Doctor’s Office
Pre-Listening
What does a typical doctor’s visit look like where you live?
Listen and Read
Listen to the recording on medical care, answer the questions, and then read along with the audio recording.
Listening Quiz
Select the best answer for each question, then press Check Answers.
Use arrow keys to choose between options within each question.
1. The man’s doctor’s appointment is at ______ a.m.
2. When the man arrives at the doctor’s office, he first __________.
3. The man is diagnosed with ______.
I was feeling a little under the weather the other day, so I decided to visit my doctor before things got worse. I called her in the morning, and I made an appointment for 9:30. When I arrived at her office, I had to fill out some insurance paperwork and a sheet describing my current medical condition, along with the symptoms I was feeling.
After a few minutes, the nurse called my name and took me back to one of their examination rooms. She took my vital signs including my temperature and blood pressure, and then I waited until the doctor came in. After looking me over and asking a few questions, the doctor’s diagnosis was that I had a bacterial infection. She wrote me out a prescription for some medication, which I was supposed to take two times a day. After the exam, I went back to the reception area and paid the bill.
Vocabulary and Expressions From the Audio
- under the weather (expression): feeling sick or unwell
- She called in sick to work because she was feeling under the weather.
- appointment (noun): a scheduled time to meet with someone, such as a doctor
- He made an appointment with his doctor for the following Tuesday.
- fill out (phrasal verb): to complete a form or document by writing in the required information
- The nurse asked her to fill out the paperwork before seeing the doctor.
- insurance (noun): in healthcare, a system where you regularly pay a set amount of money, and in return, the insurance company helps cover the costs when you need medical care
- He showed his insurance card at the front desk when he arrived for his appointment.
- paperwork (noun): forms and documents that must be completed, often before receiving a service
- She arrived early to the clinic so she had enough time to complete the paperwork.
- medical condition (noun): a health problem or illness that affects the body or mind
- The doctor asked him about any existing medical conditions before starting the exam.
- symptom (noun): a sign or change in the body that indicates illness or a health problem
- A sore throat and fever are common symptoms of a cold.
- examination room (noun): the private room in a doctor’s office where a patient is seen and examined
- The nurse led her to the examination room and asked her to wait for the doctor.
- vital signs (noun): basic measurements of the body’s functions, such as temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure
- The nurse checked his vital signs before the doctor came in to see him.
- blood pressure (noun): the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, measured to check heart health
- The doctor said her blood pressure was a little high and advised her to reduce her salt intake.
- looking over (phrasal verb): to review or examine something carefully
- The doctor spent a few minutes looking over her medical history before asking any questions.
- diagnosis (noun): the identification of an illness or medical condition based on symptoms and tests
- After examining the patient, the doctor gave her a diagnosis of strep throat.
- bacterial infection (noun): an illness caused by harmful bacteria growing in the body
- The doctor explained that his sore throat was caused by a bacterial infection, not a virus.
- prescription (noun): a written order from a doctor for a specific medication for a patient
- The doctor wrote a prescription for antibiotics and told her to take them for ten days.
- medication (noun): a drug or medicine used to treat or manage an illness or condition
- He picked up his medication from the pharmacy on his way home from the doctor.
- exam (noun): in healthcare, a physical check-up or evaluation done by a doctor to assess a patient’s health
- The doctor performed a routine exam to make sure everything looked healthy.
- reception area (noun): the waiting area at the front of a medical office where patients check in
- She sat in the reception area and filled out her forms while waiting to be called.
Discussion
In some countries, people go to a general practitioner or a doctor trained to handle all general medical care. However, in other countries, people always go to specialists when they are ill. What is the medical care system like in your country? Are patients seen in individual, private examination rooms?
Role Play
With a partner, pretend that you have one or more of these illnesses and symptoms. Have your partner recommend different treatments, including any home remedies.
backache, stomachache, nausea, the flu, a bad cough, diarrhea
Online Investigation
Describing your own medical condition can be very difficult in a foreign language. Look at the following medical problems and decide how you would describe the problem in English. If possible, tell how the problem occurred. Use the internet to help you with your description:
sprained ankle, broken bone, the flu, heat stroke, a snake bite, poison ivy
Online Listening Practice (from www.esl-lab.com):
- Doctor’s Appointment: Listening Conversation
- Medical Advice: What’s the Matter? : Listening Conversation
- Doctor’s Visit : Vocabulary Building