Conversation 1

Nurse: Good morning sir, how are you feeling now?

Patient: Good Morning, I am feeling better than before.

Nurse: That’s really great. You look hale and hearty.

Patient: I just want to know that have you changed my medicine because you gave me only two
medicines in the morning.

Nurse: Yes, seeing the steady improvement in your health, we have reduced your dosage. And that
medicine will be given to you only at night.

Patient: I am a touch relieved after hearing this.

Nurse: You have a blood test right now.

Patient: Blood test for what?

Nurse: To check the level your hemoglobin.

Patient: OK and will that be done empty stomach?

Nurse: Yes, it will done empty stomach.

Patient: What will I get in breakfast after the test?

Nurse: Today you will get oats along with a cup of milk.

Patient: That’s so bland and boring. Can’t you jazz it up a little?

Nurse: Hilarious! Don’t worry you will get a healthy and sumptuous lunch.

Patient: That’s perfect.

VOCABULARY

Hale and hearty – strong and healthy

Bland – tasteless, uninteresting

Jazz it up – make something more interesting

Sumptuous – good, splendid

DR. SHARMA: Good morning! What’s wrong with you?

MR. KAPOOR: I have been suffering from fever since yesterday.

DR. SHARMA: Do you have any other symptoms?

MR. KAPOOR: I also feel headache and shivering.

DR. SHARMA: Let me take your temperature. At this time the fever is 102 degree. Don’t worry, there is
nothing serious. I am giving you the medicine, and you will be all right in couple of days.

MR. KAPOOR: Thank you, doctor.

DR. SHARMA: But get your blood tested for malaria, and come with the report tomorrow.

MR. KAPOOR: OK doctor.

DR. SHARMA: I shall recommend at least two days rest for you.

MR. KAPOOR: Would you prepare a medical certificate for me to submit it in my office?

DR. SHARMA: Oh sure…………. This is your medical certificate.

MR. KAPOOR: Thank you very much. Please tell me how shall I take this medicine?

DR. SHARMA: This medicine is for one day only. Take this dose as soon as you reach your home and the
second at 3 pm and the third at night before sleeping.

MR. KAPOOR: What should I eat doctor?

DR. SHARMA: You should eat only light food. You can take milk and fresh fruit also.

MR. KAPOOR: How much shall I pay you doctor?

DR. SHARMA: You can pay consultation fee at the reception desk.

MR. KAPOOR: Thanks doctor.

DR. SHARMA: It’s all right.

MR. KAPOOR: Thank you doctor. I shall see you tomorrow with my blood report.
Common nursing & midwifery interview questions

Have you seen an obstetrician before coming here?

- No, I haven’t. I just noticed that I haven’t been in my period for 3 months and my husband suggested
that I took a pregnancy test.

Have you eaten yet?

- Yes, I’ve eat this morning

Is it your first pregnancy?

- yes. We weren’t planning for this and it made me worried so much.

What vitamins do you consume?

- I consume multi-vitamin tablets and extra Vitamin D every day.

Let me do a physical check. Please pull a deep breath, hold your breath, and exhale. Everything is nice
normal blood pressure and no high temperatures.

- Thank you.

How long have you been pregnant?

- It’s been 10 weeks

Do you suffer from insomnia?

- Well, it was very difficult for me to fall asleep when I went to bed. I also wake up many times during
the night.

So, what are you feeling?

- I still suffer from a lot of heartburn but things get better now.

Any other thing you want to complain of?

- Well I’m feeling a lot better.

- Thanks. I think I need a rest

Do you smoke?

- No

I think I’ll take your blood pressure as well.

- Is there anything to worry about?

No. Everything’s fine

- Yes, I’m so glad everything went well.

Here let me help you. Do you feel comfortable now?

- Yes, it’s much much better.

Exercise 1
Given below is a conversation between a nurse and a patient. There are a total of 5 female nurses in the
ward who work in shifts, and each nurse takes care of the patient allotted to her. Each nurse is
responsible for the patient’s comfortable stay in the hospital.

