'Can you send me resources, so I can pass the OET?'
'Can you give me some tips on how to pass the OET?'
'How can I improve my reading score?'
etc.
etc.

I have written on this topic quite a few times in the past, but today I am going to say something which may sound a bit harsh.

To pass the OET at B Level, you have to have a firm grasp on General English structures as well as a wide medical English vocabulary. YOU need to do most of the work, in developing the vocabulary you need and in practising General English grammatical structures.

What can teachers and medical English writers do for you?

In a dedicated OET prep class or online Skype class, teachers can guide you with your speaking skills. There is an opportunity to practise listening skills, by 'stopping and reviewing' each section of listening texts.

If you don't have access to a face-to-face class, think of how you can do the same yourself.
For the interview section: There are lots of podcasts about various diseases and conditions. Listen to them and make notes after each section. For example: listen to the section on the description of the condition. Stop the audio. Make notes. 
What were the key terms? E.g. Nausea and vomiting 3-7 days, occasional diarrhoea, itchy rash followed by pus-filled spots, headache -tight band across forehead etc 

You should build up a Word Bank of common symptoms, so that you can write them quickly (and spell them accurately) during the test.
HINT: familiarity with terms, including correct spelling is VERY IMPORTANT. It saves you time.

There are many symptoms which 'go together'. These may be classed as ONE POINT. 
Learn as many of these as you can , e.g.
* nausea and vomiting  (often abbreviated to N&V)
* diarrhoea and vomiting (D&V)
* coughs and colds
* aches and pains
* ups and downs  (describing feelings of depression)
* fever and runny nose

Yesterday, I had a short meeting with some people from OET. We had an interesting chat about such things as Word Counts and how to write referral letters. 
You may be interested in what was said:
Firstly  The Word Count
From David Wiltshire
He cautions against thinking in terms of counting each word. Instead, in his opinion, if you put in the necessary facts from the Case Notes and arrange the information in a logical way (that is, always keeping in mind the person you are writing to), the word count should be reached.

Secondly,,The Structure
Using a 'template' (e.g. paragraph 1 should have this, paragraph 2 should have.....) is not recommended, according to David. He suggests that this may stop candidates from thinking about the purpose of the letter and who they are writing to. Instead, he stresses the need to arrange information in as many paragraphs which are needed to convey the information.

I have to say that I agree with this on one level - it is very important not to simply 'copy and paste' information in a pre-set template. As David points out, it is very important that you think carefully about the information you are conveying. For instance, there may be an important piece of information which doesn't really fit with a 'template paragraph'. Do you leave it out or add it after the paragraph? ....Answer: if it is important, add the information to the letter.

My view on using a 'template' style approach varies a little from David's. I agree that each referral letter must 'fit' the Case Notes and be an individual letter,rather than an unchanged format. Having said this, I recognise that healthcare professionals are more likely to feel comfortable with completing a formulaic style hospital form, rather than writing a letter.

I was talking to a nurse and OET candidate yesterday about some of the aspects of the role plays which cause a few difficulties. While we were talking, I had an 'aha' moment...one of those times, when you realise something which is only obvious, when you know it. 

Let me explain. For a lot time now, I have been teaching medical English expressions, which we (nurses in Australia and the UK - my experience) use, when talking about patient care. One of them is 'encourage independence'. You will hear this expression a lot, when talking about the elderly or less able patients. The idea is that we, as nurses, physios, doctors, OTs etc, want to ensure that we don't take away a person's ability to care for themselves. It may be that they need some help (you will hear expressions like:
* 'needs prompting to eat' - this means, that you will need to say something like 'Here's your lunch, Mrs Smith. Would you like to start with the sandwich?'

* 'supervise medication, shower, toileting etc' - this means that you may need to watch the elderly person to ensure that they take their medication or have a shower

* encourage mobilisation - you will need to encourage the elderly person to walk to the toilet, for example, rather than expect to be taken in a wheelchair

* encourage independence with ADLs - you will se this expression written in care plans and clinical pathways.

I had always assumed that this was standard nursing practice all over the world, but I realised yesterday, that I was making CULTURAL assumptions. I was told that in some countries, e.g. Singapore and China, almost the opposite is the the norm, Nurses do not encourage independence, if an elderly patient is in hospital, for fear that they might have a fall. To do otherwise is viewed as promoting unsafe practice.

The conversation started me thinking about how this might affect a candidate who is doing a role play for the OET. The candidate may not understand prompts which tell them to 'encourage independence'.

