The candidate card
Setting
Community home visit
Candidate
In this original independent practice scenario, you are a community nurse visiting Ms Angella Daniels, aged 43, whose GP diagnosed shingles yesterday. Fictional case facts: the rash is confined to one side of her trunk, some blisters are still weeping, it can be covered with loose clothing, and her pregnant daughter wants to visit; no advice specific to this visit has yet been given. General clinical advice: blister fluid can transmit chickenpox to susceptible people, covering the rash reduces exposure but does not establish a pregnant contact's immunity, and a pregnant person with possible exposure should contact their midwife or GP urgently. Your immediate plan is to clarify previous clinical advice and contact, help her cover the rash without adhesive touching the blisters, postpone the proposed visit while immunity and exposure advice are clarified, and advise urgent GP or NHS 111 assessment if she develops a rash near the eye or nose or changes in vision.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out what clinical advice Ms Daniels has received, how she covers the rash and what she knows about her daughter's chickenpox history or vaccination
- Check whether her daughter has already visited or had contact with the rash, and arrange urgent maternity or GP advice if exposure has occurred
- Explain how shingles can transmit chickenpox and how rash coverage and avoiding susceptible contacts reduce risk
- Respond to her disappointment about postponing the visit without guaranteeing that her daughter or the baby is safe
- Agree a practical contact plan, check her understanding and explain when she should obtain urgent help for eye-related symptoms
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 community nurse visiting Ms Angella Daniels, aged 43, whose GP diagnosed shingles yesterday. Fictional case facts: the rash is confined to one side of her trunk, some blisters are still weeping, it can be covered with loose clothing, and her pregnant daughter wants to visit; no advice specific to this visit has yet been given. General clinical advice: blister fluid can transmit chickenpox to susceptible people, covering the rash reduces exposure but does not establish a pregnant contact's immunity, and a pregnant person with possible exposure should contact their midwife or GP urgently. Your immediate plan is to clarify previous clinical advice and contact, help her cover the rash without adhesive touching the blisters, postpone the proposed visit while immunity and exposure advice are clarified, and advise urgent GP or NHS 111 assessment if she develops a rash near the eye or nose or changes in vision.
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 what Ms Daniels has already been told before adding advice, then ask about her daughter's chickenpox history or vaccination. A likely worry is harm to the pregnancy; invite her concern without assuming either exposure or susceptibility.
- Clarify whether contact has already occurred before discussing the proposed visit, because a past exposure needs a different response from preventing a future one. Establish what happened rather than treating every visit as confirmed contact with blister fluid.
- Explain the distinction between passing on chickenpox and passing on shingles, using blister fluid as the concrete link. Coverage reduces exposure but cannot establish immunity; the usual trap is turning a useful precaution into a guarantee.
- Make postponement practical by exploring an acceptable way to stay in touch meanwhile. Help her use loose clothing without adhesive touching blisters, and acknowledge possible disappointment without assuming why the visit matters or predicting how her daughter will react.
- Close by checking that she can distinguish advice for herself from advice for her daughter and knows who will clarify the visit. If time is short, prioritise possible exposure and a concrete contact arrangement over broader shingles education.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- What feels most disappointing about changing the visit?
- There are separate questions about your rash and your daughter's protection.
- How does that fit with what you were told yesterday?
- Would talking by phone feel helpful while advice is clarified?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| Susceptible | Not protected against chickenpox. |
| Immunity | Protection against an infection. |
| Weeping blisters | Blisters that are leaking fluid. |
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
What should I say if she cannot remember her daughter's chickenpox or vaccination history?
Treat the history as unknown rather than deciding that her daughter is protected or unprotected. Ask whether her daughter can clarify it with her maternity team or GP. Avoid filling the gap with assumptions based on age, pregnancy or the absence of a remembered illness.
Can I tell her exactly when the visit can restart?
Do not supply a fixed waiting period that the card does not provide. Explain that advice must account for the rash, her daughter's protection and any previous exposure. Avoid giving a calendar date or treating a change in rash appearance as sufficient clearance for this particular visit.
What urgent advice needs to be kept clear?
For possible exposure, her pregnant daughter should contact her midwife or GP urgently; do not wait for symptoms. Ms Daniels should obtain urgent GP or NHS 111 assessment for a rash near the eye or nose, or changes in vision. Keep these separate from arrangements for the postponed visit.
Sources
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