This series of blogs attempts to explain the clinical communication skill criteria and the strategy students need to follow to score 2 out of 3 on each criterion.

OET training is not just training English. Especially, regarding the OET speaking exam, students are expected to not only speak fluently but also to demonstrate their ability to handle the communication in an empathetic way. For this reason, the second clinical communication skill criteria are ‘Understanding and incorporating a patient’s perspective’

The main reason most candidates fail to show this ability is culture. In most Asian countries, medical professionals are considered always superior to the patients, and the patients never question the reasons behind the advice and suggestions given by health professionals. However, due to the increased use of the internet, this situation is now changing. The patients are now aware of their condition and do some research on the internet before seeing their physicians. Thus, it has now become very important for the clinician to know what the patient thinks about it.

OET assesses the student’s ability to work with the patient in designing the goals and treatment plans. The patient’s involvement in the goal can improve the effectiveness of the therapy to a great extent.

There are 2 main stages of the consultations where the candidate can show their ability to address this criterion. The first opportunity is when collecting history and before finalizing the diagnosis.

For example, a patient may present to your clinic with headaches. Now, at this point, you as a clinician may look for a variety of reasons that may cause a headache. At this point, I always warn my students to recognize the fact that there is a huge difference between your perspective as a health professional and a layman’s perception. Majority of the common population is unaware of the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Thus, always keep this difference in mind when listening to the patient’s concerns. Do not judge them as a hypochondriac or over intelligent. So, the patient’s perceptions are built largely due to the previous experiences, or any of their family members who have suffered from a similar problem.