Medicine role play: a patient overwhelmed by a diabetes diagnosis
Published 2026-10-02
A patient may need space to explain what a new diagnosis means to them before they can take in another explanation. This exercise gives you a candidate card, a partner brief and three patient questions. The teaching example below focuses on listening before giving more information.
Read the English card, take three minutes to prepare, then speak for five minutes. If you are alone, use the patient questions one at a time. This is original English-speaking practice, not an official OET card or medical advice.
Medicine · 3 minutes preparation · 5 minutes speaking
Candidate card
You are a doctor in a general practice clinic.
Your patient has recently been told they have type 2 diabetes. The care team has already discussed an initial management plan and next appointment, but the patient has asked to speak again because they feel overwhelmed.
- Ask what the patient understood from the first conversation
- Explore the concern behind their question before explaining the plan
- Respond respectfully to any self-blame without assigning fault
- Explain the purpose of the agreed next steps in everyday language without inventing treatment details
- Check what the patient wants clarified before the next appointment
Study partner brief and patient questions
You are the patient returning to discuss a new diagnosis.
- You are worried that the diagnosis means you did something wrong
- Several people have given you information, and you cannot remember what to focus on first
- Start with a short question; reveal the self-blame only if the doctor makes room for it
- Become more engaged if the doctor explains one point at a time and checks your understanding
- You want to leave knowing which question to ask at your next appointment
Patient questions for solo practice
- Did I cause this myself?
- Everyone has told me something different. What should I focus on first?
- What should I ask when I come back for the next appointment?
Practice this case with the timer
A teaching example: make room for the patient
Illustrative response: “You have diabetes. You need to make changes and follow the plan.”
A more useful response: “It sounds as if this news has been a lot to take in. What is worrying you most right now? We can go through the plan one part at a time and make sure you know what to ask at your next appointment.”
The first version moves straight to instructions and misses the patient's possible self-blame. The second asks, listens and offers a manageable next step. It is an example written for this site, not a learner's answer, Alexandra's quotation or a scored response.
Listen to your own attempt
- Did you let the patient tell you what the diagnosis means to them?
- Did you explain one point at a time in ordinary language?
- Did you check which question remains for the next visit?