← How to Break Bad News: The SPIKES Protocol
Lesson
How the simulator works (and your first simulation)
Understand the mastery learning method and complete a simulation: hold a conversation with the AI and get assessed against SPIKES.
How the simulator is set up
Practicing until you're confident
You've learned the theory — time to practice. From here on, you're the one delivering the news (a doctor, a manager), and the AI plays the other person: a patient, a family member, an employee. Lead the conversation as if it were real: prepare, ask, tell, respond to emotions, map out a plan.
When you feel you've finished the conversation, press the “End conversation & get assessed” button. The AI coach will review your conversation against the six SPIKES steps, score each one, and give you concrete feedback.
The method is called simulation-based mastery learning: the bar is 80%. If you don't reach it, you get feedback and a new scenario, and you keep practicing. To master the skill, you need to pass several DIFFERENT situations with confidence, not memorize one. This isn't a graded exam; it's a simulator: making mistakes here is normal and useful.
Lesson notes
Practicing until you're confident
You've learned the theory — time to practice. From here on, you're the one delivering the news (a doctor, a manager), and the AI plays the other person: a patient, a family member, an employee. Lead the conversation as if it were real: prepare, ask, tell, respond to emotions, map out a plan.
When you feel you've finished the conversation, press the “End conversation & get assessed” button. The AI coach will review your conversation against the six SPIKES steps, score each one, and give you concrete feedback.
The method is called simulation-based mastery learning: the bar is 80%. If you don't reach it, you get feedback and a new scenario, and you keep practicing. To master the skill, you need to pass several DIFFERENT situations with confidence, not memorize one. This isn't a graded exam; it's a simulator: making mistakes here is normal and useful.