Doorknob moments
The "one more thing" a patient says with their hand on the door.
Interactive practice
Practice 100 hard patient conversations before you have them
A free practice tool for clinicians and students. Read a real situation, pick a response, see how it lands.
100
Hand-written scenariosacross 15 categories
4
Responses per scenarioone clearly best, three that fall short
What the scenarios cover
These are not abstract case studies. Each one starts with something a patient actually says. Six of the fifteen categories are shown here.
Bad news
Warning shots, silences, and what to do when there's no good way to say it.
Cost barriers
When the prescription costs more than the grocery budget.
Chronic pain
Believing someone whose suffering doesn't show on imaging.
Family dynamics
Dominating spouses, arguing siblings, the parent who answers for the teen.
Mental health
Suicidal disclosure, panic in the exam room, the stigma of "pills".
Nine more categories are inside, 100 scenarios in all.
How it works
Read, choose, see how it landed
Read the moment
A short, specific situation. The patient's exact words and the body language around them.
Pick a response
Four real options. One is the response you wish you'd given. The others are what most of us reach for first.
See how it landed
A short note on what your choice acknowledged, missed, or made worse. Each option carries a score, so the difference between them is plain.
The hardest moment isn’t the diagnosis. It’s the 30 seconds between hearing what the patient said and choosing what to say back.
Start practicing
Free for verified clinicians, residents, students, and EIMI volunteers.