Patient interview

How to interview a patient with sudden weakness

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

Sudden weakness is a stroke until proven otherwise. The time last known well decides treatment.

Step by step

  1. Act fast

    Check glucose, call the stroke team or emergency services. [1]

  2. Time last known well

    The exact time the patient was last normal, not when symptoms were found. [1]

  3. Symptoms

    Face droop, arm or leg weakness, speech trouble, vision loss, balance problems. [2]

  4. Course

    Sudden, getting better, or getting worse. [3]

  5. Headache and seizure

    Sudden severe headache suggests bleeding; a seizure can cause temporary weakness. [2]

  6. Medicines and history

    Blood thinners, past strokes, atrial fibrillation, recent surgery. [2]

  7. Summarize and act

    Hand over to the stroke team with the time last known well. [4]

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

18 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

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

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.