The candidate card
Setting
General practice
Candidate
In this original independent practice scenario, you are a GP reviewing the eczema of Ms Liliana Nicolas's six-year-old child; today's examination shows itchy, inflamed patches behind the knees without signs of infection. Ms Nicolas, aged 36, has used the emollient but avoided the prescribed steroid cream after hearing stories about skin thinning. The proposed individual plan is continued emollient care, including when the skin improves, and the prescribed steroid for the active knee patches; offer a review of the dispensed product and an application demonstration before home treatment, confirming the preparation, amount, frequency and stopping instructions rather than inventing these details. General advice relevant here is that topical steroids reduce inflammation but can cause skin thinning, with risk influenced by their strength and use; new blistering, weeping, crusting, increasing pain, rapid worsening or fever requires urgent assessment, while a complete ongoing clinical assessment may continue after this focused conversation.
Task (interlocutor: relative)
- Find out what Ms Nicolas has been applying and what specifically worries her about the steroid cream
- Explain the different purposes of the emollient and the prescribed steroid in her child's individual plan
- Address her skin-thinning concern honestly, explaining why the product and application instructions need to be checked and demonstrated
- Agree the next treatment-support step and follow-up, including when worsening skin symptoms require urgent assessment
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.
In this original independent practice scenario, you are a GP reviewing the eczema of Ms Liliana Nicolas's six-year-old child; today's examination shows itchy, inflamed patches behind the knees without signs of infection. Ms Nicolas, aged 36, has used the emollient but avoided the prescribed steroid cream after hearing stories about skin thinning. The proposed individual plan is continued emollient care, including when the skin improves, and the prescribed steroid for the active knee patches; offer a review of the dispensed product and an application demonstration before home treatment, confirming the preparation, amount, frequency and stopping instructions rather than inventing these details. General advice relevant here is that topical steroids reduce inflammation but can cause skin thinning, with risk influenced by their strength and use; new blistering, weeping, crusting, increasing pain, rapid worsening or fever requires urgent assessment, while a complete ongoing clinical assessment may continue after this focused conversation.
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
- Begin with her experience of applying the emollient, then ask what the skin-thinning stories described. Her likely concern is harming her child; understanding her particular fear before explaining treatment avoids an argument about whether she should have followed instructions.
- Make the explanation specific to the itchy patches behind the knees: the emollient provides moisturising care, including after improvement, while the prescribed steroid reduces active inflammation. Separate these purposes before discussing technique so she understands why both feature in this plan.
- Acknowledge that skin thinning can occur and that risk depends on steroid strength and use. [Better Health Channel](https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/eczema-atopic-dermatitis) supports this explanation. Avoid absolute safety promises or describing her concern as irrational; keep the risk discussion specific to her child's prescription.
- Before recommending home application, offer to review the dispensed preparation and demonstrate its use, confirming the amount, frequency and stopping instructions. Do not substitute generic quantities or a guessed course length for information that this card deliberately leaves unspecified.
- If time is short, prioritise the product check and her remaining concerns over extra eczema education. Agree how the demonstration and follow-up will happen, then check understanding of all the listed urgent-review symptoms rather than ending with a vague invitation to return.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- You have already been using the moisturiser; thank you for explaining what you have tried.
- Would it help to pause while you tell me which part feels most worrying?
- What would make you feel more comfortable discussing the next step?
- Please stop me if I use an unfamiliar word.
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| emollient | A moisturiser that helps keep the skin hydrated. |
| topical steroids | Medicines applied to the skin to reduce inflammation. |
| inflammation | The irritation affecting these itchy patches. |
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.
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All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
How can I include the child without making the parent feel blamed?
If the child is present, offer a simple explanation of what you are about to do and check comfort before any demonstration. Avoid discussing the parent's choices as a failure in front of the child. Keep the conversation welcoming without requiring the child to speak.
What if she still does not want to use the steroid after our discussion?
Ask whether she would prefer to consider the information before deciding, and leave room for further questions. Acknowledge her choice without presenting unresolved disagreement as consent. Make clear what has and has not been agreed, and keep the opportunity for another discussion open.
Which skin changes need urgent assessment?
New blistering, weeping, crusting, increasing pain, rapid worsening or fever requires urgent assessment. Give this complete list together and distinguish urgent assessment from the planned follow-up. Today's examination shows no signs of infection; that observation does not guarantee that later changes can be ignored.
Sources
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