Photocopiable © Oxford University Press

Listening scripts
Unit 1 Listening 2 – A job interview M Through the swing doors, down the
corridor, first right, second left.
I=Interviewer,R=Rachel
P That’s it.
I OK Rachel, let’s start the interview with
Scrub up M Thanks.
a few questions. Your CV says that
1 scrub nurse 6 radiologist you’re working at City Hospital. 3
2 cardiologist 7 consultant R Yes, in the operating theatres. R=receptionist, V=visitor
3 receptionist 8 anaesthetist I Are you a fully-qualified scrub nurse? R Go along this corridor and turn left at
4 surgeon 9 paediatrician R Not yet. At the moment I’m doing a the end. Go along the next corridor, take
5 physiotherapist 10 porter part-time course and working at the the second left and go all the way along
same time. I’m preparing for the exams, that corridor. The ward you want is
right at the end, straight in front of you.
Listening 1 – An admission which are next month. It’s hard,
V Thank you.
especially when I’m working a night
1
shift and going to lectures next day.
P=paramedic, B=Mrs Benson I Tell us about your job. What do you do Listening 2 – The porter’s office
P Can you hear me? Mrs Benson? every day?
B Yes. Where am I? What happened? H=head porter, W=porter Wahid,
R Well, I assist the surgeons. I prepare the
P You’re in my ambulance. You’ve had a B=porter Brian
instruments for surgery and I help with
fall and we’re taking you to hospital. H Sure, right away. Hello, Wahid? Are you
the operations.
B Yes, now I remember. there?
I What do you like best about being a
W Yes.
2 scrub nurse?
H Where are you?
R=radiologist, B=Mrs Benson R Well, I like watching operations, but it’s
W I’m at the top of the stairs outside
R Right, Mrs Benson. We’re going to have the contact with the patients that’s
Physiotherapy.
a closer look at your heart. Have you most rewarding.
H OK. Can you go across the hospital to
had an x-ray before? I So, why are you applying for a new job?
the stores and collect a box of
B Yes, I broke my leg once. R Well I’m very happy in my job, but I
disposable syringes and take them to
3 want more responsibility.
the Path lab? And also, a wheelchair.
S=sister, B=Mrs Benson W Box of syringes and a wheelchair. OK.
S Hello Mrs Benson. How do you feel?
B Terrible. I’ve got a terrible headache and
Unit 2 H Porters’ office ... Yes, Doctor Sayed, I’ll
do that ... Hello. Brian?
I need to use the toilet. B I’m here.
S OK. I’ll draw the curtains and you can Pronunciation H Doctor Sayed from Cardiology wants a
use a bedpan. Doctor Bright is coming porter. They’ve got a lot of empty
1 Cardiology 7 Paediatrics
to have a look at you in a moment. bottles – can you take them to the bins?
2 Pharmacy 8 Pathology
4 3 Gynaecology 9 Dermatology B Where are they?
C=consultant, B=Mrs Benson 4 Neurology 10 Physiotherapy H Outside Cardiology near the swing
C Mrs Benson. We’ve been worried about 5 Obstetrics 11 Renal Unit doors on the main corridor ... and then
you but I’ve got good news. The x- ray 6 Orthopaedics 12 Surgery take a stretcher to Ward four, collect a
shows your heart is clear and Sister says patient and take him to Radiology ...
your blood pressure is back to normal. Hello. Porter’s office ...
How are you feeling?
Listening 1 – Directions
B I feel fine now. 1
C Good. I’m going to prescribe some P=physiotherapist, M=man Unit 3
medicine and I’m discharging you. P Go out of here and the door you want is
just opposite. Go in through the door Scrub up
5
and give your prescription to the man
R=receptionist, B=Mrs Benson 1 I was at a party, and one of my friends
behind the counter.
