Episode 05B1 — Beginner/Intermediate
Vital Signs & Blood Pressure
20 min · 5 vital signs in medical English — blood pressure, heart rate, SpO2 & more. Full triage role-play. Free PDF.
FREE TRANSCRIPT PDF
Episode 5 — Free transcript & study guide
- 10-term vocabulary table
- Full role-play transcript
- Language breakdown notes
- Quiz with full answers
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WATCH THE EPISODE
EPISODE STRUCTURE
Vocabulary Preview
~3 min
Role-play Dialogue
~8 min
Language Breakdown
~4 min
Comprehension Quiz
~2 min
Free Transcript PDF
Vocabulary Preview
~3 min
Role-play Dialogue
~8 min
Language Breakdown
~4 min
Comprehension Quiz
~2 min
Free Transcript PDF
YOUR HOSTS
Nadia
Patient
Tom
NurseVOCABULARY - 10 TERMS
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vital signs | The core physiological measurements used to assess a patient's health status. There are five: blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate. | "The triage nurse recorded Mrs. Davies's vital signs before the GP saw her." |
| Blood pressure | The force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, expressed as two numbers — systolic over diastolic (e.g. 120/80 mmHg). | "Your blood pressure is one twenty over eighty — that's perfectly normal." |
| Heart rate | The number of times the heart beats per minute, abbreviated to bpm. Normal resting range: 60–100 bpm. | "The nurse noted a heart rate of seventy-six beats per minute." |
| Oxygen saturation | The percentage of haemoglobin in the blood carrying oxygen. Measured by a pulse oximeter. Normal range: 95–100%. Also called SpO2 or sats. | "Oxygen saturation is ninety-eight percent — excellent." |
| Temperature | The measurement of body heat. Normal: 36.5–37.5°C. Above 38°C = pyrexia (fever). | "Temperature is thirty-six point eight — completely normal." |
| Respiratory rate | The number of complete breath cycles (one in, one out) per minute. Normal adult range: 12–20. | "Respiratory rate is sixteen — within the normal range." |
| Triage | The process of rapidly assessing patients on arrival to determine urgency and priority of care. | "The triage nurse assessed Mrs. Davies before directing her to the GP." |
| Pulse oximeter | A small device clipped to the fingertip that non-invasively measures oxygen saturation and heart rate. No needles — just a sensor and a reading in seconds. | "The nurse placed the pulse oximeter on her finger — it takes just a few seconds." |
| Medical history | A structured account of a patient's past and current health. In triage: a brief version — main concern, known conditions, current medication — recalled from Episode 04, revisited in the triage context | "The triage nurse took a brief medical history before measuring the vital signs." |
| Clinical handover | Structured communication of a patient's condition from one clinician to another. Here: triage nurse to GP — brief, sequential, no commentary — recalled from Episode 04, revisited in the triage context | "The nurse delivered a concise handover: BP 122/79, HR 74, sats 98%, afebrile." |
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