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#163 Different Types of Doctors in English

Episode 163

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Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.

This episode is going to be interesting because we will talk about doctors in English. And I'll tell you about a surgery I had last week.

You'll also improve your English grammar without memorizing any boring rules.

This way, you listen and read at the same time if you find it necessary.

Let's start.

Today I would like to tell you a bit about my experience of having to undergo surgery for the first time.

Although you probably didn’t notice my absence last week, I was in the hospital for a few days after having gallbladder surgery.

I always had difficulty eating some foods, and I didn't know why. Finally, after many tests, the doctor told me he had good news and bad news. I wanted to know good news first. The good news was that he had found the cause of my digestive problems. I had gallstones in my gallbladder. And the bad news was that I had to have my gallbladder removed altogether.

But I was looking forward to the surgery. And since I wanted to avoid getting overly nervous before the procedure, I decided to concentrate on work. I doubled my workload before the surgery so that you wouldn't miss any of my weekly episodes.

And on the day of the surgical procedure, I packed a suitcase with all the things I thought I needed while in the hospital. It is always wise to be prepared. But in the end, I didn't need much of it because I spent most of the time sleeping.

Now I’m happy to be back home.

The intervention was a success, and I feel great, I was even able to start working on a new episode.

But enough about me, let's talk about the different types of doctors in English.

Let's start with the general practitioner. What’s a general practitioner?

If you have a health problem, you usually go to a general practitioner. For example, if you have a cold or a stomach ache, you see a general practitioner.

We also call this type of physician a family doctor.

What if you have a terrible toothache? Do you go to your family doctor? Of course not. In that case, you should make an appointment with a reputable dentist as soon as possible.

I know many of you don’t like going to the dentist but I have a visit every six months, and that helps to prevent major complications.

So a dentist is a doctor who treats problems related to teeth and gums.

Well, what if you have a problem with your vision? What do you do? If you have a problem with your eyesight, an eye infection, or anything related to your eyes, you should see an optometrist. An optometrist is an eye doctor.

Well, that's it for now. But don't worry, because next week I'll continue talking about the different types of doctors in English.

Let's continue with a fun point of view story.

Now, let’s practice.


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GRAMMAR MADE EASY

POV Story: Grammar in Context

Read the same story in two different points of view and notice how the grammar changes naturally.

01

First version

Present Tense

I'm Mr. Pete, and I've got many health problems. As I'm very organized, I plan every week as follows:

On Mondays, I wake up with a terrible stomach ache. I don’t know why. Maybe because every Sunday I throw a big party and order a ton of food. Usually no one showes up, and I end up eating all the food. So every Monday, I go to see a gastroenterologist.

On Tuesdays, I feel fatigued. I am tired all day. Even when I blink, I feel tired. I also have difficulty breathing. I try not to blink too much and breathe as little as possible, just in case. So every Tuesday, I see my general practitioner.

I don't eat anything on Wednesdays; because I always have a terrible toothache that day of the week. So I have an appointment with the dentist every Wednesday.

Thursday isn’t such a bad day for me. I only have a high fever and chills during the day. So I see my family doctor every Thursday.

On Fridays, I have problems with my eyesight. So every Friday, I visit my optometrist.

My family doctor says to me: "Mr. Pete, you're in perfect health, but I have to say I've never seen such a hypochondriac. I'll prescribe a drug with fantastic placebo effects."

I hope that from this day on, I will never be sick again.

02

Second version

Past Tense

Mr. Pete was a man with many health problems. As he was very organized, he planned every week as follows:

On Mondays, he woke up with a terrible stomach ache. He didn't know why. Maybe because every Sunday he threw a big party and ordered a ton of food. Since no one ever showed up, Mr. Pete ended up eating all the food. So every Monday, Mr. Pete went to see a gastroenterologist.

On Tuesdays, he felt fatigued. He was tired all day. Even when he blinked, he felt tired. He also had difficulty breathing. He tried not to blink too much and breathed as little as possible, just in case. So every Tuesday, he saw his general practitioner.

He didn't eat anything on Wednesdays; because he always had a terrible toothache that day of the week. So he had an appointment with the dentist every Wednesday.

Thursday wasn't such a bad day for him. He only had a high fever and chills during the day. So he saw his family doctor every Thursday.

On Fridays, he had problems with his eyesight. So every Friday, he visited his optometrist.

One day his family doctor said to him: "Mr. Pete, you're in perfect health, but I have to say I've never seen such a hypochondriac. I will prescribe a drug with fantastic placebo effects."

And from that day on, Mr. Pete has never been sick again.

Poor Mr. Pete. He was a hypochondriac, but a placebo drug cured him. A hypochondriac is someone who continuously worries about his health without having any reason to do so. And placebos are substances that resemble medicines but do not contain an active drug.

Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.

Review

Vocabulary

Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.

Undergo surgery

To have a surgical operation or procedure.

Gallbladder

The organ mentioned in the episode that had to be removed because of gallstones.

Gallstones

Hard stones that can form in the gallbladder.

Digestive problems

Problems related to digestion or the digestive system.

Surgical procedure

A medical operation or intervention.

General practitioner

A family doctor who treats common health problems.

Dentist

A doctor who treats problems involving the teeth and gums.

Optometrist

An eye doctor who deals with eyesight and other eye-related problems.


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