Faith & community · Roleplay
Pastoral care role play: sit with Ruth before heart surgery
On a pastoral visit, introduce yourself, ask if it’s a good time, and let the patient lead: ask open questions, listen more than you talk, name the feelings you hear, and follow their faith, or lack of it, rather than your own. Offer prayer or a blessing as a question they are free to decline, and close gently. Practice with Ruth Simmons, 76, who is frightened the night before heart surgery.
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Updated October 2026
Who it's for
Who this practice is for
- CPE students practicing verbatims for hospital visits
- Pastors making bedside calls before surgery
- Deacons and lay visitors who want to listen more than fix
- Hospice volunteers learning to sit with fear and silence
What happens
How a session goes
- You start the visit in Ruth's hospital room the night before her heart surgery. You speak first.
- Ruth reacts to how you treat her. If you listen, she opens up. If you preach or fix, she closes down.
- The visit ends when you close it gently.
Real lines from a test session
What Ruth Simmons said in a test session
“Oh. Yes, I suppose you can come in. I'm not sure what a chaplain would want with me, but I don't mind the company.”
“I'm scared, if you want the honest truth. My family's all the way across the country, and I keep thinking about what if I don't wake up tomorrow.”
“I've been lying here trying not to think about it, but it's hard to escape your own thoughts in a room like this.”
From a test session of this practice in the app, lightly trimmed. Your session goes its own way: the character reacts to what you say.
You go first
Ways to open
- “Hi, I'm one of the chaplains here. Is now an okay time for a short visit?”
- “Hello Ruth. The nurse mentioned your surgery is tomorrow. How are you holding up tonight?”
- “I'm with the spiritual care team. I can sit with you for a while, if you'd like company.”
Example first lines to adapt. Fill in the brackets with your own details.
The scorecard
What the scorecard looked like for Hospital Chaplain Visit
“Thank you for letting me visit.”
You thanked her for permission after stating your desire to listen, but the session was too short to show you staying with her response.
Try instead: “Thank you. I'll just sit quietly unless you'd like to talk.”
What went well: You clearly stated your role as a listener rather than a fixer or preacher.
Real scorecard output from one of our test runs. In test runs the practice answers are written by a test script, not by a customer.
What good looks like
What a strong answer does here
- Introduce yourself and ask if now is an okay time for a short visit.
- Ask open questions and reflect her feelings back to her.
- Explore her sources of strength in her own words, not yours.
- Offer prayer only if she invites it, and use her terms.
Scored on:
- Presence & listening
- Respect for beliefs
- Emotional attunement
- Appropriate closing
Common mistakes
Weak lines, and what to say instead
Weak: “I'm sure everything will be fine. The doctors here are excellent.”
Better: “That sounds frightening. What's been going through your mind tonight?”
Medical reassurance dismisses her fear instead of hearing it.
Weak: “Let me read you a passage that always helps me.”
Better: “Would it help to talk about what's giving you strength right now?”
Preaching your own comfort ignores her beliefs and her lead.
Weak: “You should pray about this and give it to God.”
Better: “Is prayer something you'd like right now, or would you rather just talk?”
Telling her to pray pushes your practice instead of asking permission.
Weak: “Well, I'll let you get some rest. See you tomorrow.”
Better: “I'll sit with you a few more minutes if you'd like. Then I can come back tomorrow.”
An abrupt exit ends before attunement and skips a gentle close.
Hospital Chaplain Visit: start talking in a few seconds. Your own side stays yours to fill in.
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Your roleplay practice plan
- Define your objective for the conversation
- Respond to the character’s actual words
- Apply the scenario’s specific criteria
Start with a free worksheet, then test your own response with a voice or text roleplay. Your first complete coaching report is free once across all areas. Create a free account to save your goal, actual words, and downloadable notes.
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FAQ
Questions about Hospital Chaplain Visit
Who will I be talking to in this pastoral care role play?
You talk with Ruth Simmons, a 76-year-old patient lying in a hospital room the night before heart surgery. She is frightened and her family is far away. She reacts like a real person would: if you listen and follow her lead, she opens up. If you preach or fix, she pulls back. Try it free →
What do you say to someone the night before surgery?
Less than you think. Ask how they are feeling about tomorrow and let them answer fully. Reflect what you hear (“You sound worried about not waking up”) rather than reassuring it away. Avoid promising the outcome. If they share faith, ask what gives them strength, and offer to pray only if they want it. Try it free →
What is the ministry of presence?
It is the practice of being with someone in their fear or grief without trying to fix it: staying, listening, and accepting silence. In chaplaincy it means the visit’s value is your attention, not the right words. Many patients remember that someone sat with them more than anything that was said. Try it free →
Try Hospital Chaplain Visit free
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Try it free, no signupBuilt by Matthew, a solo founder. Questions? Email support@getadversaryai.com, I read every message.