NURSAMPLE05

WRITING SUB-TEST – TEST BOOKLET

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
You must write your answer for the Writing sub-test in the Writing Answer Booklet.

You must NOT remove OET material from the test room.

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© Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment – ABN 51 988 559 414 (2020)
Occupational English Test

WRITING SUB-TEST: NURSING

TIME ALLOWED: READING TIME: 5 MINUTES
WRITING TIME: 40 MINUTES

Read the case notes and complete the writing task which follows.

Notes:
Assume that today's date is 30 August 2019.
You are a nurse conducting a Nurse Home Visit as part of routine follow-up care after this patient’s recent
hospital discharge.

PATIENT DETAILS:
Name:
DOB:
Address:

Social background:
Retired primary school teacher
Lives on her own
Husband died 3 yrs ago (lung cancer); no children

Medical history: Hypertension (HT)

• Diagnosed 2011 – mild 145/95
• 2013 – moderate 168/105, commenced quinapril
• Regular monitoring, currently well managed at around 140/90

Diabetes mellitus (DM) Type 2

• Diagnosed 2013 – Pt counselled re diet/lifestyle, incl. weight loss
• 2014 – commenced oral hypoglycaemics (metformin + gliclazide)
• Well managed generally

Depression
• Diagnosed June 2016
• Triggered by death of husband
• Regular counselling since July 2016 to control mood swings and support DM management

Family medical history:

Mother – HT, DM

Lifestyle: Smoking/Alcohol: Non-smoker; 1-2 glasses wine/wk

Exercise: Walks dog 20mins/day
Diet: Ongoing counselling re DM management to maintain balanced diet

Medications: Quinapril (Accupril) oral 40mg/2xday

Metformin (Diabex) oral 500mg/2xday
Gliclazide (APO-Gliclazide MR) oral 30mg daily
Green Valley Hospital Treatment Record:
Pt visiting sister for weekend, sister lives 3hrs away from Newtown in Green Valley
Pt admitted to Green Valley Hospital late evening with fever, sharp & pleuritic chest pain (worse
on breathing), general weakness & malaise, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat)
24 Aug 2019
Assessment: Vital signs RR 29; BP 170/106; HR 98; T 39.3ºC
Full blood examination (FBE): Ó ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), Ó CRP (C-reactive
protein), Ó WCC (white cell count) i.e. inflammation/stress
Throat swab: viral influenza type B
Chest X-ray (CXR) – normal
Echocardiogram – pericarditis

Management: IV saline
Ibuprofen 600mg every 8hrs

Viral influenza type B plus pericarditis

Pt discharged and advised on self-care at home

Niece drove Pt home & agreed to stay overnight for 3 nights
Follow-up Nurse Home Visit arranged for 30 Aug 2019

Nurse Home Visit – 30 Aug 2019:

Observations: Pt unhappy. Reports feeling chest pain (relieved by sitting up), shortness of breath (SOB),
fatigue. Frustrated with progress of recovery
Medication adherence – reports compliance & regular blood glucose monitoring
Vital signs: low-grade fever: T 38.1°C. Elevated RR 28 & HR 115
BP: 125/78 (usual BP 140/90)
Niece no longer staying overnight – work commitments in Green Valley

Assessment: Pt unwell. Nil improvement

?relapse/complications of pericarditis

Plan: Organise urgent hospital transfer to Newtown Hospital (nearest hospital)

Write referral to Emergency Department, include relevant:
• Medications
• Patient history
• Test results/observations

Writing Task:
Using the information in the case notes, write a letter of referral to the Emergency Department Consultant
on Duty, outlining the case and requesting urgent assessment and management for pericarditis. Address
the letter to Emergency Department Consultant on Duty, Newtown Hospital, 100 Main Street, Newtown.
In your answer:
●● Expand the relevant notes into complete sentences
●● Do not use note form
●● Use letter format
The body of the letter should be approximately 180–200 words.
Any answers recorded here will not be marked.

N K
L A
B
 NURSAMPLE05
Occupational English Test

WRITING SUB-TEST: NURSING

SAMPLE RESPONSE: LETTER OF REFERRAL

Emergency Department Consultant on Duty

Newtown Hospital
100 Main Street
Newtown

30 August 2019

Dear Doctor

Re: Ms Patricia Styles

DOB 27.04.1957

Thank you for seeing Ms Styles, a 62-year-old widow and retired school teacher, who requires your investigation of a
possible relapse of pericarditis.

Today, Ms Styles reports chest pain, relieved by sitting up, shortness of breath and fatigue. She has a low-grade fever
(38.1°C), tachypnea (28bpm) and tachycardia (115bpm). Her blood pressure is 125/78, lower than her usual 140/90.

Ms Styles became unwell on 23 August while visiting her sister in Green Valley. She was admitted to Green Valley
Hospital with fever, pleuritic chest pain, tachycardia and general malaise. Throat swab investigations confirmed
viral influenza type B and an echocardiogram indicated pericarditis. Her chest X-ray was normal and Ms Styles was
managed with IV saline and ibuprofen. She was discharged home on 25 August. A Nurse Home Visit was arranged for
today.

Ms Styles has hypertension, diabetes type 2 and depression, managed with quinapril (Accupril) 40mg twice daily,
metformin (Diabex) 500mg twice a day, and gliclazide (APO-Gliclazide MR) 30mg daily.

I suspect a relapse of pericarditis, perhaps with complications. I refer her to you for urgent assessment and
management.

Yours faithfully

Nurse