At the Doctor and in an Emergency
How to book an appointment, describe what is wrong, and get help fast when something is seriously wrong.
This is vocabulary you want in place before you need it. It divides into the routine appointment and the emergency, and the language is very different.
Booking an appointment
- I'd like to make an appointment, please.
- Is there anything available today?
- It's fairly urgent.
- I'm registered with Dr Nowak.
- Could I have a later one?
The appointment itself
The doctor's opening is almost always one of these:
What seems to be the problem? / What brings you in today? / How can I help?
Answer with the pattern, not a full story:
I've had a sore throat for three days and now I've got a temperature.
Then expect:
- How long have you had it?
- Does it hurt when you swallow?
- Are you taking any medication?
- Are you allergic to anything?
- Any other symptoms?
Answer the question asked. English-speaking consultations are short and structured; a long narrative before the key symptom is common and unhelpful.
What the doctor might say
- I'll examine you. · Take a deep breath.
- It's nothing serious.
- I'll write you a prescription.
- I'm referring you to a specialist.
- Come back if it gets worse.
- Take one twice a day with food.
Emergencies
The number differs by country: 999 (UK), 112 (EU), 911 (US).
What the operator asks, in this order:
- Which service do you need — ambulance, police or fire?
- What's the address?
- What's happened?
Answer the address first and clearly if you can — it is the one thing that matters if the call drops.
Useful sentences:
- I need an ambulance.
- Someone has collapsed.
- He's not breathing.
- She's conscious but bleeding.
- There's been an accident.
At the hospital
A&E (UK) / the ER (US) = emergency department a stretcher · a ward · a nurse · to be admitted · to be discharged
Test yourself
The quiz below covers both the appointment and the emergency call.