Candidate card · Emergency department, discharge
You are a nurse in an emergency department. A 6-year-old child bumped their head falling from a playground climbing frame. The doctor has examined the child and found no serious injury, and they can go home. Speak to the parent.
Task
- Explain that the doctor is happy for the child to go home.
- Find out about the parent’s concerns.
- Explain which warning signs mean they must come back immediately.
- Give advice about rest, pain relief and returning to school.
- Check the parent understands and has the advice leaflet.
Preparation: 3 minutes · Role-play: about 5 minutes
What to expect from the patient
- The parent wants a brain scan “to be sure” and is unhappy to be sent home without one.
- They feel guilty because they weren’t watching when the child fell.
Sample phrases for each stage
Opening
“The doctor has checked your son carefully, and the good news is that he’s well enough to go home. How are you feeling about that?”
Explaining
“A scan isn’t needed when a child has no worrying signs, like he has now — and it does involve radiation, so doctors only use it when it’s really necessary.”
Empathising
“Children fall in a split second — it happens even when parents are standing right next to them. You did the right thing bringing him in.”
Safety-netting
“Please bring him straight back if he vomits more than once, becomes very sleepy or hard to wake, or complains of a headache that keeps getting worse.”
Checking
“Just so I know I’ve explained it clearly, could you tell me which signs would make you bring him back?”
Common mistakes on this card
- Simply saying “He doesn’t need a scan” without explaining why.
- Listing warning signs without checking the parent has understood them.
Say it out loud — with an AI patient
Reading phrases isn’t enough. Practise a timed role-play by voice and get scored on the OET Speaking criteria.
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