The candidate card
Setting
Postoperative ward
Candidate
In this original independent practice scenario, you are a ward nurse caring for Ms Lindah Sitienei, aged 45, who is recovering from knee surgery and receiving prescribed opioid pain relief; she has quietly mentioned difficulty opening her bowels. Fictional case information: the treating team has documented offering her already-prescribed oral laxative, recording bowel movements and symptoms, and reviewing her constipation during the ward round; she may drink normally and mobilise with the assistance already arranged for her recovery, but you do not yet know whether she has taken the laxative. Clinical information: opioids, reduced movement and changes in routine can contribute to constipation; severe or worsening abdominal pain, vomiting, increasing abdominal swelling or inability to pass wind require immediate assessment and urgent medical review rather than routine constipation advice. You can arrange a private conversation and toilet access; explain the existing plan without selecting or changing medicines, and recognise that a complete clinical assessment may continue after this focused conversation.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out about Ms Sitienei's bowel difficulties and privacy needs, including what she has already taken or tried.
- Check for urgent abdominal symptoms and explain that any concerning findings require immediate assessment by the treating team.
- Explain possible contributors to constipation and the documented bowel plan without prescribing or changing treatment.
- Respond sensitively to her embarrassment and discuss practical support with privacy, drinks and assisted movement.
- Agree the next steps for the prescribed treatment and ward-round review, checking understanding and inviting questions.
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 ward nurse caring for Ms Lindah Sitienei, aged 45, who is recovering from knee surgery and receiving prescribed opioid pain relief; she has quietly mentioned difficulty opening her bowels. Fictional case information: the treating team has documented offering her already-prescribed oral laxative, recording bowel movements and symptoms, and reviewing her constipation during the ward round; she may drink normally and mobilise with the assistance already arranged for her recovery, but you do not yet know whether she has taken the laxative. Clinical information: opioids, reduced movement and changes in routine can contribute to constipation; severe or worsening abdominal pain, vomiting, increasing abdominal swelling or inability to pass wind require immediate assessment and urgent medical review rather than routine constipation advice. You can arrange a private conversation and toilet access; explain the existing plan without selecting or changing medicines, and recognise that a complete 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
- Offer a private conversation before asking about bowel difficulties, then establish what has happened and what she has already taken or tried. Embarrassment may limit disclosure, so use neutral language and ask which arrangements would help her speak comfortably.
- Check early for severe or worsening abdominal pain, vomiting, increasing abdominal swelling and inability to pass wind. Any of these requires immediate assessment and urgent medical review; the usual trap is continuing routine constipation advice before addressing concerning symptoms.
- Explain that prescribed opioids, reduced movement and changes in routine can contribute, without assigning a definite cause. Establish whether she has taken the already-prescribed oral laxative before explaining the documented offer, bowel and symptom recording, and ward-round review.
- Make practical support specific to her recovery: private toilet access, normal drinks and movement with the assistance already arranged. Explore which support she would welcome; avoid making independent mobility sound necessary or suggesting that embarrassment reflects unwillingness to cooperate.
- Close by agreeing what will happen next with the prescribed treatment and review, then invite her to explain the arrangements in her own words. If time runs short, prioritise urgent symptoms and immediate action before discussing the remaining practical details.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Thank you for mentioning something that can feel awkward.
- We can take this conversation at your pace.
- Which part would you like me to explain differently?
- Is there something you have found difficult to mention?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| constipation | Difficulty opening your bowels. |
| oral laxative | Medicine taken by mouth to help you open your bowels. |
| mobilise | Move around with the help arranged for your recovery. |
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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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
What if she asks me to stop or change her pain medicine?
Explain that this conversation does not authorise you to select or change her medicines. Acknowledge the request and raise it with the treating team, keeping any medicine decision separate from your explanation of the existing bowel plan.
Should I promise that the laxative will resolve the problem?
No outcome or response time is supplied. Avoid guaranteeing relief or suggesting when it will happen. If she asks what to expect, acknowledge that uncertainty and arrange clarification from the treating team rather than inventing an answer.
Does completing this conversation mean the clinical assessment is finished?
No. The card explicitly allows a complete clinical assessment to continue afterwards. Treat the focused discussion as part of her care, and avoid presenting a completed conversation or an agreed next step as proof that every assessment need has been addressed.
Sources
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