Hospital and Medical Professions

Hospital and Medical Professions

1.1 Make a list of medical professions you know in English and write short definitions of what the professionals do.

Example: A nurse takes care of patients, e.g. he or she gives injections and checks temperatures and pulse rates.

Useful verbs: specialize, prepare, examine, treat, support, be in charge of, assist, rescue, take care of, look after, perform, diagnose

1.2 Read the following text and answer the questions below:

A hospital is an institution providing health care and treatment by specialized staff. The professionals working in hospitals are medical and nursing staff who take care of in- and outpatients.

Hospitals may have departments which have their own speciality. They include the emergency department, cardiology, neurology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, ophthalmology, and otorhinolaryngology. Each department has its own specialist doctors and nurses who work in a team looking after their patients. Now, we will look at some of these specialist doctors and their daily duties.

If a person has problems with their sight, they will be treated by an ophthalmologist who will inspect the eyes for disease and if necessary perform an operation.

An otorhinolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist, or ENT) will diagnose and manage diseases of the ears, nose, sinuses, larynx (voice box), mouth and throat, as well as structures of the neck and face.

Obstetricians and gynaecologists are concerned with pregnant women and their unborn baby and the management of medical concerns specific to women. Obstetrician’s duties include prenatal screening where they check the health of both mother and baby and do ultrasound scanning of the foetus. Gynaecologist’s duties include diagnosing and treating problems of the female reproductive system.

A cardiologist deals with disorders of the heart, arteries and veins. Their duties include advising patients on healthy lifestyles, and proper cardio care. Cardiac surgeon’s duties include minor surgeries, such as implanting a pacemaker, and major bypass surgeries.

Finally, a neurologist diagnoses and treats disorders of the nervous system. A neurologist will firstly check patient’s history and then perform some tests. These tests include patient’s motor system, coordination, mental status and sensory system. If the patient needs an operation, they will be referred to a neurosurgeon.

Questions:

Which specialist do you see when you have a problem with hearing?

Who takes care of pregnant women?

Which specialist would you see if you have problems with your throat?

Which specialist performs heart operations?

Which specialist would you see if you had problems with your nervous system?

Tenses: Present Simple and Present Continuous

2.1 Look at the pictures and complete the given statements.

A lab technician usually ______________________ blood samples. What is Larry doing? Larry  __________________________________________ into a microscope right now.

Physiotherapists often _____________________ people who have arthritis. What is Sarah doing? She ____________________________________ a patient at the moment.

Surgeons sometimes _____________________ many hours performing one operation.  What is Dr. Hall doing? He ___________________________ on a patient.

Paramedics are the ones who ________________________ first aid.  What is Tom doing? Tom ___________________________ oxygen to a patient.

Nurses ___________________ of a patient’s general needs. They _________________ temperatures and __________________________ injections. What is Tina doing? Tina __ ____________________ the patient’s pulse.

2.2 How to speak about routines and repeated activities in the present or past. Read the paragraphs and complete the grammar rules below.

Paramedics respond to emergency calls and help people in difficult situations, for example, when they are sick or have had a car accident. Paramedics have to know what to do immediately and make a lot of important decisions.

Radiologists help doctors to diagnose a disease. They’ll X-ray or they’ll use ultrasound to image parts of the body. The images help the physician to decide about the right treatment. 

My mother worked as a physiotherapist before she retired. She used to treat patients with physical difficulties caused by injuries, disabilities or simple ageing. She would exercise with the patients, she’d teach them how to overcome difficulties and in many cases she’d help them return to their normal life. She loved her job, but suffered from too much physical stress herself.

2.3 Complete the rules and/or find examples in the paragraphs above.

1. We use Present Simple when we speak about routine or repeated activities in the present. It is also possible to use will for repeated activities, but it is less common.

Examples:

a. Paramedics respond to emergency calls and help people in difficult situations when they are sick or have had a car accident.

b. They make a lot of important decisions.

c. They’ll X-ray or they’ll use ultrasound to image parts of the body.

2. We use __________________ or ___________________ or ________________when we speak about routine or repeated activities in the past.

Examples:

d. My mother worked as a physiotherapist before she retired.

e. ______________________________________________________________________

f. ________________________________________________________________________

g. _________________________________________________________________________

1 In pairs, tell each other if you know anybody who works in the field of health care. What is he/she like? What do they do? Do they like their job? Would you like to do their job? Why?

2 Write a paragraph about a person (you know) who has a medical profession.

3 Describe the following departments.

1. 4 What are the names of specialists who work in hospital teams? Fill in the table.

Cardiology	Cardiologist
	Paediatrician
	Dermatologist
Surgery
Orthopaedics
	Anaesthetist or Anaesthesiologist
	Haematologist
Oncology
Pharmacy
Radiology

Remember: Names of departments usually end in –ology and the specialist names in –ologist or the departments end in –ics and the specialists in –ician.  There are exceptions like anaesthetics and anaesthetist.

Read the text about hospitals and medical staff and answer the questions below.

When you are ill, you call your general practitioner (or GP), who is sometimes called a family doctor, and you make an appointment with his or her receptionist. GPs normally see their patients on an appointment basis or they make home visits when patients are housebound. If you need out-of-hours treatment, e.g. at night, you should call the National Health Service (NHS) on their NHS Direct phone number and a doctor who is on call will visit you. If you need specialist care, the GP will make a referral, i.e. they will refer you to a specialist, often in a hospital.

Hospitals usually have many departments which each have their own specialty. They include the emergency department, cardiology, neurology, obstetrics and gynaecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology. You can be treated as an outpatient or an inpatient. Out-patients visit the hospital, have any treatment that they need and then go home. Inpatients are taken care of in wards. A ward unit consists of patients´ rooms, nurses´ room, bathroom, toilets, and a day room where patients can have meals, watch TV or see visitors. Next to the treatment room there is a “clean and dirty” annex and a sluice room. In the clean annex, trolleys are laid-up and the dirty annex serves for sterilization of used equipment and instruments. Each ward unit has a cleaners´ room and a linen store, of course. An isolation room is used for patients who must not be in contact with other patients in the ward unit because they may spread infection.

If you are admitted to hospital you become an inpatient and you are first seen by one of the junior doctors on the ward. He or she takes your medical history and examines you. The registrar sees you later and he or she decides about necessary tests or examinations and about the treatment. The consultant sees you on the regular ward rounds, discusses your treatment with other doctors and decides when you can be discharged to your GP´s care. On the ward round, consultants are accompanied by a medical team including a nurse.

Today, hospitals look very different to how they used to look. Hospitals used to be painted white and patients´ rooms were large, with metal beds and small units for personal possessions, and they didn´t offer much privacy. Now, many hospitals have smaller rooms, usually with two or more beds, and also private rooms. They are painted with bright colours and the furniture is very modern and the rooms have a television and a bathroom. There is much more privacy and the staff are very friendly.

Questions:

1. What do sick people usually do first when they need to see their GP?
2. What do GPs do if their patients need specialist care?
3. What is the difference between in- and outpatients?
4. Who usually asks inpatients about their previous diseases or diseases that run in their families?
5. Who decides that you can go home from hospital?
6. What makes ward units look friendlier and less depressing?