Unit 1
A. The Hospital Team
It is essential for you to know the people who you are going to work with in the hospital. You must know the
different roles played by these people as well. They could be doctors, nurses, medical professionals, and
staff. Let’s get to know them and what they do.
porter receptionist paramedic scrub nurse pharmacist
radiologist lab technician charge nurse cardiologist midwife
pediatrician consultant physiotherapist anesthetist surgeon
Exercise 1.1 Choose the correct word from the box to complete the sentences.
1. A ________________ is a doctor who treats children
2. A ________________ is a medical professional who attends births and delivers babies.
3. A ________________ is a doctor who specializes in illnesses of the heart and blood vessels.
4. A ________________ is a staff who moves patients, equipment, furniture, etc. around the hospital.
5. A ________________ is a medical professional who takes x-rays and other images.
6. A ________________ is a nurse who supports surgeons in the operating room.
7. A ________________ is a nurse who prepares medicines to give to medical staff or patients.
8. A ________________ is a medical professional who responds to emergencies and gives first aid.
9. A ________________ is a doctor who performs surgical operations.
10. A ________________ is a medical professional who examines samples and tissues under a microscope.
11. A ________________ is a nurse who supervises staff nurses in a ward.
12. A ________________ is a staff who assists people with appointments and directions.
13. A ________________ is a nurse who administers drugs to patients to prevent pain during surgery.
14. A ________________ is a doctor who gives expert opinion to other doctors and surgeons.
15. A ________________ is a medical professional who helps patients with physical difficulties resulting
from illness, injury, disability.
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Different countries, Nationalities and Languages
It is important for nurses to know the different countries, nationalities and languages of their patients.
Exercise 1.2 Write the nationality and language spoken of the people from these countries.
Country Nationality Language(s) Country Nationality Language(s)
Australia Myanmar
Cambodia Philippines
China Singapore
France Spain
Germany Switzerland
Italy Thailand
Japan The United States
Korea Vietnam
Malaysia Malaysia
B. In and Around the Hospital
The names of the wards can be formed by adding a suffix from the departments and used as an adjective.
e.g. surgery becomes the surgical ward *for obstetrics we use the labor ward
medicine becomes the medical ward
gynecology becomes the gynecological ward
Exercise 1.3 Make an adjective from these words by removing the letters in bold and adding a suffix.
1. Neurology ___________________ 5. Opthalmology ___________________
2. Cardiology ___________________ 6. Neonate ___________________
3. Gastrology ___________________ 7. Pharmacology ___________________
4. Dermatology ___________________ 8. Urology ___________________
Ask your partner the following questions:
1. Where can a mother go to visit her premature baby?
2. Where do you ring to order a patient’s medications?
3. Where can I find a doctor to look at my moles?
4. Where do patients usually go if they have a heart attack?
5. Where do patients go when they have an infection in their bladder?
Look at the prepositions used in the following examples:
A pediatric nurse works in the nursery in the children’s ward.
My friend works in the Operating Theatre on the 6th floor.
The Surgical Ward is next to the Orthopedic Ward on the same floor.
We use different expressions depending on the situation:
We go to a ward or department.
We work in a ward, but we work at the hospital.
We take/send a patient to a department but he is in the ward, hospital, or theatre.
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C. Hospital Admissions
What is the Standard Admission Procedure where you work? With a partner, put the following points into a
possible sequence. (1-9)
___ a. Tell the patient what is going to happen to him/her in the next 12-24 hours.
___ b. Co-ordinate between the patient, the doctors and other health care workers.
___ c. Put on the patient’s name band and signs necessary on the bed (e.g. nil orally or fasting)
___ d. Inform the doctor in charge of the patient’s arrival.
___ e. Welcome the patient in a calm, friendly manner.
___ f. Introduce yourself and the other patient (s) in the room. Introduce other staff and the Ward Charge
Nurse where possible.
___ g. Complete the admission form and appropriate charts.
___ h. Show the patient where to find the bathroom, the Nurse’s station, the Day Room (Sitting Room).
___ i. Demonstrate the handset with the overhead light and the call bell (or buzzer) and the patient how to
use the remote – if a TV is provided.
Reading
On Monday, Mark is admitted to hospital and arrives in the Surgical Ward with Julie. They meet the Charge
Sister and Sister Joanna, who takes them to a room. Mary, the Ward Help, is in the room cleaning the
bedside tables. There are 2 beds in the room but both are empty.
Sister Pat: This is your room, Mark – number 612. You will be on your own for a couple of days
so you can choose the bed near the window or this one near the bathroom. Hello
Mary, this is Mark Andrews and his wife Julie.
Mary: Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews. Can I get you a bottle of water and a glass?
Sister Pat: Thank you Mary, but mark is having more tests today and can’t have anything to eat
or drink until later. Mary is a wonderful help and will help us to look after you, Mark.
Mark: Thank you. I’d like to have the bed near the window if that’s all right.
Sister Pat: Yes, of course. I’ll leave you to change into your pyjamas and hop into bed and then
I’ll come back in a few minutes to ask you a few questions. You can put your clothes
in the cupboard on the left, but it isn’t very big so it’s probably a good idea to take
the suitcase home with you, Mrs. Andrews. Mark, you can put the things you need in
the cupboard near the bed.
Mark: Yes, thank you. Jules will take the case with her when she goes – you’ve got the car,
love, so that’s no problem, is it? Can my wife stay here this morning, Sister?
Sister Pat: Yes, that’s fine. I’ll come back to speak to you both very soon. This is the handset. if
you need anything, just call. This button is the buzzer and this one is to cancel your
call – the light over the door turns off – this one is for the overhead light… OK?
Exercise 1.4 Read the dialogue to answer the following questions:
1. Who is Mary?
2. How many patients are in the room with Mark?
3. Does he have a choice of beds? Which one does he choose?
4. What is Julie taking home?
5. Is Mark fasting?
Speaking Activity
In groups of 3, practice the dialogue. Discuss the expressions in bold and how you can say them differently.
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C. Medication
Types and Forms of Medication
e
a b c d
g
f h i
e
Exercise 3.7 Match the pictures with the forms of medications:
1. syringe _____ 6. suppository _____
2. inhaler _____ 7. adhesive patch _____
3. ointment _____ 8. vial _____
4. capsules _____ 9. dropper _____
5. IV drip _____ 10. ampoule _____
Exercise 3.8 Complete each sentence with a type of medication.
a painkiller a sedative an anti-inflammatory an inoculation
an antibiotic an antihistamine a stimulant an antidepressant
a laxative a supplement
1. _________________________ kills bacteria and other germs.
2. _________________________ protects you against infectious diseases.
3. _________________________ relieves pain.
4. _________________________ reduces swelling.
5. _________________________ encourages bowel movement.
6. _________________________ provides a substance that the body lacks.
7. _________________________ treats allergies
8. _________________________ increases activity in the body.
9. _________________________ reduces feelings of extreme sadness.
10. ________________________ makes you relaxed and sleepy.
Medication dosage can be measured differently:
for liquids: teaspoon (tsp), tablespoon (tbsp.), millilitres (mL), litres (L) 1 L = ____ mL 1 tbsp = ____ tsp.
for solids: milligrams (mg), grams (g), micrograms (mcg) 1 g = ____ mg 1 mg = ____ mcg
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