For healthcare workers who wish to work in English-speaking settings, the Occupational English Test (OET) speaking subtest is still essential. This test, which consists of two separate role-plays, evaluates your capacity for effective communication in actual clinical settings. In order to replicate interactions, you would have in your particular field. During the test, you, as the healthcare professional, will interact with an interlocutor who is playing a patient. Although the role-plays are preceded by a warm-up discussion, it’s crucial to keep in mind that only the role-plays are graded.
The main goal of the OET speaking component is to assess your practical communication abilities, particularly your capacity to understand and communicate with native English speakers in a medical setting.
Key Assessment Criteria for OET Speaking
Your proficiency in the speaking sub-test is meticulously evaluated according to the following set of criteria.
- Linguistic Criteria
This section focuses on the technical aspects of your language use.
Intelligibility: How clearly you speak and how easily your words are understood.
Fluency: The smoothness and naturalness of your speech, including appropriate pacing and rhythm.
Language Appropriateness: Your ability to select and use language that is suitable for the specific clinical situation and audience.
Grammar and Expression Resources: Your command of English grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structures to convey your message accurately and effectively.
- Clinical Communication Criteria
This crucial area assesses your ability to engage with patients effectively and professionally.
Relationship Building: Demonstrating empathy, respect, and establishing trust with the patient.
Taking the Patient’s Perspective into Account: Actively listening and acknowledging the patient’s feelings, concerns, and emotional state.
Gathering Information: Skill fully eliciting relevant information from the patient.
Providing Structure: Organizing and presenting information clearly and logically during the interaction.
The role of situational reassurance in OET speaking
A key communication strategy that directly helps meet the clinical communication criteria of “relationship building” and “taking the patient’s standpoint into account” is situational reassurance. In the role-play, it includes dealing with the patient’s mental wellness, recognising their situation, and confirming their feelings. Being respectful and paying attention to patients is essential to developing a collaborative connection, earning their trust, and making sure they know you genuinely want to help.
When and how to employ situational reassurance
Situational Reassurances are most effective on patients who require validation to put their minds at ease. Simple usage to begin your practice includes:
- ‘… So, I know you are very concerned about the situation. Please relax.’
Or - ‘… There is nothing to be overly concerned about, so set your mind at ease.’
Situational Reassurance can be structured to particular circumstances. For example, the following assurances can be used to validate the quality of the health professionals assisting.
- ‘Let me reassure you that the doctors and nurses over here are well trained and highly experienced to handle any inconvenient.’
Another one goes like this is:
- ‘Let me reassure you that we are well trained and are equipped to handle any inconvenient situations’
A patient is more anxious at the start of a procedure that requires such validations and can be more relaxing for the patient. Reassurances can also be offered if a patient is anxious because of a negative experience. For example,
- ‘I apologise for the tough experience you had. I will make sure that this will never happen again.’
The idea of reassurance is not only about how you put them into sentences but also about the intonations. A proper tone with the necessary pauses will therefore work the best.
For a patient worried about their progress, take a look at this example:
- ‘I know the concern that your progress is low, but I can reassure you that you are making steady progress.’
The emphasised usages of phrases like, ‘Please set your mind at ease,’ relax’, ‘Calm down ‘, and ‘We are here to help you create an excellent and comforting experience for the patient in several healthcare settings.
Compared to the other English test, you do not have to wait for the examiner to ask you questions, and you are not expected only to answer them. Instead, use the situation to establish rapport, comfort and understanding between the healthcare professional and the patient.
Other Resources
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