R Right Mrs Benson, so you want to make gave me a little white tablet. I’d had a
M So it’s just outside here?
an outpatient’s appointment for next few drinks and I was feeling good, and I
P Yes, just across the corridor.
week? took it, even though I didn’t know what
B Yes please. 2
it was. It made me feel, like, really
R Thursday at four? P=porter, M=man
weird. I could see and hear really
B Fine. P Go into the hospital through these
strange things, and it scared me. I still
R Good. Next Thursday at four o’clock to swing doors. Go along the corridor, take
don’t feel normal today, and I’m very
see Doctor Lee in Outpatients. the first right, and it’s the second door
worried.
on your left.
2 It’s not due until next month, but when
I was washing up this morning there
Photocopiable © Oxford University Press

was a little blood. It worried me. Then I close family suffer from any of the P Are you sure?
got these pains. following – mental illness? N Yes. There’s no pulse.
3 I was working high up on a ladder. My M No. P OK– repeat the procedure. Same charge
foot slipped and I fell. I hit my head but N Diabetes? – two hundred.
there’s no blood and I don’t feel too bad. M My mother’s parents are both diabetic. N Right. Everybody clear! Ah hah! There’s
4 I was walking by the river, and I think I N Maternal grandparents ... diabetes. a pulse.
stepped on it and it bit me. I don’t know Tuberculosis? P Good. Well done. Now set up an IV and
what type it was but it was long and M No. give him Lidocaine.
silver with a black head. N HIV / AIDS? N How much shall I give him?
5 I was looking in the mirror and I saw M No. P One hundred millitres over two
this big spot on my face. I checked it on minutes.
the Internet and I’m sure I’ve got
cancer. Do you think I’m going to die? Unit 4
Unit 5
Listening – A patient record Listening – Instructions
form P=paramedic, N=nurse Listening 1 – A pain chart
M=Mustapha, N=nurse P Roger, Oscar Lima Charlie, we’re with N=nurse, P=patient
1 the patient now. Possible cardiac arrest. 1
N Mustapha, isn’t it? Stand by, over. Nurse, check his pulse. N How are you today, Kath? Are you still
M Yes, that’s right. N There’s no pulse. in pain?
N So, what happened to you? P OK. P Well, there’s pain around my stomach.
M I was working on a ladder. It was N He’s not breathing. It’s quite bad.
raining and I slipped and fell. P It’s a cardiac arrest. Give him CPR. I’ll N What kind of pain is it?
N Did you hit your head? talk you through it, OK? P It’s a burning pain.
M Yes. I saw stars and felt sick at first. But N OK. N Do you always have it?
now it’s OK. P Give him mouth-to-mouth first. Support P It never goes away. Never.
N I see. You may have concussion. his head. That’s it, lift it back. Right, hold N Is it getting worse?
First, I’ll take down your details and fill his nose closed, then open his mouth P No, it’s staying about the same.
in this form. So, what’s your surname? and breathe strongly into it. Give two 2
M It’s Hussein. full breaths into his mouth. OK? N How’s the pain today, Emir?
N Can you spell that for me? N Right. P It’s much better, thanks. I have a slight
M H-U-double S-E-I-N. P Let his chest fall again. Nothing? pain, just here in my right side, but it’s a
N What’s your occupation? N Nothing. lot less painful than yesterday.
M I’m a painter. P Turn his head. That’s right. Put your N How often do you get the pain?
N Right. What’s your date of birth? hand on his chest. Now put your other P Only every now and again – it comes
M First of the ninth, eighty-two. hand on top of your first hand. OK? and goes.
N One, nine, eighty-two ... and where N OK.
3
were you born? P Push down a little ... and release ... Do it
N Do you still have a headache?
M Karachi, Pakistan. again. One ... two ... three ... four.
P Yes, I’ve got this throbbing pain in my
N What’s your marital status? N How many times should I do it?
head.
M Sorry? P Repeat the procedure fifteen times ...
N Whereabouts?
N Are you married? OK. Check his pulse again. Anything?
P In the forehead, right between my eyes.
M No, I’m single. N No. Still no pulse.
N Does it feel the same all the time?
