English for nurses: essential phrases and vocabulary
In an English-speaking country, nursing starts with words: a patient who cannot describe their pain is a risk for them and stress for you. The good news is that almost every nurse-patient exchange fits into about fifty phrases. This page gathers everyday medical vocabulary, the phrases to assess a patient, give care and reassure — plus a full mini-dialogue to repeat out loud.
Essential vocabulary
The 22 terms you hear every day on a ward — each with an example sentence, the way it is actually used.
| English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pain | a feeling of hurting | Where is the pain? |
| blood pressure | how strongly your blood flows | Your blood pressure is a bit high. |
| pulse | the beat you feel in your wrist or neck | Your pulse is strong and regular. |
| fever | a body temperature above normal | You have a slight fever. |
| wound | a cut or break in the skin | The wound is healing well. |
| dressing | a cover placed over a wound | I'll change your dressing now. |
| injection | medicine given with a needle | You need an injection in your arm. |
| drip (IV) | liquid medicine given through a tube | The drip will run for two hours. |
| blood test | a small sample of blood sent to the lab | We need a blood test this morning. |
| X-ray | a picture of the inside of the body | You're going for an X-ray at ten. |
| stitches | thread used to close a cut | The stitches come out on Friday. |
| prescription | the doctor's written order | The doctor wrote your prescription. |
| dose | the amount of medicine for one time | One dose every six hours. |
| side effects | unwanted reactions from a medicine | This medicine has few side effects. |
| allergy | a strong bad reaction to something | Do you have any allergies? |
| swelling | a body part growing bigger | The swelling has gone down. |
| dizziness | a feeling that the room is turning | Do you feel any dizziness? |
| nausea | a sick feeling in the stomach | The nausea should pass soon. |
| ward | a hospital section with patient beds | He was moved to another ward. |
| shift | your scheduled work hours | My shift ends at seven. |
| emergency department | urgent hospital care (ER in the US, A&E in the UK) | She was taken straight to the emergency department. |
| discharge | the official end of a hospital stay | Your discharge is planned for tomorrow. |
Key phrases
Admitting and assessing
- How are you feeling today? — check how the patient is right now.
- Where does it hurt? — have the patient show the painful place.
- On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain? — the patient answers with a number for tracking.
- When did the symptoms start? — find out when the problem began.
- Are you allergic to any medication? — check this before giving any drug.
Doing a procedure
- I'm going to take your blood pressure. — warn the patient before you start.
- This might hurt a little. — prepare the patient before a needle or a move.
- Take a deep breath and hold it. — a clear instruction before an exam.
- I need to take a blood sample. — explain what you are about to do.
Reassuring and explaining
- Your results look good. — give the patient good news in plain words.
- Take this tablet twice a day, after meals. — give a clear, simple instruction.
- Press the call button if you need anything. — tell the patient help is one button away.
Sample dialogue: morning rounds
Nurse: Good morning, Mrs. Green. How are you feeling today? (check how the patient feels)
Patient: Better than yesterday, but my shoulder still hurts. (better, but still in pain)
Nurse: On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain? (rate the pain from 1 to 10)
Patient: Around a four now. (the pain is moderate)
Nurse: That's progress. I'm going to take your blood pressure and check your dressing. (progress + what comes next)
Patient: Will the doctor come today? (she asks about the doctor's visit)
Nurse: Yes, during the morning round, around ten. (the doctor comes around ten)
Patient: Thank you. (simple thanks)
Common mistakes of non-native speakers
- “Take your tension”: in English, tension means nervous or electrical stress. For the cuff measurement, always say blood pressure.
- “He has pain” without saying where: English always locates it — My leg hurts or I have a pain in my leg. Without a place, the sentence feels unfinished.
- Confusing “sensible” and “sensitive”: sensible means reasonable. A wound that reacts to touch is sensitive: The wound is still sensitive.
- “I will make you an injection”: the correct verb is give — I'll give you an injection. “Make” is never used here.
Grow with Saloo
Knowing these phrases is not enough: in front of a patient, they must come out automatically, with the right pronunciation. In Saloo English, you repeat them with our shadowing technique, then practice with Emma and Alex on care scenarios — morning rounds, pain management, explaining a treatment. That repetition in context makes the phrases automatic when it counts. And for anxious patients, small talk and the vocabulary of emotions help you reassure them naturally.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you ask a patient to rate their pain in English?
With the standard question: “On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?” The patient answers with a number, easy to track over time.
How do you say “to take someone's blood pressure” in English?
You say “to take your blood pressure”. The word “tension” alone means nervous or electrical stress — never the cuff measurement.
Do I need an English certificate to work as a nurse in an English-speaking country?
In most cases, yes: the UK, Ireland and Australia require a certification such as IELTS or OET, specialized for healthcare. Day to day, though, it is care phrases — assessing, reassuring, explaining — that make the difference.