The candidate card
Setting
Postnatal ward
Candidate
You are a nurse on a postnatal ward in this original independent practice scenario, speaking with Mrs Iyadunni Edun, aged 29, whose three-day-old baby, born at term, is clinically stable and started standard overhead phototherapy today because a blood test showed bilirubin requiring treatment. The special light helps the body remove bilirubin, the substance causing jaundice, and the treating team's plan is bedside treatment with eye protection, repeat bilirubin blood tests to assess response and a further check after treatment stops, alongside temperature and hydration monitoring using feeding, wet nappies and weight. The team permits short staff-agreed breaks for breastfeeding, nappy changes and cuddles, with feeding support and help waking the baby for feeds if sleepy but readily rousable; longer interruptions or changes to this plan require review, and no stopping time has been promised. Mrs Edun fears losing the chance to bond; ask about feeding and alertness now, advise her to call ward staff immediately if the baby becomes difficult to wake, stops feeding or has breathing difficulty, and explain that a complete ongoing clinical assessment may continue after this focused conversation.
Task (interlocutor: relative)
- Explore Mrs Edun's understanding and bonding concerns, then check how her baby has been feeding and waking
- Explain the purpose of phototherapy and how the team will monitor its effect and her baby's wellbeing
- Reassure her about opportunities to participate, explaining this baby's agreed feeding and short-break plan
- Agree how she will take part in the next feed and care period; check understanding and explain when to call staff immediately
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 nurse on a postnatal ward in this original independent practice scenario, speaking with Mrs Iyadunni Edun, aged 29, whose three-day-old baby, born at term, is clinically stable and started standard overhead phototherapy today because a blood test showed bilirubin requiring treatment. The special light helps the body remove bilirubin, the substance causing jaundice, and the treating team's plan is bedside treatment with eye protection, repeat bilirubin blood tests to assess response and a further check after treatment stops, alongside temperature and hydration monitoring using feeding, wet nappies and weight. The team permits short staff-agreed breaks for breastfeeding, nappy changes and cuddles, with feeding support and help waking the baby for feeds if sleepy but readily rousable; longer interruptions or changes to this plan require review, and no stopping time has been promised. Mrs Edun fears losing the chance to bond; ask about feeding and alertness now, advise her to call ward staff immediately if the baby becomes difficult to wake, stops feeding or has breathing difficulty, and explain that 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
- Ask what she understands about the light treatment and what she fears missing with her baby. Then check feeding and waking now, before giving a long explanation; concern about bonding should not obscure information needing prompt staff attention.
- Explain bilirubin as the substance causing the yellow colour and the special light as helping the body remove it. Link treatment to this baby's blood-test result, and explain eye protection without adding unsupported descriptions of how the equipment works.
- Make monitoring understandable by grouping its purposes: repeat bilirubin tests assess response, another check follows stopping treatment, and temperature and hydration are monitored. Include feeding, wet nappies and weight when describing hydration checks; do not reduce monitoring to blood tests alone.
- Translate her bonding concern into participation in the next care period. Explain this baby's short, staff-agreed breaks for breastfeeding, nappy changes and cuddles, including feeding support and help waking a sleepy but readily rousable baby; longer interruptions require review.
- Agree her role in the next feed and check understanding of breaks and calling for help. State the urgent signs together: call ward staff immediately if the baby becomes difficult to wake, stops feeding or has breathing difficulty.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Your wish to feel close to your baby matters.
- You can tell us what feels most difficult about today.
- Would it help to talk beside your baby?
- What would help you feel more involved right now?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| phototherapy | treatment using a special light to help remove the substance causing jaundice |
| bilirubin | the substance causing your baby's yellow colour |
| readily rousable | able to wake easily |
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
How should I answer a request for a definite stopping time?
Explain that no stopping time has been promised for this baby. Avoid estimating a duration or presenting the next blood test as a guaranteed finish point. Acknowledge the practical importance of knowing and offer to clarify the current review arrangements with the treating team.
Can I describe the jaundice as harmless because the baby is clinically stable?
No. Stability is the baby's current clinical description, while the blood test showed bilirubin requiring treatment. Do not turn either observation into a prediction. Reassure through the care being provided and address her particular question without inventing a prognosis.
What if she asks me to assess everything about feeding during this conversation?
Take her feeding concerns seriously and explain that this focused discussion can lead into further assessment and feeding support. Do not claim that a brief conversation establishes adequate feeding or hydration. Make room for ongoing clinical assessment rather than offering an unsupported all-clear.
Sources
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