N And do you have a contact telephone P OK. Don’t wait. Use the AED. Set it at a
P No, it changes. Sometimes it’s not too
number for your next of kin? charge of two hundred.
bad, but it gets a bit worse at night.
M 07709-401229 – it’s my brother, Yusuf. N Right. It’s two hundred.
N And it’s getting more severe now, is it?
N Do you smoke? P Apply the pads to his chest.
P A little bit, yes.
M Yes. N Where do I put them?
N I’ll get you some painkillers.
N How many do you smoke a day? P Put one above the heart and one below.
M Twenty a day. Stand clear of his body. Make sure you 4
N Uh huh. Do you drink? don’t touch him. Call ‘everybody clear’ N So, you’re having pains in your arm.
M No. and then press the buttons and hold for P Yes, I keep getting this terrible pain
N Right. Are you allergic to anything? two seconds. OK? down my left arm. It starts at the
M No. N OK. Everybody clear! shoulder and shoots down to my hand.
N Now, family history. Do any of your P Check his pulse again. N Is this all the time?
N Nothing.
 Photocopiable © Oxford University Press

P No, but most of the time, but it’s Listening 1 – Symptoms P Yes, it is, isn’t it.
agonizing when it happens. N You’ve had an x-ray, haven’t you?
1
N When did this start? P Yes, I have.
N=nurse, P=patient
P It started yesterday, but it’s much more N Anything broken?
N How does it feel? A little deformed,
severe today. P No, just bruising.
isn’t it?
N Mm, we’d better take a look ... N You aren’t on any other medication, are
P Yes, there’s a huge lump just above the
you?
ankle. And there’s quite a lot of
P No, I’m not.
Listening 2 – Pain relief bruising. And just here, it’s very
swollen. 2
J=Janice, K=Karen
N Is it painful when you move it? N How are you feeling?
J Hello, my name’s Janice. P Not bad, thanks – a bit sore.
K Hello, Janice. I’m Karen. P Yes, very.
N Can you move your toes? N What happened to you?
J Hi, Karen. Boy or girl? P I fell off my bike
K A boy. And yours? P It’s difficult, they’re numb – I can’t feel
them at all. N Where does it hurt?
J A girl. P Here, around my wrist.
K Lovely. I think we gave birth at the same 2
N Can you move your fingers?
time last night, didn’t we? N How are you feeling?
P Yes, I can, slowly.
J Yes. I heard you. P I feel so hot. What does the
N Is it painful?
K Was I making so much noise? Well, it thermometer say?
P Yes, very! I’ve also got a cut on my leg –
was the pain. N Yes, you do have fever. Your
look.
J Didn’t you have any pain relief? temperature is a little over 38. Have you
N Oh, that’s deep, isn’t it!
K Oh yes. I had just gas and air at first. It got a sore throat?
P Yes, it is deep. Will I need stitches?
does relieve the pain a bit, but the effect P Yes, it hurts when I talk.
N Maybe. Have you had stitches before?
wears off very quickly. It makes you feel N I can see spots. Any redness?
P No, never – and I don’t want any!
so light-headed if you have too much. It P Yes, my chest and back are all red.
N You’ve seen the doctor, haven’t you?
made me feel sick too. Anyway, when N And do you feel tired?
P No, I haven’t seen him yet.
the pain became unbearable, I had an P Yes, constant tiredness. And my legs
epidural. feel achy, too.
J Did that help you cope with the pain? 3 Listening 2 – A helpline call
K It took away the pain completely! My N How’s it going? N=nurse, M=mother of child
whole lower half went numb! It was P I’ll be glad when this is over. Doing N National Health line. How can I help?
great. How about you? anything is really tiring. M Oh, hello. It’s my little boy – he’s seven.
J This was my third, so the pain was N Oh dear. Do you feel dizzy at all? I’m worried, because he’s got a terrible
easier to bear. I did breathing exercises. P Yes, some days I feel dizzy and cough.
