Exercise 12 How to Go to a Walk-in Clinic

Exercise 2. Complete the conversation

Receptionist: Hello, surgery.

Wayne: Hello. Can I------------------?

R: Yes, of course. When would you like to come in?

W: ----------------------------------

R: Is it urgent?

W: ----------------------------------

R: Would Friday afternoon be OK?

W: Yes. That’s fine.

Exercise 3. What did the doctor say? What did the doctor say next?

	You’ve only grazed your knee.	a	Do you sleep well?
	It’s a deep cut.	b	I need to examine your chest.
	I’ll give you a prescription for some tablets.	c	I’ll send you for an X-ray.
	Your foot is swollen. You may have broken a bone.	d	Take one three times a day.
	So, you’re going to travel around the world?	e	I’ll send you to see a specialist.
	Depression can be linked to tiredness.	f	You may need some injections.
	I don’t know what’s causing the rash.	g	The nurse ill clean it and put some antiseptic on it.
	Take your shirt off, please.	h	You’ll need stitches.

Exercise 4. Match the symptom on the left to the remedy on the right

	headache	aspirin
	broken arm	sticking plaster
	bleeding	throat sweet
	burns	ice pack
	backache	bandage
	cut finger	eye bath
	broken leg	massage
	sore throat	cold water
	influenza	sling
	sore eye	splint
	high temperature	bed rest

Exercise 5. Select the most suitable verb to use with each remedy

	swallow	aspirin
	put on	sticking plaster
	wrap	throat sweet
	suck	ice pack
	have	bandage
	take	eye bath
	put in	a massage
	use	cold water
	tie on	a sling (an arm and neck bandage)
	tie	splint (2 pieces of wood to hold an arm or leg straight)
	stick	bed rest

 

Exercise 6. Find the best ending

	He got into	his arm in two places
	He had to	an ambulance
	He broke	a fight
	He hit	of a window
	He called	a plaster on his finger
	He fell out	his head
	He put	go to hospital

Exercise 7. Match the sentences

	If someone fells sick	they may have a cold.
	If someone’s got flu	they want to go to the toilet.
	If someone has a heart attack	they find it hard to breathe.
	If someone’s got diarrhea	they want to vomit.
	If someone’s got asthma	they fell very hot.
	If someone’s got a hang over	they have a high temperature.
	If someone is blowing their nose a lot	they need a doctor immediately.
	If someone’s got a temperature	they drank too much beer last night.

 

Exercise 8. Complete the dialogues with a word from the box in the correct form

hurt suffer sneeze prescription ache fillings injection painful temperature

A: My little boy isn’t very well. He keeps …………….

B: Oh, dear. Does he………….from hay fever?

A: No, I don’t think so.

B: Has he got a ………….?

A: Yes, it’s quite high. Maybe I should take him to the doctor’s.

B: I would. Then he can give you a …………. for the chemist’s.

C: I fell over and hit my knee.

D: Did it………….very much?

C: Yes, it was terrible. And this morning when I got up, it was still ………

E: Have you been to the dentist yet?

F: Yes, I went yesterday.

E: Did he give you an……………?

F: Yes, I don’t like needles very much, but at least it wasn’t too…………., so I was very relieved.

 

Exercise 9. Fill-in the blanks

1. You must take two... before each meal. (tablets, cough-mixture, gargle). 2. If you follow my... you will fell better tomorrow. (physician, disease, instructions).

3. When you have a toothache you must consult....(a nurse, a dentist, an oculist).

4.... operates on people, (therapeutist, psychiatrist, surgeon).

5. The doctor put down everything she found in my mother's....(note, patient's file, prescription).

Exercise 10. Act out a similar dialogue with a dentist. Suppose two teeth trouble you and the doctor is going to treat one of them and take out the other.

At the Dentist's

D.: Good morning, Mr. Senin. What can I do for you?

S.: I've got a bad tooth that's troubling me day and night.

D.: I must examine your mouth. Open wide. Which one is it?

S.: This one on the right. Must you take it out?

D.: The tooth is very bad but it isn't too late to treat it. I'll put some medicine into it now. Come the day after tomorrow at the same time. I'll fill the tooth.

