking understanding throughout. Then rehearse it out loud on the common plastics procedures, with someone interrupting you with patient questions. Carpal tunnel release, Dupuytren’s fasciectomy, debridement for necrotising fasciitis and free-flap reconstruction all come up. You can rehearse the consent station with an AI patient on Reviva, which asks the awkward questions for you.

Frequently asked questions

What happens in the ST3 plastics consent station?

You explain a planned operation to a patient (or to a parent, for a paediatric case) and answer their questions. It lasts five minutes and is part of the OSCE and communication block. The alternatives to surgery have already been discussed at an earlier clinic visit, so this station is specifically the procedure explanation and consent conversation.

What are you marked on in the consent station?

Five things: the operative environment and anaesthesia, the operative technique, the postoperative regime, the risks and complications, and your overall communication.

How do I do well in the consent station?

Explain in plain language, signpost the structure, check understanding as you go, and cover benefits, the procedure, recovery, and material risks. Avoid jargon. The patient will ask what a word means if you use one.

Sources. Based on the ST3 Plastic Surgery selection format modelled by Reviva and the national selection marking scheme. Educational only. Confirm the current format against the official national recruitment portal.