Another thing we talked about yesterday was home services and home aids. Before we practised a role play, where I played the part of the caregiver (daughter) of an elderly person returning home after a knee replacement. We talked about the sort of suggestions which the nurse could make regarding assistance at home. For example:
1. bathroom modification. It's not enough to say 'I'll arrange an Occupational Therapy visit to discuss home modifications.' You need to know their names and how to describe them. It's a good idea to go on a website which sells aids for the bathroom and other rooms. For instance, the Allianz website. 
* toilet seat raise  - 'This will make it easier to sit on the toilet.'
* grab rails -'You can hold onto the grab rails to keep you steady.'
* non-slip bath mats - 'These help prevent slips in the bathroom.'

Another topic you may discuss with patients is Meals on Wheels - the service which delivers food to client's homes. The service has changed in later years, so that frozen meals can be delivered as many or as few days a week as needed.

And so on. Do some research about what is available and write out some expressions you might use during the role play.

Dementia and role plays
Do some research about what is available in the community to help people with dementia and their carers. Alzheimers Australia is a very useful website. In New Zealand, it's the Alzheimers New Zealand Charitable Trust as well as websites, such as Dementia Auckland. Research local services and support groups you can recommend to patients or their carers. 

In summary, make sure that you can demonstrate an understanding of the cultural setting as well as the language needed. Be aware of the cultural expectations of a nurse, physio, OT etc - in other words, show that you are encouraging independence.

  Last week, I had the opportunity of teaching an OET preparation class at the Sydney College of English, where I met a group of students who are preparing to sit the OET test this month.

 It was interesting for me to be on the 'teacher' side of the desk, rather than the 'writer of materials' side of the desk. It gave me the chance to make a few observations. These are:
1) The subtests in general
It is very important to understand the structure of the tests, so you can practise and become familiar with the form your answers will take. Take the writing subtest - You need to be able to write a letter which can be clearly understood and one which makes sense. Your ideas should 'flow' in a logical way. For example:
Paragraph 1: Should state why you are writing
* to refer for ongoing care and support (community nurses)
* to refer for a review of the case and advice on further management (doctor to a specialist)
* to refer for a specialist programme after discharge, e.g. rehab ( nurse/ doctor to physio/ OT)
* to refer (or transfer) to a nursing home / hospice for care after discharge

In paragraph 1, you should also introduce the patient, giving relevant medical and social background information as well as medication information, if needed.

Paragraph 2: Explain recent treatment/ surgery in hospital. Outline any complications that occurred or reasons why the patient may need assistance or further management after discharge.

Paragraph 3: Usually the time that you ask for the help for an issue which has triggered the need for referral. For example, the patient may not be well enough after surgry to manage personal care and not have family close by to help. The patient may have a dressing to be done after discharge. The patient may need blood tests and review by the GP after discharge.

So, paragraph 3 is often the 'request' paragraph. What you are saying is 'I've explained about the patient and why s/he needs your help. Now, could you please ......?

2) The role plays in the speaking subtest.
These also follow a format, always with the awareness that the interlocutor (playing the part of the patient/carer/relative) will try to take you off track. 
Read the tasks carefully and plan your dialogue, so that you can cover all the tasks.
Identify the language functions you are going to display - explaining something, giving gentle advice/ suggesting, giving strong advice/ warning about serious consequences.

Finally, never forget that your 'patient' is supposed to be someone with no medical knowledge or limited knowledge. You need to be able to talk in terms that your 'patient' will understand. Think of some of the procedures/ blood tests/ operations, you may have to explain during the role play. Write down 3 or 4 points which you will use in your explanation and practise with a friend.

For example, a podiatrist explaining to a patient how s/he will treat an ingrown toenail which has become very painful.

You will notice, that I gave an example for a podiatrist. This is because each of the 12 professions uses the same language functions in order to communicate well. Everyone has to explain something, speak empathetically, persuade patients to do something they don't want to do, give advice, make suggestions about lifestyle changes, respond to complaints, talk about embarrassing or sensative topics etc.

This means that you can look at any role play examples and 'rewrite' them for your profession, especially if there are few resources for your profesion, e.g. optometry, radiography or podiatry.

The heading of the blog today refers to the benefit of class-room teaching. Whilst I am a great fan of Blended Learning and online courses ( I write them after all!), I think f2f teaching and learning has an important place in OET preparation. Many candidates I speak to or receive comments from, access materials which are outdated or incorrect, when they practise OET skills. Some try to learn role plays off by heart - a disaster! A good preparation class gives you and your teacher the opportunity of pinpointing where the issues are - where you are going wrong, in effect.