The candidate card
Setting
Emergency discharge area
Candidate
You are an emergency nurse in this original independent practice scenario involving Ms Sarah Crampsie, aged 39, whose left ankle fracture was treated in a plaster cast today; she now reports increasing tightness while preparing to leave for work. Discharge must pause so you can check her foot and arrange prompt reassessment by the emergency clinician, with orthopaedic input if needed. Her existing orthopaedic plan is no weight through her left foot, use of the crutches already fitted and taught, and fracture-clinic follow-up confirmed before discharge. Prioritise reassessment and her work concern, briefly explain essential cast care and the existing plan, and make clear that home advice applies only if she is cleared to leave.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Establish how the tightness and pain have changed and ask briefly about toe colour, sensation and movement
- Explain why she must stay for a foot check and prompt clinical reassessment now; ask her to alert you immediately if pain worsens, her toes become blue, white or numb, or she has difficulty moving them
- Explore her concern about missing work, acknowledge the practical pressure and offer help with work documentation to support her staying
- Summarise the existing plan and essential care for after discharge, if authorised: no weight through the left foot, use the fitted crutches, confirm fracture-clinic follow-up before leaving, keep the cast dry and raise the leg when resting. Do not put anything inside the cast. Do not cut the cast yourself.
- Agree that she will remain while you contact the clinician; check her understanding of the immediate next step and that home advice applies only after clearance
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 an emergency nurse in this original independent practice scenario involving Ms Sarah Crampsie, aged 39, whose left ankle fracture was treated in a plaster cast today; she now reports increasing tightness while preparing to leave for work. Discharge must pause so you can check her foot and arrange prompt reassessment by the emergency clinician, with orthopaedic input if needed. Her existing orthopaedic plan is no weight through her left foot, use of the crutches already fitted and taught, and fracture-clinic follow-up confirmed before discharge. Prioritise reassessment and her work concern, briefly explain essential cast care and the existing plan, and make clear that home advice applies only if she is cleared to leave.
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
- Establish the symptom course and ask briefly about toe colour, sensation and movement while arranging a foot check and prompt clinical reassessment. Explain the pause early so she understands the immediate next step.
- Explore what missing work would mean for her instead of assuming financial pressure or an unsympathetic employer. Acknowledge the concern and offer practical help with work documentation.
- Explain in simple terms that increasing tightness needs checking because pressure from a cast can affect the foot. Ask her to tell you immediately about worsening pain, blue or white toes, numbness or difficulty moving her toes; escalate these changes immediately. Avoid diagnosing a complication or promising that the cast will need changing.
- Keep the teaching brief and grouped. After explaining why she must stay now, confirm the existing plan of no weight through the left foot, use of the fitted crutches and fracture-clinic follow-up confirmed before discharge. Add essential cast care: keep it dry and raise the leg when resting. Do not put anything inside the cast. Do not cut the cast yourself. State that home advice applies only if she is cleared to leave and remains subject to the treating team's review.
- Close by asking her to explain what happens next, checking one key point from the conditional home plan and agreeing she will remain while you contact the clinician. Do not promise a waiting time, discharge outcome or return-to-work date.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- I can hear that getting to work matters to you.
- I need the clinician to review this before you leave.
- Your work concern deserves attention alongside checking your foot.
- Going-home advice depends on what the reassessment shows.
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| ankle fracture | A broken bone at your ankle. |
| orthopaedic | Relating to the team treating your broken bone. |
| clinical reassessment | Having the healthcare team check your condition again. |
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 Nursing role-play cards
- Urinary incontinence: explore confidentiality and access School health clinic
- Reduced intake near end of life: discuss comfort-focused care Palliative care ward
- Possible wound infection: arrange prompt reassessment Surgical outpatient clinic, telephone consultation
Next step for Australian nursing: if your pathway requires OBA after OET and NCLEX-RN, explore OSCE practice for Australian nurses at OSCE Australia, run by the same company as OETAce.
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Nursing.
Questions about this role-play
How much cast-care and orthopaedic-plan advice is required in five minutes?
A brief grouped explanation is required. First prioritise staying for reassessment and changes she must report immediately. Then confirm no weight through the left foot, use of the fitted crutches and fracture-clinic follow-up confirmed before discharge. Cover keeping the cast dry and raising the leg when resting. Do not put anything inside the cast. Do not cut the cast yourself. Make home advice conditional on clearance. Allow about a minute for this core teaching; a full discharge checklist or second lengthy warning-sign list is unnecessary.
Can normal toe colour or movement justify continuing discharge?
No. The new tightness still requires prompt reassessment. Normal-looking toes or preserved movement cannot provide clearance to leave. Ask her to report worsening pain, blue or white toes, numbness or difficulty moving them immediately, and escalate any such changes. Explaining essential cast care and the existing orthopaedic plan must not imply that discharge has been authorised.
How should I respond if she asks whether the cast needs replacing?
Explain that the clinician must assess the tightness before deciding whether treatment is needed. Do not promise replacement, adjustment or discharge. Briefly explain the existing orthopaedic plan and essential cast care as required, while making clear that reassessment comes first and the treating team may change her instructions.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
OETAce is an independent practice site. OET is a registered trademark of Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA); we are not affiliated with or endorsed by CBLA. All practice material here is original.