Patient interview

How to interview a patient after a seizure

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPANursing (NCLEX)EMS (NREMT)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

The patient often remembers little. A witness account is the most useful part of the history.

Step by step

  1. Check and protect

    Airway, breathing, glucose, injuries. Is the patient back to normal? [1]

  2. Introduce yourself and find a witness

    Ask permission to talk with the person who saw it. [2]

  3. Before

    Warning feeling, what they were doing, triggers. [3]

  4. During

    Duration, stiffening, jerking, one side or both, eyes, color, tongue biting, incontinence. [3]

  5. After

    Confusion, sleepiness, weakness, how long until normal. [3]

  6. First or known

    Known epilepsy and medicines (missed doses), or first seizure. [4]

  7. Triggers

    Sleep loss, alcohol or withdrawal, drugs, fever, head injury, pregnancy. [4]

  8. Summarize and plan

    Explain tests and driving safety. [2]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

VMS cases that train this skill

14 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. NASEMSO National Model EMS Clinical Guidelines
  2. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  3. NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations
  4. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint

Facts and steps follow NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations; NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.