I decided to have gas and air if the pain sometimes sick. N OK. So, can you describe the cough? I
got worse, but I didn’t need it. I had an N When do you feel sick, mostly? mean, does he wheeze when he
epidural last time, but I didn’t like P In the mornings. And I’m very coughs?
losing all sensation. This time I wanted constipated – haven’t been to the toilet M Yes he does.
to feel the birth. for three days. Sorry to moan. N Does he wheeze when he breathes in or
K I’m sorry, Janice – I think you must be N That’s all right. We all need a good when he breathes out?
mad. moan sometimes. What about pain? M Mm ... when he breathes in. Yes, not
P No. No pain. when he breathes out.
Pronunciation N When he coughs, does he cough up any
blood?
air hurt doctor Language spot
M No, but sometimes when he coughs, he
care nurse appointment N=nurse, P=patient vomits.
first hair tumour 1 N I see. Does he have any allergies?
ulcer worse where N OK, Mrs Hales? M No. I don’t think so.
P Not too bad, thanks. N Right. Does he have a fever? Have you
N What happened to you? taken his temperature?
Unit 6 P I had a fall. M Yes, he’s burning. The thermometer
N Where does it hurt? says 37 degrees.
Scrub up P From my wrist to my elbow.
N What about your shoulder?
diarrhoea numbness bruising
P That’s fine.
nausea aching tiredness
N Let’s have a look – swollen, isn’t it!
cough
Photocopiable © Oxford University Press

Unit 7 B You’ll probably fall over. I’ll do it.

A Thank you. I won’t trouble you again.
the kitchen. She didn’t know where she
was. We laughed about it afterwards.
N Does this often happen?
Listening 1 – A care home Listening 2 – Assessing a D No. Very rarely.
E=Edith, B=Betty patient
E ... and that nurse – Barbara– I don’t like
her. N=nurse, D=daughter of elderly patient Unit 8
B Sssh, Edith, she’ll hear you! N Your mum’s going to be fine. There are
no bones broken.
E I don’t care if she hears me, Betty. Listening 1 – A diabetic patient
She speaks to me like a child –‘That’s a D Oh, that’s good news. I was worried,
because she’s a bit frail. S=student nurse, N=nutritionist
lovely jumper you’re wearing, Edith.
N Is that the first time she’s had a fall? S The new patient has had diabetes since
Don’t you look pretty!’ She should call
D Yes, it is. childhood, his notes say.
me ‘Mrs Taylor’, thank you very much!
N I am doing an assessment of her, so I’ve N Uh huh. He has type one, then?
No respect, you see! And she comes into
got some questions. Can you help me S What’s that?
my room without knocking. You’ve got
with them? N There’s type one diabetes and there’s
no privacy, no self-respect.
D Of course, go ahead. type two. Type one usually appears
B Oh, cheer up. Let’s go over and play
N Right. Number one. How’s your before the age of eighteen. Does he
some bingo.
mother’s hearing? Does she wear a inject himself with insulin?
E Bingo? I’m not interested in playing
hearing aid? S Yes, daily.
bingo with a group of old ladies! It’s not
D Yes, she is very deaf. Without her N Uh huh, OK. He’s on a special diet, is he?
very stimulating, is it! They’re all so
hearing aid she hears nothing at all. S Yes, but he’s not overweight.
slow because they’ve got nothing to
N OK. Can she see OK? N No. Type one diabetes is not linked to
keep their minds busy, and their
D With glasses, yes – very well for her age. obesity.
medication slows them up some more.
N Right. Mobility? Are her movements S So obesity is linked to type two, is it?
They just sit in front of the television all
very restricted? N Yes. Type two is the common one.
day.
D Well, she needs help getting dressed S This patient has a special machine to
B Are you coming on the trip to the
and getting in and out of the bath. She check levels of glucose in his blood. And
seaside next week?
has a walking stick and she’s very he shouldn’t eat sugar, right?
E No, I don’t like coach trips. I just want to
independent. But some days she gets N Well, no, it’s not true that diabetics
go home. I miss my independence. I
dizzy and can be unsteady on her feet. shouldn’t eat sweet things. Actually,
miss my kitchen. And that’s another
She uses a scooter for shopping. what’s important is balance. A diabetic
thing – I don’t like the food here.
