The candidate card
Setting
Community skin clinic
Candidate
In this original independent practice scenario, you are a nurse seeing Mr Dara Bernie, aged 46, who was diagnosed with scabies yesterday and completed his first prescribed cream treatment as instructed. He has already informed his two adult housemates, but both decline the recommended pharmacy assessment and coordinated treatment because neither has symptoms. His treating team's written plan is to repeat his prescribed treatment seven days after the first application, avoid sexual and close skin contact until the course is complete, avoid sharing bedding, clothes or towels, wash bedding and clothing at 60°C or higher on the first treatment day, and seal items that cannot be washed in a bag for at least three days. The plan also directs him to contact this clinic if household treatment cannot be coordinated: you can request a prescriber review today, provide written information for him to offer his housemates and arrange a nurse telephone follow-up tomorrow, without independently changing his treatment.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out what happened when Mr Dara Bernie spoke with his housemates, how he has followed his own plan and what support he wants now.
- Explain why contacts without symptoms still need treatment and how untreated contacts can lead to reinfestation, linking this to his written plan.
- Acknowledge his frustration, distinguish his own actions from his housemates' choices and discuss the clinic support available without pressuring him to persuade them.
- Agree practical next steps, including today's prescriber review request and tomorrow's telephone follow-up; check his understanding of his own treatment and precautions.
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 nurse seeing Mr Dara Bernie, aged 46, who was diagnosed with scabies yesterday and completed his first prescribed cream treatment as instructed. He has already informed his two adult housemates, but both decline the recommended pharmacy assessment and coordinated treatment because neither has symptoms. His treating team's written plan is to repeat his prescribed treatment seven days after the first application, avoid sexual and close skin contact until the course is complete, avoid sharing bedding, clothes or towels, wash bedding and clothing at 60°C or higher on the first treatment day, and seal items that cannot be washed in a bag for at least three days. The plan also directs him to contact this clinic if household treatment cannot be coordinated: you can request a prescriber review today, provide written information for him to offer his housemates and arrange a nurse telephone follow-up tomorrow, without independently changing his treatment.
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
- Explore whether he is likely worried that his own efforts will be wasted or that resolving this rests entirely on him. Ask which part feels hardest, allowing him to describe the conversation without assuming his housemates' motives.
- Establish what he has already managed before offering explanations. Reviewing his experience first lets you tailor the discussion to the actual difficulty; repeating the whole diagnosis immediately could leave his request for support unheard.
- Keep the explanation brief and separate possibility from certainty. Avoid language that labels either housemate as infected or makes them sound culpable; the communication goal is an understandable reason for the recommendation, without escalating household conflict.
- Acknowledge frustration before discussing further action, distinguishing what he can do from decisions his housemates make. A common trap is turning written information into another persuasion assignment; offer it as optional support without making him responsible for their agreement.
- Close with a clear distinction between what the clinic will request today and what will happen tomorrow. If time runs short, prioritise those arrangements and teach-back of his own instructions over rehearsing another conversation with his housemates.
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 Bernie, I'm one of the nurses at the clinic. Thanks for coming in. I'd like to see how things have gone since your diagnosis yesterday.”
- “How have you been getting on since your first treatment, and how did it go when you spoke with your housemates?”
2. Key questions
- “What did your housemates say when you told them, and how did that leave you feeling?”
- “How have you managed your own plan so far, including washing your bedding and clothes?”
- “Have you been able to avoid sharing towels, bedding and clothes, and close skin contact?”
- “What kind of support would help you most from us now?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: He may be frustrated that his housemates declined, and worried about catching scabies again.
- “That sounds frustrating, especially after you told them. What they decide is their choice; you're responsible for your own treatment, and I'm not asking you to persuade them.”
- “What we can do: request a prescriber review today, give you written information to offer your housemates if you wish, and phone you tomorrow. We won't change your treatment ourselves.”
4. Explaining
- “Scabies can pass between people before symptoms show, so housemates without symptoms can still carry it and pass it back to you. That's why your plan asks you to contact us if household treatment can't be coordinated. Does that make sense?”
- “Until your course ends, avoid sexual or close skin contact and sharing bedding, clothes or towels. Wash bedding and clothes at 60°C or higher on the first treatment day; seal unwashable items in a bag for at least three days.”
5. Closing
- “So today I'll request the prescriber review, and a nurse will phone you tomorrow. You'll have written information for your housemates, which you can offer if you choose to.”
- “To check I've explained clearly: what will you do about washing, and about items that can't be washed? When is your repeat treatment? Is there anything else you'd like from tomorrow's call?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- You have already taken the step of telling both housemates.
- Would it help to pause and talk about how this has affected you?
- Is there anything you would prefer us to explain differently?
- What would make tomorrow's call most useful for you?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| scabies | the skin condition you were diagnosed with yesterday |
| reinfestation | getting scabies again |
| prescriber review | a review by someone authorised to prescribe your treatment |
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 suggest changing his treatment because the housemates have refused?
No. Request a prescriber review today because household treatment cannot currently be coordinated. Do not independently alter his prescribed treatment or promise a particular prescribing decision. Offer written information for his housemates and arrange the nurse telephone follow-up tomorrow.
Which treatment instructions and precautions must I check?
Check all instructions: repeat prescribed treatment seven days after the first application; avoid sexual and close skin contact until the course is complete; avoid sharing bedding, clothes or towels; wash bedding and clothing at 60°C or higher on the first treatment day; seal unwashable items in a bag for at least three days.
How can I explain why symptom-free housemates still need treatment?
Household contacts may have scabies without symptoms, so feeling well does not remove the recommendation for coordinated treatment. Untreated contacts can lead to him getting scabies again; this is a risk, not a certainty. NSW Health recommends treating household contacts even when they have no symptoms.
What if he asks me to make his housemates take treatment?
Explain gently that nobody can be made to have treatment. Return to what the clinic can do: request a prescriber review, give written information he may offer them, and phone tomorrow. Avoid urging him to push them, and keep the focus on his own treatment.
How do I respond if he did not wash things on the first treatment day?
Stay non-judgemental and find out what got in the way. Restate the plan's washing and bag-sealing steps, and raise it in the prescriber review request and tomorrow's call. Do not change his treatment yourself; that decision belongs to the prescriber.
Sources
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