“I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.”
Henny Youngman, an American comedian and violinist
HOSPITAL
- a nurses’ station
- a nurse
- an intensive care unit – the department of a hospital for people who are so ill or badly injured that they need to have special medical care and be watched very closely
- an IV / an intravenous /ˌɪntrəˈviːnəs/ drip
- an operating room
- an X-ray
- an anesthesiologist /ænɪsθiːziɒlədʒɪst/
- an operating table
- blood /blʌd/
- a surgeon
- an operation
- latex /ˈleɪteks/ gloves
- a (surgical) mask
- a lab / laboratory /ləˈbɒrət(ə)ri/
- a lab technician
- a doctor
- a visitor
- a patient
- a bedpan
- a hospital gown /ɡaʊn/
- a call button
- an orderly – a person who works in a hospital and does jobs that do not require special medical training
- a wheelchair
- CPR / cardiopulmonary /ˌkɑːdɪəʊˈpʌlmənərɪ , -mənrɪ, -ˈpʊl-/ resuscitation /rɪˌsʌsɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
- an emergency room
- a paramedic / an EMT (emergency medical technician)
- a stretcher
- an ambulance
GOING TO HOSPITAL
Kate: When I was 8, I was knocked over by a bike outside my house. Of course, I burst into tears – it was mainly the shock, but I’d cut my knee badly and my arm was starting to swell. People crowded round, trying to help. Fortunately, a doctor was passing by and he sent me to hospital to get checked over. When I got there, the nurse calmed me down, and they cleaned and stitched up the cut. Back at home, Mum took care of me and gave me ice cream. After a day or two, the pain eased off and the swelling went down. They took the stitches out a week later.
- To knock sb. over – to hit sb. with a vehicle so that they fall and are injured or killed
- To burst (burst; burst) into tears – to start crying suddenly
- To check sb. over – to examine sb. to see if there is anything wrong with them
- To ease off – if something unpleasant (e.g. pain) eases off, it gets better or becomes less
- To go down (of swelling) – to become less
Tom: Not long ago, I had to go to hospital to have my wisdom teeth out. I hate injections at the best of times, but on this occasion, when they tried to give me anesthetic, I just passed out. I felt stupid when I came to.
- At the best of times – used to say that sth. is difficult or unpleasant even when the circumstances are good
- Anesthetic /ˌænəsˈθetɪk/ – a drug or gas that is given to someone before a medical operation to stop them feeling pain
- To pass out – to lose consciousness
- To come to – to become conscious again
Mike: I went to the doctor’s surgery with a terrible pain in my foot. The doctor examined me and prescribed painkillers. But after a while, it was obvious that the treatment hadn’t worked, so he sent me to hospital for an X-ray. Eventually, I saw a consultant who operated on my foot. I spent 6 weeks recuperating at home.
- Surgery (British English) – a place where people can visit a doctor or a dentist (American English – office)
- Consultant – a hospital doctor who is an expert in an area of medicine
- To recuperate /rɪˈkuːpəreɪt/ (from sth.) – to get well again after an illness/injury
Sam: My brother was having severe stomach pain and went to A and E, where they did a scan. He was diagnosed with appendicitis. He was admitted immediately and had an operation, but unfortunately, there were complications. He had to spend a few days on an intensive care ward, and it took him weeks to get over it.
- A and E (accident and emergency) – emergency department/ward/room
- Appendicitis /əˌpendɪˈsaɪtɪs/ – an illness in which your appendix becomes infected and has to be removed in a medical operation
- To admit sb. (to hospital) – to accept sb. in a hospital for medical treatment.
- Ward – a hospital area with beds
- To get over sth. – to recover
Are you interested in the topic? Are you ready for some more? Check out our posts on health provers, idioms and phrasal verbs, and body vocabulary.
Do you know the difference between at the hospital and in the hospital? This post on tricky prepositions will answer your questions.
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