It’s not just the physical but also the mental condition of the patient that doctors and nurses need to
take care of. It is one of the duties of the nurse to keep a check on the patient’s condition, both
physically and mentally.

It is her responsibility to keep a check on the food and medicine intake by the patient. She has to make
the patient aware of the tests that are to be conducted. She needs to collect these reports for further
diagnosis by the doctor. This is an excerpt from one such conversation between a patient and a nurse.

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Conversation between a Nurse and a Patient

(Setting – It is just like any other afternoon in the hospital) The walls of the hospital are white and blue in
colour. The beds are well made. Out of the 20 beds in the ward, half are empty. The hour clock hits
three, and there is some movement to be seen. Nurses are preparing to hand over the duties to the
evening shift. All of the patients are in deep slumber except one, who was staring at the clock before the
movements distracted him from his concentration. A nurse approaches towards the patient and takes
out his file and starts putting in entries)

Patient: Good afternoon, Miss Jones.

Nurse: Good afternoon(notices tiredness in his eyes). How are you feeling today?

Patient: I believe the discomfort in my lower seems to be well now. I guess the physiotherapy has made
me feel a lot better.

(patient suffered from an accident that had put him in the hospital for over a month now. He has mostly
recovered and is now in his recovery phase)

Nurse: (smiling) That’s good to hear. You seem to be enjoying your therapy lessons. I was informed you
are doing well in your physiotherapy lessons. There has been much improvement in your case. You seem
to be in a better physical condition.

(The patient is an athlete and was preparing for his upcoming competitions before a horrifying accident
shattered his dreams of the podium)

Patient: I feel better physically. But thinking about what has happened in these past weeks, makes me
weak in my knees. I am afraid I will be able to step on the track again. Oh, how much had I practised for
my hurdles race in the central stadium. I was in top form in the qualifying race.

Nurse: I am sure you will be able to. There has been no serious injury to your cruciate ligaments. I guess
you will be able to get back in top shape sooner than you think. You should prepare yourself to be on
track mentally so that as soon as you get back on the track, you fire up all cylinders.

(Patient starts staring towards the ceiling and closes his eyes. Tiny droplets start rolling down on his
cheeks which he wipes away quickly. The accident had taken a toll on his mental condition more so than
his physical condition. He had finally qualified for his nationals that were set for 1 week from now.
Obviously, he couldn’t recover till then. It was getting more clear as the competition date was coming
up.)

Nurse: From what I hear from the doctors, you will be discharged soon. It will be this week. Any chances
you can go and look at the competition.

Patient: Sister, please incline my bed more, I want to sit up straight. It’s almost time for my medicines.

Nurse: (starts adjusting the bed and continues to talk) You will feel a lot better if you go to the race and
have a look. Don’t you think?
Patient: How will that make me feel better? Won’t it make me realise that it’s all been in vain.
Everything would be as I dreamed of. The people, the track, the firing of the pistol, the hurdles, the
finish line but I will be in the stands with a crutch. That will just make me feel more helpless. I might not
want to ever go the track and put on my running spikes. The image of the hurdles haunts me now. I have
had dreams where I can’t lift my feet, and the hurdles keep on becoming bigger, and I keep getting
smaller. I run out of breath and wake up. I am all in sweat and lying on this bed breathless. It’s tough for
me to go back to sleep after that, so I keep looking at the clock. The dim light that enters the room helps
me keep track of the time, and I rarely sleep after it.

( This shows the patient is in obvious discomfort. Maybe not physically, but he is not feeling well from
inside. The tiredness in his eyes is proof of the sleepless nights he is surviving through. The nurse hands
him his medicine and readjusts the bed making him lay comfortably. He is looking at the ceiling again.)

ward and closes his eyes slowly )

THE END

Conclusion

The conversation points out the need for why it is important to be aware of a patient’s overall health. A
patient might not be suffering from any physical pain, but that doesn’t signify; there is no other
discomfort. Also, it tells us how nurses build relationships with all those around her so that the patients
can be open to them about their condition. It shows us how relationships are built in a hospital.