UNIT 7 NURSES (PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH IN USE MEDICINE)

PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH IN USE MEDICINE

UNIT 7 NURSES

A.       Nursing grades

Nurses working in a hospital have the following grades:

student nurse	a nurse who is still in training
staff nurse	a nurse who has completed the training course
charge nurse	a more experienced nurse who is in charge of, or responsible for, a ward or department
nurse manager	a nurse who is in charge of several words

Note: The old term sister is still sometimes used for a female charge nurse. A female nurse manager may be called matron.

Dr James is talking to Sister Watkins

B.        Support workers

The clinical support worker, who has done a short course and obtained basic qualifications, and the nursing auxiliary, who is usually unqualified, both assist nursing staff. There may also be ward clerks, whose duties include making sure patients’ notes and information are up to date, and answering the telephone.

C.       Specialization

Like doctors, nurses can specialize:

A midwife	has specialized from the beginning by doing a course in midwifery, the management of pregnancy and childbirth.
District nurses	visit patients in their homes.
Health visitors	also work at the community, giving advice on the promotion of health and the prevention of illness.

D.      The nurse’s role

The nurse’s role has changed considerably in recent years. In addition to general patient care, checking temperatures, pulse rates and blood pressures, changing dressings, giving injections and removing sutures, nurses now do some of the things previously reserved for doctors, such as prescribing drugs, and ordering laboratory tests. More responsibility for nurses is planned, as the following article demonstrates.

The verbs perform and carry out are used with all types of procedures. They are often used in the passive form.

perform carry out

an examination an operation a procedure an experiment a test a biopsy

The procedure was

performed carried out

by a nurse

EXERCISES

7.1.         Complete the sentences. Look at A, B and C opposite to help you.

1	Someone who specializes in delivering babies is a ____________
2	Someone who is qualified to assist nurses are ____________
3	Someone who is not qualified but is able to assist nurses is a ____________
4	A nurse who has qualified is a ____________ nurse.
5	A nurse who specializes in health promotion is a ____________
6	A nurse who looks after a ward is a ____________ nurse.
7	A nurse who works in a community is a ____________.
8	Someone who answers the ward telephone is a ____________

7.2          Make word combinations using a word or phrase from each box. Look at D opposite to help you.

carry out change check give remove

sutures a procedure an injection a dressing the temperature

7.3          Complete the sentences with the correct grammatical form of perform.

1	An isotope brain scan is painless and easy ____________.
2	Biopsy of the pancreas ____________ Last March.
3	If the patient’s condition deteriorated, a laparotomy should ____________
4	If a diagnosis of meningitis is suspected a lumbar puncture must ____________.
5	Last year we ____________ a randomized, double blind group study.

7.4`        Complete the sentences with the correct grammatical form of carry out.

1	I now intend ____________ a larger study.
2	Unfortunately few properly controlled trials ____________ so far.
3	A number of studies ____________ recently to look at this question.
4	A right hemicolectomy ____________ and the patient made a full recovery.
5	This procedure can ____________ in an emergency department.

ANSWER KEY