N The next question is about sleeping like your patient should eat the same
B Yes, but we don’t have to cook or do the
habits. Does she have any sleep amount of food at the same time of day.
washing ourselves. I like this care home.
disorders? He needs to count the calories in his
It’s clean. The staff are very
D She has a lot of problems. She often meals, and he should have snacks, not
professional, and it’s nice to know
wakes up in the middle of the night. big meals – especially before bed.
there’s someone near in an emergency.
Sometimes she can’t sleep at all. She S Oh, why is that?
And there’s always someone to talk to.
takes sleeping pills, and of course she N To avoid hypoglycaemia.
I’m never lonely.
has a nap every now and then during S Hypoglycaemia – not enough glucose
E Well, I don’t want some young nurse
the day. in the blood, right?
telling me what I can and cannot do. I
N OK. Any problems eating? Can your N Right.
want children around me. It’s not
natural living like this – everybody here mother feed herself?
is old! D Oh yes, she’s fine at the table. Speaking
N Right. Continence is next. Does she ever
wet herself? 1 one metre eighty
Language spot D Well that happens quite often. Probably 2 ninety-five point seven kilos
because she doesn’t like using a bedpan 3 five feet eleven
2
and she can’t get to the bathroom. We 4 two hundred and eleven pounds
A Will you pass me my glasses? Then I’ll 5 one point eight times one point eight
have to make sure she has an
be able to see the television. equals three point two four
incontinence pad.
B Here you are. 6 ninety-five point seven divided by
N Does she ever show signs of confusion?
A Thanks. Oh and will you do me another three point four two equals twenty-
D Occasionally, yes. Sometimes she thinks
favour? nine point five four
I’m her sister. Last night I heard
B What now?
someone moving around downstairs,
A Will you help me stand up? I want to
and when I went down, I found Mum in
switch it on.
 Photocopiable © Oxford University Press

Listening 2 – An eating disorder we put a little of blood type O into more noisy, so I gave oxygen to help him
type A, we’ll see the difference. breathe.
S=staff nurse, N=nurse
S11 The red blood cells are moving. The S And you saw him on Tuesday, too,
S The new patient’s name is Anita
blood looks OK. didn’t you?
Josephs. Anita is sixteen. She fainted
I Right. You can give type O blood to all N Yes. By Tuesday he was unconscious all
and an ambulance brought her in, so
the other blood types. So, if we have an the time. Irregular breathing –
we are keeping her in for a forty-eight-
emergency, we usually use type O. It’s sometimes a pause of a minute or more.
hour observation. Anita is very
the universal donor. He took no fluids and no food, so there
underweight. She weighs 38.8 kilos.
was no urine. Mrs Jacobs and I turned
N11 That puts her BMI in the danger zone.
him regularly.
S Yes, her mother believes she has Listening 2 – A blood test
S And when did the end come?
anorexia. She told me about Anita’s N=nurse, P=patient N The end came on Wednesday morning.
personality changes and mood swings N How do you feel? Mr Jacobs was no longer breathing.
... P Tired all the time, really – I never have I called Doctor Simpson and he
N22 A typical teenager? any energy. pronounced Mr Jacobs dead at
S To a point, yes. But Anita is obsessed N Have you had a blood test before? ten o’clock, the seventh of July.
with dieting. She doesn’t eat, so she P No, I haven’t, no. How much blood will
gets stomach pains, frequent you take?
constipation, and attacks of dizziness. N Oh, just enough to fill the syringe – just Writing
N11 What does Anita say? five millilitres ... Well we’ve got the A Did you hear Mr Webb died last night?
S She says she feels miserable all the results of your blood test. As I thought, B Did he? Oh dear. He got a lung infection,
time, but she doesn’t know why. you’re a little bit anaemic. didn’t he?
