Medical Voices
Medical Voices is a podcast designed for healthcare professionals who work across borders, whom the hosts call 'Med Nomads'. It aims to support nurses, international medical graduates, and students who face language barriers and cultural challenges in new healthcare environments. The show focuses on making medical language accessible and dignified, offering free resources to help listeners feel more at home wherever they practice. It is intended for language learning purposes only and does not provide medical advice.
Episodes
Calling the Doctor Overnight (SBAR) — Medical English Ep. 21
It's 2 AM on Whitfield Ward. A ward nurse picks up the phone and calls the on-call doctor about a patient whose observations have changed.This is the first Medical Voices episode where both characters are clinicians — and every line teaches SBAR, the structured handover framework hospitals worldwide use for a deteriorating patient. If you're preparing for OET's inter-professional sp
Capacity & Informed Consent — Medical English Ep. 20
An elderly patient is due a routine MRI, and his daughter has one urgent question: on a day his capacity is fluctuating, who actually gets to decide?Dr. Rao walks the family through informed consent, capacity, and best-interests decision-making — in plain, reassuring language. This is one of the most legally sensitive conversations in medicine, and one of the most exam-relevant: capacity and conse
Falls Assessment: The Language of a Geriatric GP Follow-Up for OET Speaking & IELTS
Mr. Fenwick had a single fall in his kitchen three weeks ago — and he's keen to downplay it so as not to worry his daughter. Dr. Chaudhry isn't about to let that happen.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential falls-assessment terms: fall, loss of balance, dizziness/lightheadedness, postural hypotension, mobility aid, home environment review, polypharmacy, bone density, activities of daily livi
Chest Pain in the ED: The Language of an Emergency Triage Assessment for OET Speaking & NMC OSCE
Mr. Sullivan walks into the Emergency Department with chest pain that's never felt like this before — and Staff Nurse Pillai has only minutes to take a structured history, get him monitored, and start ruling out the dangerous causes.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential chest-pain triage terms: chest pain, onset, radiation, associated symptoms, shortness of breath, ECG, troponin, cardiac monitor,
Hypertension Follow-Up: The Language of a Chronic-Disease Review for OET Speaking & IELTS
Mrs. Holloway has bought her own blood pressure monitor and been checking daily since her diagnosis a few months ago — and today Dr. Ahmed wants to know exactly how she's been taking those readings.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential hypertension follow-up terms: blood pressure/BP reading, hypertension, home BP monitoring, systolic/diastolic, lifestyle modification, salt intake, cardiovascular
Antenatal Booking Visit: The Language of Your First Midwife Appointment for OET Speaking
It's Sophie's first pregnancy, and her first booking visit — and she's just found out the appointment doesn't include a scan at all. Midwife Miguel Santos is about to explain exactly what does happen instead.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential antenatal booking terms: antenatal (prenatal), booking visit, due date (EDD), last menstrual period (LMP), folic acid, screening test, boo
Asthma & Inhaler Technique: The Language of an Annual Asthma Review for OET Speaking & IELTS
Ryan hasn't had an asthma review in two years, and his inhaler technique has quietly drifted without him noticing. Practice Nurse Ngozi Eze is about to find out exactly where it's gone wrong.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential asthma review terms: asthma, wheeze, shortness of breath, trigger, inhaler, reliever/preventer, spacer, peak flow, asthma attack, and action plan. Each term is defin
Wound Care: The Language of a Dressing Change for OET Speaking & NMC OSCE
Mrs. Davies is back at Elmwood Surgery for a scheduled dressing change — and this time it's Practice Nurse Marco Reyes checking the wound, not the doctor.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential wound care terms: wound, dressing, stitches/sutures, staples, sterile technique, granulation tissue, exudate, healing well, sign of infection, and removal date. Each term is defined and demonstrated in a rea
Diabetes Diagnosis: The Language of a GP Results Appointment for OET Speaking & IELTS
Mr. Graham Pearce is back for his blood test results — and Dr. Khan is about to tell him, plainly and without hedging, that it's Type 2 diabetes.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential diabetes-counselling terms: Type 2 diabetes, blood sugar, HbA1c, fasting glucose, lifestyle changes, carbohydrates, physical activity, diabetic eye check, diabetic foot check, and annual review. Each term is defined
Mental Health Assessment: The Language of a Primary Care Consultation for OET Speaking & IELTS
Emma's son is doing just fine — but she isn't quite herself. She's booked twenty minutes to talk about how she's been feeling, and Mental Health Practitioner Femi Adeyemi is about to show what a genuinely validating assessment sounds like.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential mental health assessment terms: low mood, anxiety, sleep disturbance, appetite changes, concentration, copi
