Level: B1 (OET Medicine)
Duration: 50 minutes
Skills: Listening + Speaking + Writing
Theme: Telephone consultations – urgent vs. non-urgent cases
Scenario: Doctor/nurse taking patient details over the phone to assess urgency and decide on referral.
New Objectives
- Use clear telephone questioning to gather patient history.
- Clarify and confirm patient information (e.g., spell out, repeat, confirm).
- Ask about symptom onset and red flag indicators.
- Summarise patient details clearly (OET Speaking criterion S4).
- Decide and explain whether symptoms are urgent or non-urgent, and recommend follow-up or referral.
Reviewed Objectives
- Provide clear next steps (follow-up appointment, referral).
- Form history-taking questions (S1).
- Take accurate notes from spoken information (S4).
- Use empathetic and supportive language when advising patients.
| Word | Definition (doctor-to-patient style) | Example (from lesson context) |
|---|---|---|
| urgent | Needs quick medical attention | “This chest pain is urgent and needs immediate care.” |
| non-urgent | Can safely wait or be monitored | “Your mild cough is non-urgent and can be reviewed later.” |
| clarify | Check that you understood correctly | “Can I clarify if the pain started yesterday or today?” |
| confirm | Make sure details are correct | “Let me confirm your address.” |
| spell out | Say each letter clearly | “Could you spell out your surname?” |
| repeat | Say again for accuracy | “Could you repeat the phone number, please?” |
| symptom onset | The time symptoms began | “When was the onset of your headache?” |
| red flag | Warning sign of serious illness | “Sudden chest pain is a red flag symptom.” |
| follow-up appointment | Later consultation to check progress | “I’ll arrange a follow-up appointment next week.” |
- Recall from Session 6: giving pre-procedure instructions. Ask: “How did you check the patient understood you?”
- Today, we don’t see the patient face-to-face, so clear questioning and clarifying are even more important.
- Quick discussion: “What makes telephone consultations more difficult than face-to-face?” (elicit: no visual cues, need to confirm spelling/details).
- Review checking understanding: clarify, confirm, spell out, repeat.
Listening Model (Adapted from OET Listening Part A)
Listen for the key phrases
- “Could you spell that out for me?”
- “Can I confirm your address?”
- “When did the swelling start?”
- “This sounds urgent; you need immediate referral.”
Referral Letter
10 February 2019
The Emergency Department
City Hospital
Newtown
Dear Doctor,
Re: Mr Michael Green
DOB: 14/08/75
I am referring Mr. Michael Green, a 48-year-old office worker with a sedentary lifestyle, who presented during a telephone consultation today with acute symptoms requiring urgent assessment.
Mr. Green reported swelling in his left leg which began yesterday morning and has worsened. Today, he also described chest tightness, which I consider a red flag symptom.
Given the combination of lower limb swelling, sedentary lifestyle, and new chest discomfort, I am concerned about a serious underlying condition.
I recommend that Mr. Green be seen urgently in the Emergency Department for immediate investigation and management.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Smith
🎧 Listening Task – Guided Note Completion
Listen for: patient’s name, DOB, symptom onset, urgency.
- Full Name: __________
- DOB: __________
- Symptom: __________
- Symptom onset: __________
- Lifestyle: __________
- Red flag: __________
- Urgency: __________
- Next step: __________
Writing
Rewrite the referral letter
Role Play Cards
Card 1 – Non-Urgent Case
- Patient: Ms. Sara Brown, DOB 22/09/1985
- Symptoms: Mild headache, no swelling, started 3 days ago
- Lifestyle: Active
- Red flags: None
- Action: Non-urgent → give advice, schedule follow-up appointment
Card 2 – Urgent Case
- Patient: Mr. John White, DOB 10/01/1968
- Symptoms: Severe chest pain, dizziness, onset 1 hour ago
- Lifestyle: Smoker, sedentary
- Red flags: Chest pain, dizziness
- Action: Urgent → referral to Emergency Department
Card 3 – Mixed Case
- Patient: Mrs. Aisha Khan, DOB 05/05/1972
- Symptoms: Swelling in ankle, started 2 days ago, mild discomfort
- Lifestyle: Sedentary, overweight
- Red flags: None today
- Action: Non-urgent → benign swelling, follow-up appointment in 1 week
Instructions:
- Take accurate notes.
- Give advice (urgent/non-urgent).
- Write a short referral summarising the patient’s details.
Listening Practice – OET Exam Listening Parts A and B
📝 Part A Questions – Note Completion
Complete the notes using information from the consultation. Write no more than three words for each answer.
Patient Details
- Name: ______
- Age: ______
Presenting Complaint
- Symptom: ______ in right leg
- Onset: ______
- Additional symptoms: ______, ______
Past Medical History
- _______
- _______
Lifestyle
- Mostly ______
Doctor’s Concern
- Possible ______
- Risk: ______
Management
- Action: Call ______
- Referral: ______
PART B – Workplace Extracts
(Two short recordings, each with one multiple-choice question.)
Extract 1: Staff Meeting
Question 1: What is the main concern of the nurse manager?
A. Patients are arriving late for procedures.
B. Patients are not following pre-procedure instructions.
C. Staff are not giving correct medical advice.
D. The operating theatre is short-staffed.
Extract 2: Doctor Explaining Results
Question 2: What is the doctor’s main purpose?
A. To explain the side effects of treatment.
B. To reassure the patient about their condition.
C. To describe lifestyle changes for prevention.
D. To discuss the risks of surgery.
Can-do Checklist
Each student performs one phone consultation (role play).
Criteria: clarity, use of glossary, accurate note-taking, correct urgency decision, appropriate referral/follow-up.
Self-reflection: Students share what language they used successfully (clarify, confirm, urgent/non-urgent).
📤 Create your own lifestyle questionnaire and ask friends to answer it.
🎥 Write a patient advice note with recommendations for each friend.
Record a shadow reading of the video in the (Instruct and Model) section.
Record your answer to the question in the (Independent Practice) section.
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