Expanding and Maximizing Your Vocabulary for OET

Expanding and Maximizing Your Vocabulary for OET Having an extensive medical vocabulary is not enough to ace the Occupational English Test Philippines. You must also know how to make the most of it. Read on to find out how.

Expanding Your Healthcare Vocabulary Since some parts of the OET exam are not profession-specific like Part A of the listening-sub-test, it’s crucial that you have an extensive general healthcare vocabulary. Here are some of the terms that you need to know and their simplified definitions. 

Abduction – a movement away from the middle of the body

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Aerosol – substance or drugs in mist form

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Aural – having to do with the ear

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Biopsy – the extraction of tissue so it can be analyzed under a microscope

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Bowel – the intestine

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Cardiodynia – heart pain

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Contusion – bruise

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Dermis – the inner layer of the skin

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Disseminate – to spread or scatter

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Embolus – blood clot

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Emesis – vomiting

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Flatus – farting or passing gas

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Fracture – broken bone

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Gastrodynia – stomach pain

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Hepatoma – a growth in the liver

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Hyperventilation – breathing that is too fast

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Hypopnea – slow or weak breathing

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Intracranial – inside the skull

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Inversion – turning inwards

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Kyphosis – hunchback

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Larynx – voice box

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Lipid – fat

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Malignant – harmful or cancerous

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Motility – ability to move

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Neonate – a newborn infant

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Nevus – birthmark

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Otalgia – ear ache

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Palate – the roof of the mouth

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Polydipsia – extreme thirst

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Renal – having to do with the kidney

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Subcostal – below the ribs

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Supine – lying on the back

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Tenodynia – pain in the tendon

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Ulcer – sore

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Verruca – wart

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Void – urinate

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Xeroderma – dry skin

Take note: these are only some of the words that you need to know. So, don’t limit your vocabulary expansion efforts to what’s on this list. Don’t memorize these words and phrases. Slowly work them into your general vocabulary. Practice using them during your OET course to retain their spelling, meaning, and pronunciation.

Maximizing Your Healthcare Vocabulary As a healthcare professional, you must be adept in translating technical and common vocabulary.

You need to have the ability to understand what the patient is saying in non-medical terms and convert it into something more technical—as you would when filling out a form or relaying information to your colleague. You also need to have the ability to do this the other way around (simplifying medical terms for your patients). Enrolling in an OET course is the best way to hone these skills.

Here are some examples. 

The patient said that they can’t always get to the restroom in time. You may write this down on the patient’s medical records as “problems with incontinence.”

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The doctor recommended tonsillectomy. You may relay this information to the patient or the patient’s guardian as “he/she needs to have his tonsils removed.”

Demonstrate your extensive vocabulary during the writing and speaking sub-tests to impress your OET examiner and raise your scores.

Keep your writings and responses accurate and concise. Don’t use terminologies that are inappropriate or irrelevant to the topic. Make the most of your vocabulary during your OET review course sessions.

Not yet enrolled in a training program? If so, you’re missing out. OET instructors can not only teach you everything you need to know to ace the test, but they can also help you hone your communicative skills for the exam. Prepare with the best OET review center in your area to go over and beyond your grade goals!