However, she doesn’t believe she has a P Is that bad? A Yes, two weeks ago. He was receiving
weight problem. She told me that she N No, not necessarily. It just means that treatment for that, but he actually died
eats the same as everyone else, and your red blood cell count is a little on of a heart attack.
she doesn’t think her weight loss is the low side. A normal count is about B Really? What caused it?
abnormal. However, she does say she 4.2 to 5.4 million red blood cells per A A blood clot.
has difficulty sleeping, and is losing microlitre of blood, and yours was 3.9. B Right. He had AIDS, of course, didn’t he.
her hair, and she has also stopped P Oh dear – what does that mean? When was he diagnosed with that?
having periods. N Don’t worry – anaemia’s very common A Six months ago. And he was HIV-
in women. If you take iron positive for five years. He started
supplements, your red cell count should suffering from depression at about the
Unit 9 soon go up. The cells are normal in size same time.
and shape, so that looks good. Your
Listening 1 – Blood types white cells are a little high, but you’ve
just had a sore throat, haven’t you? Unit 11
I=instructor, S11 / S22= students 1 and 2
P Yes.
I I want to show you what happens if you
mix the wrong types of blood. Now, in
N Well, that’s just a sign that your body’s Listening 1 – A hygiene report
been fighting the infection, so that’s
front of you, you’ve got test tubes with H=hospital administrator, S=sister
fine. And platelets were normal.
different types of blood in them. The H Ah, Sister, I need to talk to you about the
blood in one test tube is type A. Now hygiene inspection.
who can receive blood type A?
S11 A patient with blood type AB.
Unit 10 S OK. How was our score?
H Mm. Three out of ten.
I Right. So AB can receive type A. But can S Oh dear. Well, they came at a very bad
B receive A? What happens if you give Listening – Report of a death time. Mid-morning.
type A to type B? Now there’s some type N=nurse, S=supervisor H I have their report here. Er ... I’ll just run
B blood in the second test tube. If you N When I visited Mr Jacobs on Monday, he through the important things ... under
add a drop of type A, you’ll see how they was going downhill fast. He was ‘Ward hygiene’ – ‘Door handles are not
react together. Now put a drop of the conscious most of the time. His hands regularly cleaned. Beds are not always
blood on a slide and look at it through and feet were cool. His arms were pale cleaned between patients. Toilets must
the microscope. grey. He spoke, but not to us – to people be cleaned three times a day but they
S22 The red blood cells are joining together. we couldn’t see. At about four o’clock he are only cleaned once a day. Floors must
I Yes, that’s right. We call that ‘clumping’. tried to get out of bed and fell to the be cleaned four times a day but they are
Now the blood stops moving if the red floor. His breathing was restricted and only cleaned once a day.’
cells clump. And of course, if the blood Under ‘Spillages of bodily fluids’, the
stops moving, the patient dies. Now, if report says that the average time was
Photocopiable © Oxford University Press

thirty-five minutes to clean up a Language spot Unit 13

spillage of urine. And it says ‘Nurses’
J=Jack, P=Paula
knowledge of MRSA is good, but ... ’
J Have you changed the patients’
S They always wear gloves. Scrub up
dressings? That’s the first thing on my
H Not good enough. It says here,‘Nurses 1 Your temperature is ... let’s see ... thirty-
list.
must wash hands before putting on eight point five.
P No, I haven’t done them yet.
gloves and after removing gloves.’
J Mrs Eriksson’s blood pressure needs to 2 Now relax while I measure your heart
S Well. We certainly need to improve, but
be taken. Have you done that yet? rate ...
we are very short staffed.
P Yes, that was the first thing I did. 3 Your blood pressure is a hundred and
H Mm.
J What about Mr Sissoko’s temperature? fifty over ninety.
Have you taken it?
Listening 2 – Test results 4 The patient’s respiratory rate is around
P Yes, I’ve done that. It’s lower than it was.
eighteen bpm.
W=ward nurse, P=Path lab technician J It says here that somebody spilt their
W Hello. Ward 5. orange juice. Have you cleaned the
P Hello, this is Peter Forbes from the Path floor? Pronunciation
lab. I’m phoning with Sandra P That’s the next thing on my list, so no,
1 heart rate 4 respiratory rate
Browning’s results I haven’t done that yet.
