The candidate card
Setting
Surgical ward
Candidate
In this original independent practice role-play, you are a nurse on a surgical ward. Mr Ancil Farrell, aged 64, is recovering from abdominal surgery yesterday; he feels well enough to walk and accepts the mobilisation plan, but has declined help from the female healthcare assistant currently available. His individual physiotherapy-assessed plan is a short walk beside his bed using the fitted walking frame with one trained staff member assisting; he must not get up alone, and any new pain, dizziness or difficulty requires reassessment before proceeding. The female healthcare assistant is trained to assist, a male nurse may be available after his current duties but this must be checked, and pyjama trousers, an additional gown and bedside screens are available to support privacy.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Explore why Mr Ancil Farrell declined the offered assistant, what would help him feel comfortable and whether anything about his condition has changed since assessment.
- Explain briefly how walking can help reduce the risk of blood clots after surgery and clarify his individual assessed assistance plan.
- Acknowledge his privacy concerns and discuss feasible choices, including checking for a male staff member and offering suitable clothing and privacy screens without pressuring him.
- Agree an acceptable next step, including how you will confirm staffing and update him; check his understanding that he should use the call bell and wait for trained assistance.
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 role-play, you are a nurse on a surgical ward. Mr Ancil Farrell, aged 64, is recovering from abdominal surgery yesterday; he feels well enough to walk and accepts the mobilisation plan, but has declined help from the female healthcare assistant currently available. His individual physiotherapy-assessed plan is a short walk beside his bed using the fitted walking frame with one trained staff member assisting; he must not get up alone, and any new pain, dizziness or difficulty requires reassessment before proceeding. The female healthcare assistant is trained to assist, a male nurse may be available after his current duties but this must be checked, and pyjama trousers, an additional gown and bedside screens are available to support privacy.
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 by separating his willingness to walk from his discomfort with the offered assistant. Ask what made the arrangement uncomfortable and what would help. Privacy is a likely concern, but explore his explanation without assuming a cultural or personal reason.
- Before negotiating an assistant, ask whether anything has changed since his physiotherapy assessment. New pain, dizziness or difficulty requires reassessment before proceeding. This order prevents enthusiasm about walking or discussion of staffing from overlooking a change in his condition.
- Keep the benefit brief: walking can help reduce the risk of blood clots after surgery. Then make his assessed arrangement concrete: a short walk beside his bed, using the fitted frame, with one trained staff member assisting; never getting up alone.
- Offer choices after understanding what matters to him: pyjama trousers, an additional gown, bedside screens, or checking whether the male nurse can assist after his current duties. Explain the female assistant’s training without using it to dismiss his preference.
- Close with an agreed next step and explain how you will confirm staffing and update him. If time is short, prioritise his assistance requirements and reassessment criteria. Ask him to explain how he will use the call bell and wait for trained assistance.
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 Mr Farrell, I'm the nurse looking after you today. I understand you feel ready to walk after yesterday's surgery.”
- “I'd like to understand why you'd prefer not to have help from the healthcare assistant. What's on your mind?”
2. Key questions
- “What would help you feel more comfortable with the help we can offer?”
- “Is it the person helping, what you're wearing, or something else that feels uncomfortable?”
- “Has anything changed since the physiotherapist assessed you, such as new pain or dizziness?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: He is likely to have a privacy or dignity concern about the assistant, which needs exploring first.
- “Thank you for being open with me. Wanting privacy is reasonable, and we'll try to find an option that suits you.”
- “The choice is yours and I won't pressure you. We can offer pyjama trousers, an extra gown and bedside screens, and I'll check whether a male nurse can help.”
4. Explaining
- “Walking soon after surgery can help reduce the risk of blood clots. Your physiotherapist's plan is a short walk beside your bed, using your walking frame, with one trained staff member helping.”
- “You must not get up alone. If you have any new pain, dizziness or difficulty, we stop and reassess before going on. Does that make sense?”
5. Closing
- “So I'll check whether a male nurse is free after his current duties, and I'll come back and tell you either way. Meanwhile, the privacy items are available.”
- “Please use the call bell and wait for trained help; don't get up alone. Can you tell me in your own words what you'll do?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- You can want to walk and still feel uncomfortable with the help offered.
- Would you prefer to discuss this somewhere more private?
- Let me pause so you can tell me what does not feel right.
- Have I understood your preference correctly?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| mobilisation | Getting up and walking with the help you need. |
| physiotherapy-assessed plan | The walking arrangement the physiotherapist assessed for you. |
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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Questions about this role-play
Should I describe his decision as refusing mobilisation?
Be precise: he accepts the mobilisation plan but has declined the available assistant. Calling this a refusal to walk misrepresents the situation and can make the discussion confrontational. Describe the particular arrangement he declined, and leave room for him to explain his preference.
What if he asks whether walking guarantees he will not develop a clot?
Distinguish reducing risk from removing it: the card supports saying walking can help reduce the risk of blood clots after surgery. Avoid guarantees or invented estimates. If he asks about other prevention measures, explain that you would need to check what has been prescribed for him.
What if he changes his mind after agreeing to an arrangement?
Treat the agreement as something he can reconsider. Pause and ask which part now feels uncomfortable, without requiring him to justify a personal preference. Do not treat earlier agreement as permission to proceed regardless; establish what he currently accepts before arranging the walk.
What if he still refuses every available assistant?
Don't pressure him. Restate that he must not get up alone and that waiting is fine. Ask whether clothing or screens could make help acceptable, explain you'll confirm staffing and update him, and let the team know the plan so he is not left unsupported.
How do I mention the male nurse without promising him?
Say plainly that a male nurse may be available after his current duties, but you need to check. Give him a time when you'll return to update him, whatever the answer, so he is not left wondering.
Sources
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