The candidate card
Setting
General practice, UK
Candidate
You are a GP in this original independent practice scenario; the patient details and findings below are fictional case facts. Mrs Feliciana Albero, aged 51, has intermittent right-hand tingling, worse at night, and difficulty with repetitive gripping at her packing job. Today's assessment suggests carpal tunnel syndrome, but the diagnosis remains uncertain, so you propose nerve conduction testing, a night wrist splint and a review of tasks involving repeated wrist bending or forceful gripping. An occupational health review is available through her employer, but no contact or disclosure has been authorised, and she fears that seeking support will cost her work.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out which work and daily tasks are affected, including any difficulty gripping safely, and explore her concerns about disclosure
- Explain the suspected nerve pressure and the purpose of the proposed nerve conduction test
- Discuss a night wrist splint and practical task adjustments, reassuring her about involvement in decisions without guaranteeing an employment outcome
- Agree investigation and follow-up, and establish whether she consents to an occupational health referral and what information she agrees may be shared
In the test you get 3 minutes to read the card and plan, then about 5 minutes to talk. This card is original, written for this site; the interlocutor's card is not shown.
Prepare this card, then say it out loud.
Plan your opening and the tasks below. Keep these notes when you move to the AI role-play.
You are a GP in this original independent practice scenario; the patient details and findings below are fictional case facts. Mrs Feliciana Albero, aged 51, has intermittent right-hand tingling, worse at night, and difficulty with repetitive gripping at her packing job. Today's assessment suggests carpal tunnel syndrome, but the diagnosis remains uncertain, so you propose nerve conduction testing, a night wrist splint and a review of tasks involving repeated wrist bending or forceful gripping. An occupational health review is available through her employer, but no contact or disclosure has been authorised, and she fears that seeking support will cost her work.
Getting your plan ready…
Preparation is free without an account. AI conversation and marking need sign-in; your first role-play is free. Notes are saved on this device when available. This checklist is your plan, not a score.
How to approach this card
- Start with a specific example from her packing work and ask whether gripping feels secure during that task. This establishes any immediate practical difficulty before discussing referral, which she may otherwise hear mainly as a threat to employment.
- Explore what she fears would happen if her employer learned about the symptoms, without assuming previous discrimination or a particular workplace response. Separate discussing support from authorising contact, so she can consider the options without feeling disclosure is inevitable.
- Use tentative wording consistently: today's assessment suggests pressure on a nerve, and testing is proposed to investigate that possibility. Explain the purpose before naming the test; the usual trap is presenting a suspected diagnosis as already confirmed.
- Discuss the night splint alongside adjustments to repeated wrist bending or forceful gripping, using her actual tasks as examples. Address any reported difficulty gripping safely through an agreed practical adjustment, without promising symptom relief or a particular employment outcome.
- Finish with investigation and follow-up arrangements, then clarify referral consent separately from the information she permits you to share. If time is short, protect this consent discussion; general agreement to support does not authorise unspecified disclosure.
Model route: what a strong candidate might say
Example lines in a workable order for about 5 minutes: opening, key questions, the patient's concern, explaining, then the close. Use them to plan, not to memorise: the patient's replies are not scripted here, and your next line should follow what they actually say.
1. Opening
- “Good morning, Mrs Albero. I'm the GP, and thank you for coming in. I'd like to go through your hand symptoms and what we can do together.”
- “Could you tell me in your own words how your right hand has been bothering you?”
2. Key questions
- “Which tasks at your packing job are hardest now, and are there other things at home that have become difficult?”
- “When you grip things, do you worry about dropping them or hurting yourself?”
- “How do you feel about talking to anyone at work about this?”
- “What worries you most about asking for support?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: She is likely to fear that asking for support or disclosing her symptoms could cost her her job.
- “It makes sense to worry about your job, and I'm glad you told me. Nothing will be shared with your employer unless you agree to it.”
- “I can't promise what your employer will decide, but I can promise you'll be involved in every decision about support.”
4. Explaining
- “From what you describe, the main nerve in your wrist may be under pressure. That is called carpal tunnel syndrome. I can't be certain yet, so I'd like to arrange a nerve conduction test.”
- “The test measures how well signals travel along the nerve. I'd also suggest a splint at night and a look at tasks with repeated wrist bending or forceful gripping. Does that make sense so far?”
5. Closing
- “So we're agreeing the nerve test, a night wrist splint and a review of your bending and gripping tasks. I'll see you again to go through the results together.”
- “Would you like me to refer you to occupational health, and exactly what information are you happy for me to share? Is there anything else you'd like to ask?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Your concern about keeping your work deserves attention.
- We can pause here if this feels difficult to discuss.
- How does that explanation fit with what you have noticed?
- Please tell me if any part of this feels unclear.
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| carpal tunnel syndrome | Pressure on a nerve at the wrist, which is suspected in your case. |
| nerve conduction testing | Testing to help assess how a nerve is working. |
| occupational health | A service that considers health and support at work. |
How this card is marked
Two assessors mark the recording on nine criteria: intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language and resources of grammar and expression (each 0–6), then relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving (each 0–3). See the AI Speaking practice guide for what each criterion looks for.
More Medicine role-play cards
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All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
What if she asks whether the test will definitely confirm the diagnosis?
Describe the test as part of investigating the suspected nerve problem. The card does not provide a result or promise diagnostic certainty. Avoid saying that it will definitely confirm carpal tunnel syndrome or settle every possible explanation for her symptoms.
Can I write that her packing job caused the symptoms?
No cause has been established on this card. Record the symptoms and the tasks she reports finding difficult, keeping her account distinct from your assessment. Repeated wrist bending and forceful gripping are proposed targets for review, not proof of occupational causation.
Should I give her daytime splint instructions as well?
The proposed intervention is a night wrist splint. Do not expand that into daytime use or a detailed wearing schedule that the card does not supply. Keep the discussion focused on the proposed option and clarify individual instructions when arranging it.
What if she says no to the occupational health referral?
Accept her decision without pressure and record it. Explain that the test, the splint and the task changes she can make herself still go ahead, and that she can change her mind later. Offer to revisit the option at follow-up.
How do I avoid promising she will keep her job?
Separate what you control from what you don't. You can promise she will be involved in decisions and that nothing is shared without her consent, but her employer's decisions are theirs. Avoid phrases like 'you'll be fine' or 'they must'.
Sources
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