The candidate card
Setting
Paediatric diabetes clinic
Candidate
You are a nurse in a paediatric diabetes clinic; this is an original independent practice scenario with fictional patient-specific facts. Ms Veronica Tarchetti, aged 42, is attending with her 15-year-old son, who has had type 1 diabetes for three years and is well today; he has agreed that you may discuss shared care with his mother before he joins the conversation. His documented education assessment confirms that he can check his blood glucose, record the result and demonstrate insulin pen technique, but his mother continues to perform all these tasks and he wants more involvement. The treating team proposes starting with him performing a glucose check and recording the result at home while his mother is nearby and reviews the record with him, with existing insulin arrangements unchanged; you can bring him into the discussion today and arrange diabetes-team support if either needs further help.
Task (interlocutor: relative)
- Find out which care tasks Ms Tarchetti currently performs, what her son has asked to do and what worries her about sharing responsibility.
- Explain how supported involvement can recognise her son's demonstrated skills while retaining her practical support.
- Clarify the team's proposed first step and reassure her that this discussion does not change insulin doses, treatment instructions or existing insulin responsibilities.
- Respond to her concerns without blame or promising that training removes all risk, and explore what would make a small first step acceptable.
- Agree a provisional division of responsibilities to discuss with her son today, including how they will ask for help and review whether the arrangement is working.
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 in a paediatric diabetes clinic; this is an original independent practice scenario with fictional patient-specific facts. Ms Veronica Tarchetti, aged 42, is attending with her 15-year-old son, who has had type 1 diabetes for three years and is well today; he has agreed that you may discuss shared care with his mother before he joins the conversation. His documented education assessment confirms that he can check his blood glucose, record the result and demonstrate insulin pen technique, but his mother continues to perform all these tasks and he wants more involvement. The treating team proposes starting with him performing a glucose check and recording the result at home while his mother is nearby and reviews the record with him, with existing insulin arrangements unchanged; you can bring him into the discussion today and arrange diabetes-team support if either needs further help.
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
- Start by recognising her contribution before exploring the gap between his demonstrated skills and their home routine. Ask which part of sharing care feels hardest; she may worry about losing oversight, but let her identify the concern herself.
- Use the education assessment as a starting point, rather than a verdict on either person's behaviour. Explain that demonstrating particular skills supports trying those tasks with support; it does not establish readiness to take over every aspect of diabetes care.
- Describe the proposed home glucose check and recording together, then immediately identify her nearby support and their joint record review. Keep existing insulin arrangements explicitly separate, because demonstrated insulin pen technique could otherwise sound like permission to transfer insulin responsibility.
- Explore what would make this limited trial acceptable before negotiating details. Avoid language such as letting go or being overprotective, which can sound blaming. If time is short, prioritise her main concern and the boundary around unchanged insulin responsibilities.
- Close by distinguishing a provisional proposal from an agreement made for her son. Invite him into today's discussion, identify how either person can request diabetes-team help, and establish what they will discuss when reviewing how the arrangement works.
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 Ms Tarchetti, I'm a nurse in the diabetes clinic. Thank you for speaking with me first; your son has agreed that I can.”
- “How have you been finding managing his diabetes day to day?”
2. Key questions
- “Which parts of his diabetes care do you currently do?”
- “What has he asked to do himself?”
- “What worries you most about him taking on more?”
- “What would a small first step need to look like for you to feel comfortable?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: Likely to worry about mistakes or safety if her son takes on more.
- “It's natural to worry, and you've worked hard to keep him safe. Training can't remove every risk, so we'd start small and keep you close by.”
- “Nothing about his insulin doses, treatment instructions or who handles insulin changes today. This is only about one small first step.”
4. Explaining
- “His assessment shows he can check his glucose, record the result and use his insulin pen correctly. Involving him recognises those skills, and you would still be there to support him.”
- “The team suggests a first step: he checks his glucose and records it at home while you're nearby, then you review the record together. Insulin stays as it is. How would you describe that back?”
5. Closing
- “So, provisionally: he does the check and records it, you stay nearby and review it with him, and insulin arrangements stay the same. We'd talk this through with him today.”
- “We'll agree how you both ask for help and when to review how it's going; diabetes-team support is available. Does that feel acceptable to you?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- You have put a great deal of work into his care.
- Which part of this feels most difficult to consider?
- Could you describe the proposed arrangement in your own words?
- Let's hear his view before settling the details.
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| blood glucose | the sugar level in his blood |
| insulin pen technique | how he uses his insulin pen |
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
How should I respond if she describes the proposal as criticism of her parenting?
Ask what in the discussion gave that impression, rather than immediately defending the team. Acknowledge the work she already does and distinguish that contribution from the question of who performs a particular task. Avoid comparing her with other parents or suggesting she caused the current arrangement.
What if she asks me to persuade her son to stop requesting more involvement?
Do not commit to securing a particular answer from him. Ask what she would want him to understand about her perspective, and offer to help her express that when he joins. Give him room to explain his request without presenting either person's position as unreasonable.
How can I keep the conversation balanced once her son joins?
Briefly recap what has been discussed and ask him whether that reflects his understanding. Address questions directly to each person and allow each to finish. If one answers for the other, gently redirect the question so you can hear both views before recording any shared decision.
What if she says he isn't ready?
Avoid blame or pressure. Explore exactly what worries her, point out that the first step is small and she stays nearby, and ask what would make it acceptable. If it still isn't, offer diabetes-team support for both of them.
How do I bring the son in without sidelining his mother?
Summarise the provisional plan with his mother first, then invite him in and ask for his view before settling details. Make clear that both can ask for help and that she stays involved by reviewing the record with him.
Sources
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