Telephone Triage: The Language of an NHS 111 Call for OET Speaking & IELTS
It's 9 PM and the GP surgery is closed. Nadia calls NHS 111 about her son Jamie, who won't respond properly — and the call handler on the other end has only her voice to work with.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential telephone triage terms: disposition, clinical concern, severity, responsiveness, worsening, callback number, out-of-hours, urgent care, self-care, and escalation. Each term is
Paediatric Consultation: Talking to Parents About a Child's Health for OET & IELTS
A different kind of consultation: a parent, a four-year-old, and a GP who has to reassure without minimizing.Nadia and Tom take you into a paediatric GP appointment. Mrs. Carter brings her son Oliver to see Dr. Okafor, reporting he's been off his food, running a temperature, and pulling at his ear. Ten vocabulary terms covered: paediatric, symptoms, fever, cough (productive vs. dry), earache,
Post-Op Recovery: The Language of a Surgical Ward for OET Nursing & IELTS
Mr. Davies is one day post-op on a surgical ward — and Staff Nurse Santos walks through everything he needs to know before the morning round is over.Nadia and Tom cover ten essential post-operative terms: post-operative, surgical ward, recovery, pain score, mobilisation, wound site, analgesia, observations, bowel function, and discharge criteria. Each term is defined and demonstrated in a realisti
Referred to a Specialist: The GP Referral Letter for OET Writing & Speaking
A new patient, a new practice, and one of the most examinable scenarios in medical English: the GP referral.Nadia and Tom introduce Mrs. Helen Walker, newly registered at Hartfield Medical Centre, presenting with palpitations and mild breathlessness. Dr. Sharma takes her presenting complaint, orders an ECG, and decides she needs a specialist opinion. Ten vocabulary terms covered: palpitations, pre
Allergies & Medications: The Medication Review for OET & IELTS
Mr. Davies sits down with Dr. Bennett at Elmwood Surgery for a full medication review — the conversation that closes out his GP arc.Nadia and Tom cover the vocabulary of a medication review: medication review, allergy, side effect, dosage, adherence, drug interaction, repeat prescription, generic medication, discontinue, and review appointment. Each term is defined with a natural example, then dem
Understanding Your Results: MRI Findings & Discharge Summary for OET & IELTS
Mr. Davies is back to hear his results — and how a doctor delivers complex medical information without causing alarm.Nadia and Tom cover the vocabulary of a results consultation: discharge summary, MRI, results, structural abnormality, diagnosis, tension-type headache, chronic, follow-up plan, reassurance, and review appointment. Each term is defined and demonstrated as Dr. Patel walks Mr. Davies
Vital Signs & Assessment: Triage Vocabulary for OET & IELTS
Mr. Davies is assessed on arrival to the ward — and every number the nurse records tells part of the story.Nadia and Tom cover the vocabulary of a triage and assessment: vital signs, triage, temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, baseline observations, assessment, and escalation. Each term is defined and demonstrated in a natural nurse-patient assessment, followed
Hospital Admission: Taking a Full Medical History for OET & IELTS
Mr. Davies arrives at hospital admissions — and a nurse takes him through a complete medical history before he's settled onto the ward.Nadia and Tom cover the vocabulary of a hospital admission: admission, medical history, referral letter, investigations, surgical ward, informed consent, presenting complaint, past medical history, current medications, and patient details. Each term is defined
Describing Symptoms: Onset, Duration & Severity for OET & IELTS
Mr. Davies is back at the GP clinic — this time to describe how he's really feeling, in detail.Nadia and Tom cover the vocabulary of a symptom-focused consultation: symptoms, onset, duration, severity, pain scale, associated symptoms, aggravating factors, relieving factors, diagnosis, and follow-up consultation. Each term is defined with a natural example, then demonstrated in a full doctor-p
At the Pharmacy: Prescriptions & Medication Vocabulary for OET & IELTS
Mr. Davies collects a prescription — and the pharmacist walks through exactly what he needs to know before he leaves the counter.Nadia and Tom cover the vocabulary of a community pharmacy visit: prescription, pharmacist, dosage, directions, side effect, over-the-counter, generic medication, repeat prescription, medication label, and collection. Each term is defined and demonstrated in a natural ph
First GP Appointment: Core Medical Vocabulary for OET & IELTS
A complete UK GP consultation, from chief complaint to follow-up plan — spoken naturally, then broken down term by term.Nadia and Tom walk through a realistic first GP appointment, covering 10 essential clinical vocabulary terms: chief complaint, medical history, vital signs, blood pressure, allergy, symptoms, prescription, follow-up, over-the-counter, and referral. Each term gets a clear definiti
