Talking with the patient

How to introduce yourself and ask for consent

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 first minute sets the tone of the whole encounter. Every OSCE checklist starts here, and patients remember it.

Step by step

  1. Clean your hands

    In front of the patient, so they see it. [1]

  2. Name and role

    "Hello, I'm Alex, a nursing student." Ask how they would like to be called. [2]

  3. Confirm identity

    Two identifiers, such as full name and date of birth. [3]

  4. Explain

    What you will do and why, in plain words. [2]

  5. Ask permission

    "Is that okay with you?" Respect a no. [2]

  6. Comfort and privacy

    Ask about pain, close the curtain and offer a chaperone for intimate exams. [2]

  7. Informed consent for procedures

    Explain the purpose, risks, benefits and alternatives, check the patient can decide, and that the choice is voluntary. [2]

  8. Close

    Thank the patient, say what happens next and clean your hands. [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.

Sources

  1. CDC, Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings
  2. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  3. The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals

Facts and steps follow AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs); The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.