Here is some essential vocabulary for nurses and medical professionals working in an English-speaking context. Each word is shown with its part of speech and meaning, while an example sentence shows the word in context.
| word part of speech | meaning | example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| lab results noun | tests that come back from a laboratory and help doctors make a diagnosis | The lab results have come in and you are free to go home. |
| lab (laboratory) noun | place where samples of blood/urine etc. are taken for testing | I’ll take these samples down to the lab on my way out. |
| life support noun | a machine that keeps patients alive by helping them breathe | The woman has severe brain damage and is currently on life support. |
| life-threatening adj | when injuries and conditions are extremely serious | The victim was shot in two places but the bullet wounds are not life-threatening. |
| light-headed adj | feeling of dizziness and being off-balance, caused by lack of oxygen in the brain | If you are feeling light-headed again, lie down and call me. |
| malignant adj | expected to grow and get much worse (especially related to cancerous cells) | I’m afraid at least one of the tumours is malignant. |
| medical school (med. school) noun | place where someone trains to be a doctor | After eight years of medical school I can finally practice medicine. |
| newborn noun | an infant that is less than three months old | You have to support her neck because she is still a newborn. |
| numb adj | no feeling in a certain body part | The needle will make your lower body feel numb. |
| OR (operating room) noun | the place where major surgeries and operations take place | You must wear a face mask and gloves while you are in the OR. |
| operation noun operate on verb | a medical procedure that involves going inside a person’s body in an attempt to fix a problem | The operation lasted seven hours, but it was successful. |
| pain noun | strong discomfort in certain areas of the body | We gave your husband some medicine to relieve some of the pain. |
| pain killer, pain reliever noun | type of medicine that takes away some or all of the discomfort of an illness or injury | You can take two pain killers every four hours. |
| paralyzed adj | unable to move certain areas of the body | We thought her legs were paralyzed for life, but she is learning how to walk. |
| patient noun | a person staying in a hospital or medical facility | The patients in Room 4 are not getting along. |
| pharmacist noun | a person who fills a doctor’s prescription and gives people advice about medication | Ask the pharmacist if there is a generic brand of this medication. |
| pharmacy, drugstore noun | a place where people go to buy medication and other medical supplies | You should be able to buy a bandage at the pharmacy. |
| physician noun | doctor | Ask your family physician to refer you to a specialist. |
| poison noun poisonous adj | a substance that is very dangerous if it enters the human body | The child was bitten by a poisonous snake. |
| prenatal adj | of the time period leading up to giving birth | The woman was well prepared for labour because she took the prenatal classes. |
| prescription noun prescribe verb | the correct amount and type of medication needed to cure an illness or relieve symptoms | You will need to visit your doctor to get another prescription. |
| privacy noun private adj | being alone; personal (e.g. test results) | You will have to pay for a private hospital room if you don’t want a roommate. |
| radiation noun | high energy X-rays that destroy cancer cells | If the radiation doesn’t kill all of the abnormal cells, the cancer will come back. |
| residency resident noun | part of a doctor’s training that takes place in the hospital; a student working under a doctor | John is a resident under Dr Brown. |
| routine check-up noun | a doctor’s appointment to check a person’s general health | I’d like to see you a year from now for a routine check-up. |
| scrubs noun | plain uniform (usually green, white, or blue) worn by medical professionals | I have some extra scrubs in my locker. |
| scrub up verb | carefully wash hands before and after seeing a patient | I have to scrub up and get ready for surgery. |
| second opinion noun | input from a second doctor about an illness or symptom | I went to another doctor to get a second opinion about these headaches. |
| seizure noun | sudden violent movements or unconsciousness caused by electrical signal malfunction in the brain | People who suffer from epilepsy are prone to seizures. |
| shock noun | body not getting enough blood flow | The woman was in shock after being pulled from the river. |
| side effects noun | other symptoms that might occur as a result of a certain medication or procedure | One of the side effects of antidepressants is a loss of appetite. |
| sore adj | painful | I have a sore throat and a runny nose. |
| spasm noun | the uncontrollable tightening of a muscle | Ever since I injured my leg I’ve been having muscle spasms in my upper thigh. |
| specialist noun | a doctor that is an expert in a certain kind of medicine | My family doctor is sending me to a specialist. |
| sprain noun/verb | an injury (less serious than a break) to a joint (ankle, wrist, knee etc) | I sprained my knee playing soccer. |
| stable condition noun | a patient is stable if their medical condition is no longer changing rapidly | You can see your husband now; he is in a stable condition. |
| sting noun/verb | sharp, temporary pain | It may sting when I insert the needle. |
| stress noun stressed adj | worry that causes muscles to tighten and blood pressure to rise | You need to take some time off work and relieve some of your stress. |
| swelling noun swollen adj | ligaments (parts that hold the joints together) growing bigger and rounder after an injury to a joint | I knew my ankle was sprained because it was so swollen. |
| symptoms noun | pain or physical changes that occur because of an illness or disease | You have all of the symptoms of a diabetic. |
| temperature noun | amount of heat measured in a body; higher than normal temperature | We brought Jesse to emergency because he was running a (high) temperature. |
| tender adj | painful when touched or used | The incision was tender after the surgery. |
| test results noun | medical information that helps doctors understand a patient’s condition or body | The test results came back negative. You aren’t pregnant. |
| therapy noun | treatment aimed at improving a person’s mental or physical condition | I was able to go back to work a few weeks after starting the therapy. |
| transplant noun | moving of an organ from one human to another | The heart transplant saved your life. |
| ultrasound noun | a test that examines the body’s internal organs and processes using sound waves (often used during pregnancies) | The ultrasound shows that we are expecting a baby boy. |
| umbilical cord noun | the lifeline from the mother to the fetus (when cut at birth this forms the belly button) | I had an emergency C-section because the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. |
| unconscious adj | alive, but appearing to be asleep and unaware of the surroundings | I hit my head on the steering wheel and was still unconscious when the ambulance arrived. |
| urine sample noun | a small amount of the body’s liquid waste that is tested for different medical reasons | The urine sample tells us how much alcohol is in your blood. |
| vein noun | the thin tubes that transport blood around the body and back to the heart | I’m just looking for the best vein in which to insert the needle. |
| virus noun | a dangerous organism that causes the spread of minor and major diseases | The virus is contractable through the exchange of bodily fluids. |
| visiting hours noun | time of day when friends and family are allowed to visit patients in hospital | I’m afraid you’ll have to come back during visiting hours. |
| vomit noun/verb | discharge of a person stomach contents through the mouth | The pregnant woman can’t stop vomiting. |
| ward noun | a section of a hospital or health facility where patients stay | I should warn you that we’re entering the mental health ward. |
| wheelchair noun | a chair on wheels used for transporting patients from place to place | If you get in the wheelchair I’ll take you down to see the garden. |
| wound noun wounded adj | injury to body (“flesh wound” means not deep) | The wounded soldiers are being airlifted to the hospital. |
| x-ray noun/verb | a photograph of a person’s bones and organs | The technician took x-rays of my shoulder to make sure it wasn’t broken. |
