HAL Virtual Patient
Practice your consultations!
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Using AI to train clinicians, not replace them!
Endorsed by the Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine.
Practice clinical consultations anytime, anywhere.
HAL Virtual Patient is an AI-powered clinical training platform that allows healthcare students and clinicians to develop their consultation, communication and clinical reasoning skills through realistic conversations with virtual patients, supported by personalised feedback informed by evidence-based clinical guidance.
Unlike traditional simulation tools that rely on fixed scripts and predefined scenarios, HAL generates dynamic patient encounters in real time. Every consultation is unique, giving you unlimited opportunities to practice assessment, diagnosis, clinical reasoning and management planning in a safe, supportive learning environment.
Whether you're preparing for placements, OSCEs, examinations, postgraduate training, or simply looking to refine your clinical skills, HAL provides accessible, repeatable practice whenever you need it.
Created and tested by expert clinicians across the UK, in collaboration with higher education institutions.
Why HAL?
Realistic virtual patients:
Hold natural conversations using voice or text
Explore patient histories and symptoms
Practice communication and rapport-building skills
Experience varied and unpredictable presentations
Develop clinical reasoning:
Gather information and formulate differential diagnoses
Test your assessment approach: conduct subjective and objective assessments and order diagnostic tests!
Build confidence in clinical decision-making
Refine management planning and patient education
Receive feedback from HAL:
Receive structured feedback after consultations
Identify strengths and areas for improvement
Review your clinical reasoning and decision-making process
Gain insight into communication, information-gathering and patient-centred consultation skills
Compare your assessment and management plans against evidence-based practice
Feedback is informed by recognised national guidance, including NICE guidelines where applicable, helping you align your practice with current standards of care
Unlimited practice:
Learn through repetition without relying on peers, faculty or real patients
Practice at your own pace
Repeat scenarios and explore different approaches
Build confidence before entering clinical practice
Accessible anywhere:
Train on your phone or tablet
Practice at home, on placement, or between lectures
No specialist equipment required
Designed for Healthcare Education:
HAL was designed and created by a senior NHS clinician, clinical educator and NHS England Digital Fellow to address a common challenge in healthcare education: how to gain meaningful consultation experience before working with real patients.
Healthcare students are often expected to develop consultation and clinical reasoning skills with limited opportunities for realistic practice. Traditional role-play can feel artificial, and access to simulation centres is often restricted by cost, availability or location.
HAL helps bridge this gap by providing realistic virtual patients that allow learners to practice, make mistakes safely, receive constructive feedback and build confidence before entering clinical practice.
Co-creation of the app and ongoing testing and improvement is supported by a team of expert clinicians across various medical fields.
Suitable for:
Medical, nursing and allied health profession students
Clinical educators
Clinicians seeking continuous professional development
Subscription Information:
HAL Virtual Patient offers monthly and yearly subscription options with a free trial period. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. You can manage or cancel your subscription through your Apple Account settings at any time.
By subscribing to the app you agree to the following t&c’s:
- https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
- HAL Virtual patient is ann educational tool only and should not be used with real patient data.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
The developer, SIMON LAWRENCE HEAD, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Contact Info
- User Content
- Usage Data
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- SIMON LAWRENCE HEAD
- Size
- 1.4 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
16+
- 16+
- Frequent
Medical Treatment information
Infrequent
Mature or Suggestive Themes
Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use or References
Contains
User-Generated Content
Health or Wellness Topics
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Yearly $99.99
- Monthly $9.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 HAL Education
