COMMUNICATION SKILLS WORKSHOP ROLEPLAY SESSION CASES

Scenario 1: Non-Clinical Situation, Group Project

Colleague 1 Instructions
You have been asked to head a small working group for Breast Cancer Awareness
Month. When your group was assembled, you were pleased to see that a colleague
named Asni had been assigned to your group. Asni is reputed to be a very bright and
creative fellow who was part of another highly successful group in the organization.
However, Asni has been arriving late to group meetings and recently showed up
halfway through the meeting and was clearly unprepared.

You overheard two members of the group discussing Asni’s behavior. One group
member, Marsha, was wondering why Asni had not been removed from the group yet;
the other team member, Doni, speculated that Asni has been having some problems
at home and suggested that everyone should cut him some slack.

Next week your group is expected to complete an important display for the static
exhibition for launching of the Breast Awareness Month. Each team member is
responsible for a different part of the display, and Asni is responsible for the two most
important parts. Your group is scheduled to meet tomorrow to do any last minute
coordination that may be required. Based on that timetable, you gave Dato Babu your
personal guarantee that the project would be done by Monday.

Asni calls you today (Friday) and says he doesn't have his sections finished and
probably won't be able to finish them before the meeting (Saturday). He says he just
needs more time.

What would you say to Asni?

How you would respond to Asni to address this situation.

Scenario 1: Non-Clinical Situation, Group Project

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Colleague 2 (Asni) Instructions

Instructions for Asni

Married, 2 children aged 5 and 7 at school

Wife/ husband works full time as a nurse doing shifts in RIPAS

Your younger child is currently sick with worsening of her asthma. You have had to
stay up at night to give her inhalers, especially when your partner is working night
shifts.

You are aware that you have projects to finish for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
and that your display is the most important as it is needed for the launching of BCAM.
You are a perfectionist, so you do not want others to do it for you.

Last night, your daughter had another bad night and it seems that you need to take
her to AE again. You called your colleague to tell that you would not be able to finish
your sections before the working group meeting on Saturday.

Scenario 2: Hostile angry patient

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Patient Instructions

Name of patient:
Shauqi, age 24

Has follow-up appointment with doctor regarding your back pain.

Your car has broken down, you had to ask your sister to drive you to clinic (she is
grumpy about it), your boss is texting you to make sure you come back to office to
finish off some urgent work. You’ve been made to wait 40 minutes in the waiting
room. Your back is still no better. You are seriously angry about this. Your anger
strategy – outright hostility, over-critical.

You storm to the receptionist to ask what is going on. You request to see the head of
department to complain.

Scenario 2: Hostile angry patient

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Receptionist Instructions
Deal with this any way you see fit.

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Scenario 3: Breaking Bad News

Patient Instructions

Name of patient:

Ahmad/Asmah Ismail, age 62

Works as a cleaner at a school. Understands simple English only.

Social issues: Son/Daughter always accompanies the patient at hospital visits,

and the children have not been open with patient regarding diagnosis of cancer
because they worry that he/she cannot cope.

PLEASE SPEAK IN MALAY ONLY

For the last 8 months you have been having constipation and at times liquid stool. Your stools
have also turned dark sometimes. You also have had weight loss also. You think this is
related to a supplement that you have been taking to increase energy because you feel so
tired lately.

Deep inside you are afraid of cancer and although the word has been mentioned a few times
at RIPAS, you try not to think about it (in denial).

It is your first time attending TBCC for “masalah usus”. You feel anxious about attending this
new hospital. Your children also appear quite solemn. At your doctor’s appointment, the
doctor had to leave suddenly due to urgent matters before having a chance to finish
explaining about bowel cancer. Due to your limited understanding of English, you only
understood that your masalah usus is due to cancer. You do not know how far it has gone.
You can only think that you are going to die soon. You worry that you do not make it to Hajj
next year because you have been saving up a long time for this.

Appear confused and in distress.

Ask the nurse “Apa banarnya sakit ku ani?”
If the nurse asks how much you understand, say “Masalah usus ani pasal penyakit semacam
atu kah?” Express your concerns on Hajj if opportunity arises.

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Scenario 3: Breaking Bad News

Nurse Instructions
According to the medical note, patient is being seen at TBCC for Stage 3 Bowel Cancer.

Your doctor had to suddenly leave to attend urgent matters before he finished explaining
about the patient’s bowel cancer.

It seems that the patient did not understand much of what was said in consultation because
he appears confused.