The candidate card
Setting
Postoperative follow-up clinic (UK)
Candidate
You are a doctor in this original independent practice scenario, reviewing Ms Athena Jerde, aged 39, ten days after uncomplicated keyhole gallbladder removal for painful gallstones. Today's assessment shows satisfactory wound healing and mild, improving discomfort, with no features suggesting a complication. The surgical team advises a normal, healthy diet, smaller meals if helpful, gradually increasing light activity, individual advice before heavy lifting or strenuous exercise, and a return to desk work based on comfort and ability to manage duties. She has read online that she needs a permanent fat-free diet and wants advice about eating and returning to desk work; the team has already reviewed written postoperative warning signs with her and confirmed her understanding of when and how to seek help.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how the online advice has affected Ms Jerde's meals, what harm she fears, and what her desk job involves
- Explain that a permanent fat-free diet is unnecessary and reassure her about eating normally, acknowledging that some foods may initially cause discomfort
- Advise on returning to desk work according to comfort and ability to manage her duties, discussing a temporary adjustment if needed
- Agree one manageable next step for eating or returning to work, guided by her priority, and check her understanding
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 doctor in this original independent practice scenario, reviewing Ms Athena Jerde, aged 39, ten days after uncomplicated keyhole gallbladder removal for painful gallstones. Today's assessment shows satisfactory wound healing and mild, improving discomfort, with no features suggesting a complication. The surgical team advises a normal, healthy diet, smaller meals if helpful, gradually increasing light activity, individual advice before heavy lifting or strenuous exercise, and a return to desk work based on comfort and ability to manage duties. She has read online that she needs a permanent fat-free diet and wants advice about eating and returning to desk work; the team has already reviewed written postoperative warning signs with her and confirmed her understanding of when and how to seek help.
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 rather than correcting the website immediately. Ask how the advice has changed her meals and what she thinks might happen if she eats fat.
- Use today's satisfactory wound healing and mild, improving discomfort as reassurance about the current assessment. Say there are no features suggesting a complication today, rather than declaring recovery complete or guaranteeing that future problems cannot occur.
- Address the permanent restriction before discussing meal size, so smaller meals do not sound like another lifelong rule. Relate the advice to the foods and concerns she actually describes; distinguish possible digestive discomfort from any feared consequences she raises.
- Briefly establish what her desk job involves. Discuss readiness in terms of comfort and ability to manage duties, with shorter days as an option if needed. Respond to worries about her employer if she raises them, without requiring a separate exploration of every possible barrier.
- Invite her to choose one manageable next step for eating or returning to work, then check her understanding. The surgical team has already explained the written warning signs and confirmed her understanding; a full safety-net explanation or symptom-recall check is not a task in this consultation.
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
- “Hello Ms Jerde, I'm one of the doctors here. It's good to see you ten days after your gallbladder surgery.”
- “How have you been feeling since the operation, and how have you been getting on with eating?”
2. Key questions
- “What have you read online about eating after gallbladder surgery, and how has it changed what you've been eating?”
- “What are you afraid might happen if you eat the wrong foods?”
- “What does your desk job involve on a normal day?”
- “Which is bothering you more at the moment, the eating or going back to work?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: She likely fears that eating normally will cause harm and that she must avoid fat permanently.
- “That's an understandable worry, especially when advice online sounds so definite. Let's go through what's actually recommended for you, so you can eat with more confidence.”
- “I can see you want to protect your recovery. Eating normally is part of that, and we can take it at a pace that feels comfortable.”
4. Explaining
- “You don't need a permanent fat-free diet. A normal, healthy diet is recommended, and smaller meals can help if you find big ones uncomfortable.”
- “Some foods may cause discomfort at first, which can happen as you recover. Your wound is healing well and your discomfort is mild and improving. Does that fit with what you've noticed?”
5. Closing
- “For work, you can return to desk duties when you feel comfortable and able to manage them, and we can discuss a temporary adjustment if needed. Let's pick one step to start with.”
- “So you'll try one change, eat normally in smaller meals if that helps, or plan your return to work. Can you tell me in your own words what you'll do first?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- It sounds as though the online advice has left you unsure what to trust.
- Which part of that information felt most alarming?
- Have I explained that clearly, or does something still feel uncertain?
- What would make this plan feel manageable for you?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| Postoperative | After your operation. |
| Keyhole gallbladder removal | An operation to remove your gallbladder through small cuts. |
| Strenuous exercise | Exercise that involves a lot of physical effort. |
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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- Genital herpes: discuss disclosure and symptom care Sexual health clinic, UK
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
What if she wants me to judge the website she read?
Invite her to show you the relevant passage if available. Clarify whether it presents general advice or instructions for a different situation. Avoid judging an unseen source; acknowledge the conflicting messages and explain how you would assess whether that advice applies to her.
What should I consider if returning to work involves driving?
Ask how she plans to travel if driving comes up; readiness for desk duties does not establish readiness to drive. Explain that she should not drive until she can perform an emergency stop without pain or discomfort, and should check her insurance requirements. Do not suggest testing this in traffic. Source: NHS recovery guidance, checked 5 November 2026: https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/gallbladder-removal/recovery/
What postoperative safety advice should I include?
In this scenario, the team has already reviewed written warning signs and confirmed her understanding, so repeating the full explanation is not required. If she asks, clarify the relevant advice: persistent severe or worsening pain, fever or shivering, yellow skin or eyes, worsening wound redness, tenderness or discharge, and leg pain or swelling require urgent GP review or NHS 111 advice. Call 999 for chest or upper back pain, or sudden or severe breathing difficulty, even without leg symptoms; she should not drive herself. Continuing digestive symptoms without warning signs warrant contact with her GP or surgical team. Sources: NHS complications guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/gallbladder-removal/complications/ ; NHS pulmonary embolism guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pulmonary-embolism/ ; NHS shortness of breath guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/shortness-of-breath/ . All checked 5 November 2026.
How do I handle both the diet and work topics in five minutes?
Ask early which matters more to her and spend most of the time there. Cover the other briefly. Her priority then decides the one next step you agree. Say clearly that you are not asking her to resolve everything today.
What if she still wants to avoid fat completely?
Acknowledge the wish to feel safe, then restate that a permanent fat-free diet is unnecessary. Suggest she reintroduce foods gradually, with smaller meals if helpful. Ask what would make that feel manageable, so the plan comes from her.
Sources
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