2 temperature 5 blood pressure
W Hi, Peter. Good news? J And Mrs Wong needs some tests. Have
3 pulse 6 vital sign
P I’m afraid not. I can confirm it is MRSA. you taken a urine specimen from her?
We have identified the bacterium – it’s P She’s having a shower at the moment,
MRSA clone 15. OK. Now, Mrs Browning so I haven’t had a chance yet. Patient care
has an infection in her right hip. 1 Just pop this under your tongue.
Correct? Listening – A case conference 2 Can you roll up your sleeve?
W Yes. 3 This may feel a bit cold on your chest.
P=psychiatrist, N=nurse therapist
P Well, we tested her urine and blood, and 4 Just breathe in and out normally.
P ... so let’s move on. Next on the list is
took throat and nasal swabs. First 5 Relax your arm for me.
new patient Delroy Moseki. For those of
things first. Blood – high white cell 6 Could you undo your shirt for me,
you who don’t know him, he is 51,
count. please?
admitted on Tuesday. Who is Mr
W OK.
Moseki’s nurse therapist?
P Negative for E. coli. But positive for
N It’s me doctor. Listening 1 – A coma patient
Staphylococcus aureus. We tested this
P Paul. Thank you. Can you take over? I=ICU nurse, D=doctor
Staphylococcus for resistance to
N Yes. Er ... Delroy ... The notes say that I ICU?
antibiotics. These are the results.
when he was admitted last Tuesday he D Hi. Doctor Michaels here.
It is resistant to: Cefazolin, Penicillin,
er ... appeared normal in his I Good evening, doctor.
and Methicillin. We also tested for
movements and posture. However, he D Good evening. How’s our TBI patient?
resistance to Erythromycin,
didn’t know where he was and what I Mr Forrester? Mm. It’s not looking good.
Clindamycin, and Tetracycline – all
was happening. He avoids eye contact, He’s still unconscious, doctor.
positive. However, tests show the
and has spoken to none of the other D What’s the blood pressure reading?
bacterium has a susceptibility to
patients, as far as I know. The night staff I BP is one seventy over one twenty.
Mupirocin. Also, the bacterium is not
report that he has some sleepless D Mmm. Much too high. And what was it
resistant to Vancomycin and Oxacyllin.
nights. He shouts out in the night and at twenty hundred hours ?
W OK, I’ve got that Peter – thanks very
wakes other patients. I think he has I One fifty over ninety. It started rising an
much.
auditory hallucinations. hour later – at twenty-two hundred
P Yes, that’s in the notes. He hears voices. hours it was one sixty over one ten.
Unit 12 Have you done any tests?
N Yes, the charge nurse on night shift has
D So, rising all the time. What about his
ICP?
tested him. He names objects correctly, I ICP was stable at twenty at twenty
Pronunciation but forgets them almost immediately. hundred hours. But it rose to twenty
posture disoriented He gets frustrated easily, and often five at twenty-one hundred. At twenty-
unemotional uncommunicative cries. It’s also very hard to understand two hundred it was twenty six. Now it’s
hallucinations delusions what he says. twenty seven.
manic irrational P Thank you Paul. Now I’d like to ask D Right. We must get his ICP back to
paranoia depression some questions ... below twenty. Twenty and over is too
high. OK. I’ll be there in ten minutes.
 Photocopiable © Oxford University Press

Listening 2 – A scan Listening – Patient medication P Hello.

I But to start us off, Amber. Can you tell
N=nurse, M=Mrs Murphy 1 Let’s start with Mr Gupta. He’s had pain
us about qigong healing?
N OK, Mrs Murphy, just lie back on this all night in the lower abdomen. The
A Qigong is holistic. It sees illness as a
examination table. Are you doctor says he needs stronger pain
problem of mind, spirit, and body, so the
comfortable? relief, so he has prescribed thirty
whole person is treated, not just the
M Yes, thank you. milligrams of Morphine every four
illness.