S.: Thank you, doctor.

Exercise 11

A

— Hello, Mike! How are you?

— Hello, Tom! I’m fine, thanks.

— Glad to hear it! Take a seat, I must examine you.

— Open your mouth. Good. Now take a breath. Don’t breath. Breath out. Oh, it seems to me, there is a small problem.

— Really?!

— Don’t worry. There is nothing to worry about so much. I’m going to prescribe you some pills. Be careful, take three of these pills two times a day.

— Write me on the paper, please. I can forget.

— Give this prescription to the chemist. I’ll wait for you in 5 days.

— Thank you, Tom!

— Take care!

B

— Good morning! Can I help you?

— Good morning! I would like to see Dr. Smite.

— What’s your name? Do you have an appointment?

— My name is Mary Robinson. Unfortunately, I haven’t, but I am feeling unwell.

— What are your symptoms?

— I’ve got a pain in my back.

— Take a seat. Wait a minute, please.

— Okey.

— Dr. Smite is ready to see you now.

— Thank you a lot!

C

— What’s the problem, Missis Nelson?

— I am in a lot of pain!

— Lay down over here.

— Oh, my foot.

— Does it hurt when I press here?

— Yes!

— What happened?

— I fell down the stairs. Doctor, I’ve been feeling sick and having headaches.

— I hope you’ve pulled only a muscle in your leg. I want to send you for an x-ray.

Exercise 12 How to Go to a Walk-in Clinic

If you have a medical emergency in an English-speaking country, call 112, 999 or 911, or go to a hospital emergency room (ER). The ER may have a very long wait. If your medical problem is less serious, go to a walk-in clinic. Look online or in a phonebook for the closest clinic. Use the search “ walk-in clinic ” plus the name of the city you are in. In a phonebook, look under “ doctor ” or “ medical “. Check the clinic hours. You don’t need an appointment at most clinics. You might want to bring a dictionary or a friend who can translate.

Documents to bring
If you are a visitor, you will probably be billed for your visit. Bring your papers with you if you have insurance. If you are a student, bring your permit. Do you need to have your prescription refilled? Bring your prescription form or bottle of medication with you.

Reception

Visit the reception desk first. The receptionist will ask you for your name and health card. The receptionist may ask you a few questions: Do you have a family doctor/GP?

Why do you need to see a doctor today?

What is your medical concern?

How long have you had this problem/these symptoms?

Are you taking any medication?

Do you have any allergies?

Waiting Times
Many walk-in-clinics will not tell you how long you will have to wait. Usually you wait in a waiting room until your name is called. Listen carefully. Then you go into a doctor’s office and wait again. You can try to ask these questions:

Talking to the Doctor

The doctor will ask you the reason for your visit:

What brought you in today?

What’s your medical concern?

How can I help you?

Do your best to explain your symptoms. Use gestures to point at body parts if you can’t explain something. Here are some typical symptoms:

I have a sore throat.

I have an earache.

I have an infection.

I have a bad cough.

I feel sick to my stomach. I have a stomach ache.

I think I have food poisoning.

I have been vomiting/throwing up since yesterday.

I have a fever. (high temperature)

I have chills.

I’m experiencing pain in/on my _______________ (body part).

I fell and hurt my _________________.

I have a bad headache.

My _____________ is swollen.

I think I am pregnant.

The doctor will ask how long this has been a problem:

How long have you had these symptoms?

Have you had this before?

Are you in a lot of pain?

Are you experiencing a lot of discomfort?

You can answer in two ways:
for + amount of time: for five days; for about a week
since + day or time it started in the past: since last Tuesday; since this morning

Pharmacy
If you require medication, the doctor will write you a prescription. You will have to go to a pharmacy to get your prescription filled. Another word for pharmacy is drugstore. Ask the doctor to write down the address of the closest pharmacy. The person at the pharmacy is the pharmacist. Make sure you understand the dosage. If you are unclear about the dosage, ask the pharmacist to repeat the information.

Can you explain that to me again?

Repeat the dosage back to the pharmacist to be sure that you understand.

So, I need to take 20 millilitres every four hours. Is that correct?