| Interlocutor. OET role play. Setting: Community Health Centre |
| You are 20 years old and you are concerned because an ear piercing which you had done a week ago has become quite sore. The nurse has just examined your ear. TASK: • When asked, say the pain started about a week ago, just after you had your ear pierced. Say it is about a five out of ten. You haven’t had anything like this before. • Ask how the nurse can be sure the lump isn’t something more serious. • Say if you’ve got an infection, you presume you can just use some antibiotic ointment you have at home. • Say you think you’ll go and see your doctor, just to be sure the lump isn’t something more serious. • Say you’ll wait and see if any more symptoms appear before seeing the doctor. When asked, say the place where you had your ear pierced seemed really clean, but now you’ve got this infection; you don’t know how you got it. • Say you hope it gets better soon; you’ll make an appointment with the doctor only if there’s no improvement in the next week. |
| Nurse. OET role play. Setting: Community Health Centre |
| You see a 20-year-old patient who has a recent ear piercing that has become quite sore. You have examined the area around the piercing and can see there is a granuloma (small lump) next to the piercing which, combined with the patient’s symptoms, indicates an infection. TASK: Find out details of ear problem (onset, level of pain, previous occurrences, etc.). Confirm presence of granuloma (small fluid-filled lump: formed of cells to fight infection, no cause for concern, etc.). Stress importance of not removing earring (e.g., hole closes, traps infection, etc.). Give reasons for your clinical opinion (e.g., appearance/how it feels, linked to infection, no other symptoms, etc.) Warn against over-the-counter antibiotic ointments (e.g., risk of skin irritation, slower healing, etc.). Make treatment recommendations (e.g., wash infected area 2-3 times daily with warm salty water, avoid perfumed toiletries; press water-soaked cotton pad against lump, etc). Find out any other patient concerns. Advise patient when to seek further medical attention (no improvement in symptoms, spread of infection, development of other symptoms, e.g., high temperature, increased pain, swelling, redness, pus, etc.) Give possible reasons for infection (e.g., unhygienic equipment, allergic reaction, sensitive skin, etc.) |