N Have you had plenty of water to drink? hours.
I Right. And qi is important isn’t it? What
M Yes – three glasses. 2 We have moved Mr Gill to an isolation
exactly is qi?
N Good, we need your bladder full. I’m room, as he has an infection in his
A Qi is energy. Qi is part of everything
putting some gel onto your abdomen. respiratory tract. A new antibiotic may
that exists. Illness, you see, is caused by
That helps the ultrasound work well. work, so we are giving him a 600
an imbalance of qi, and a qigong healer
M OK. milligram infusion of Clindamycin over
restores energy balance so that healing
N Your notes say the baby has stopped a period of four hours.
can happen.
moving. Is that right? 3 Now, Mr Sawyer. We have to encourage
I And you heal from a distance, don’t
M Yes, I’m a bit worried. bowel movement, so a laxative could be
you? Over the telephone?
N And you’re in the twenty-second week useful. He has one tablespoon of
A That’s correct. I practice external qi
of your pregnancy? Metamucil – that’s 15 milligrams – three
healing. I speak to my patients by
M Yes. times a day.
telephone.
N Right. Well the ultrasound scan is very 4 Right. Mr Thomas is on antibiotics for
I And you unblock their qi?
simple. When I pass the transducer over his skin infection. Cephalexin is in
A Put simply, yes.
your abdomen, it bounces sound waves tablet form, to be taken with food. 250
I Thank you. Professor Silver – you don’t
off the baby’s body and it makes a milligrams every six hours.
believe in qi, do you?
picture here on the monitor. Then we 5 Lastly, Mr Cheong receives an injection
P No. I have found no evidence for qi, no.
can see if there is anything wrong. It of an antihistamine every eight hours –
I And yet energy healing does work,
shows up any abnormalities. A scan can 10 milligrams of Dimotane each time.
don’t you agree?
usually show if the baby is a boy or a Maybe this will control his allergies.
P It does work, sometimes, yes.
girl. Do you want to know the baby’s
I So how do you explain it?
sex?
Patient care P We find a lot of evidence for a placebo
M Yes please.
effect. Belief is seventy per cent of any
N OK. I’m passing the transducer over 1 She needs to take two tablets twice a
treatment. In other words, my hands
your abdomen now. Ah, here we are. day for a week.
can’t heal you, but if you believe I have
There’s the baby. Can you see it? 2 What dosage of Penicillin is Mr Oliver
healing hands, then I can heal you by
M It’s not very clear. on?
moving my hands over you.
N Well, here’s the head. Can you see that? 3 How often does he need his medicine?
I So, what’s really going on here?
N And there’s a hand. Five fingers. And 4 Give Mrs Muben one 0.5 mil eye drop in
P Well, we do know that being completely
there’s a foot – can you see? each eye every four hours.
relaxed helps us recover more quickly.
M Yes. 5 He’s on two tablets three times a day
I So, you are saying that all I need is to
N Can you see the heart beating? with water at mealtimes.
relax and believe that you have the
The baby’s alive and looks good. Yes,
power to heal me?
everything is normal. And look – a
penis. It’s a boy. Unit 15 P Exactly. My explanation is not as
interesting as Amber’s, but we live in
M Really? I wanted a girl.
the twenty first century and ...
N You did? Just a moment! Well you’re not Listening 1 – Qigong
going to be disappointed – you’re going
to have twins – a boy and a girl. I=interviewer, A=Amber, P=Professor
Silver
I Can you cure illness without medicine
Unit 14 or surgery? Energy healers say yes.
Energy healers say they can heal
without touching the patient. In the
Vocabulary studio, to tell us about energy healing,
A painkiller An antihistamine is Amber Chesterman, who is a qigong
A sedative A stimulant healer.
An anti-inflammatory An antidepressant A Hello.
An inoculation A laxative I Also with us is Professor Julius Silver
An antibiotic A supplement who is sceptical about qigong.