OET

Speaking Subtest – Nursing

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Setting: A Medical Centre

Nurse: You are talking to Joy, a 35 year old mother. Her two year old son Ben sustained a
cut to his right arm today after an accident in the kitchen at their home. Ben seems
to be in a lot of pain and Joy feels very bad about what happened.

Task: Try to calm the mother down. Find out the details of the accident. Explain how you
will treat Ben’s cut. Advise Joy on future safety precautions in her home.

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Setting: A Medical Centre

Patient: You are Joy, a 35 year old mother. Your 2 year old son sustained a cut to his right
arm in an accident in your home. You had left a pair of scissors on the kitchen
table. Your son is very upset about the accident and won’t stop crying. You feel so
guilty about what happened.

Task: Explain what happened to your son. Ask the nurse how the cut will
be treated. Find out how you can make your house safer for your son.

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Nursing.doc
For a successful pass in this speaking task you should:

A. Cover these points in your conversation.

1. Ask
- questions about the accident. Use words like when, what, how, where

2. Calm the mother down

- tell her that accidents happen
- tall her that it was not her fault
- talk to her about how quick and inquisitive children are

3. Explain
- How you will treat the cut

4. Advise the mother about safety precautions

- Lock cupboards that are low to the ground
- Don’t let cords hang down – store them out of the child’s reach
- Put away or put up sharp or dangerous or precious objects
- Put all chemicals eg cleaning products up out of reach.
- Never leave the child on his/her own
- Give her some brochures about safety around the home

B. Think about these things carefully

- Focus on the verbs in the instructions of the task eg. ask, calm, explain,
advise,
- Use clear sentences.
- Ask clear and accurate questions
- Explain things clearly and concisely
- Don’t repeat yourself
- Don't bombard the patient with information. Pause so that the patient can
absorb the information and ask questions.
- Remember that a conversation involves BOTH parties giving small amounts of
information and then responding
- Be positive, polite, and understanding
- Use good body language and voice tone
. to show understanding and compassion
. to show that you are an active listener - eye contact, using
phrases like mm, I see, yes
. to be convincing

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator.OWNER-9QU33F77L\Desktop\IELI_WORK\sarah_gigger\speaking\Speaking task -

Nursing.doc