OET Discharge Writing Samples for Nurses - The Essential Guide for Success

If you are a nurse looking to register and practise in a mostly English-speaking nation, then OET Discharge Writing Samples for Nurses would be an advantage for your preparation. When you register for OET in the Nursing professional category, a discharge letter writing task may be one of the possibilities for your OET Writing test.

Since it is a test that certifies you as proficient in English for professional usage, you need to learn the types of letters which you will encounter. In this way, you will develop the needed skills to attempt writing a Discharge letter effectively.

What are the Three Types of Letters in OET?

The letter-writing portion of the test is intended to assess your ability to communicate through writing while drawing on actual work situations. There are three major types of letters that are given in the OET Exam for nurses. Depending on your field of study, based on your area of expertise, these can be:

• In the fields of pharmacy, veterinary science, speech pathology, and occupational therapy – letters to advise or inform a patient, caregiver, or group.
• For Radiography – a written response to a complaint.

The table below summarizes the three types of letters in OET along with its purpose and key components.

What is an OET Discharge Writing for Nurses?

Since there are different Types of Letters in OET, you need to first understand what OET Discharge Writing means. A discharge letter is a concise medical overview of a patient’s hospitalization and treatment while in the hospital. One of the ward doctors or nurses usually writes it. This type of letter discusses how and why the patient wound up in the hospital, as well as a review of their treatment while there. 

• Sharing accurate, relevant information regarding hospital care with primary care in the form of a discharge report is critical to patient safety. 
• This OET task is critical for applicants to grasp how to strengthen interprofessional communication when patients are being discharged.

Discharge letters can be unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons, including insufficient and incomplete information, unclear follow-up plans, inaccuracies, delayed letter delivery, insufficient medication information, a lack of patient-centeredness (e.g., a letter dense with medical jargon), and general communication gaps. It can result in negative outcomes, such as patient readmissions.

Common Content of OET Discharge Writing Letter

Successful letters contained a greater variety of features, with statistically significant variations in the presence of crucial and relevant details. Aside from that, clarity may be one of the most significant aspects of a “successful” letter from the standpoint of a GP. This emphasizes the importance of discharge letters being understandable, relevant, and brief.

Common content features in letters rated as successful include:

• Reason for admission
• Diagnosis
• follow-up and management plan
• medication changes and reasons
• GP actions, treatment, investigations and results
• discharging physician details
• information provided to the patient
• tests/procedures performed, and their results

Missing information on discharge paperwork may result in clinical care errors as well as patients’ understanding of what occurred to them in the hospital. Poor discharge communication poses dangers and may constitute a wasted opportunity for good communication and a safe patient to transition into the community environment. As a result, it is critical for healthcare providers to learn how to write a decent discharge letter.

Format of OET Discharge Writing Letter

When drafting an OET Letters, keep the following fundamental requirements in mind.

In your response:

• Convert the essential case notes into full sentences.
• Use the proper OET letter format rather than a note form.
• The body of your OET letter should be between 180 and 200 words long.

With respect to the provided medical case notes, the following is the optimal structure for the body of any discharge letter:

• Introduction
• 1st Body Paragraph – Previous Medical History
• 2nd Body Paragraph – Hospitalization.
• 3rd Body Paragraph – Current Situation & Discharge Strategy
• Final remarks

Tips for Writing OET Discharge Letter

To score well on this writing task, you must have focus and precision in order to draft a concise and pertinent letter. Here are some of our expert OET Writing Tips to get the job done:

• It is critical to note who the reader is and the reason you are writing the letter.
• One of the most crucial pieces of advice is to make sure the beginning of the OET letter has a clear objective. Presenting a diagnosis in the opening also helps the reader grasp the patient’s situation.
• You must only include pertinent portions of your past medical history. Try to summarise portions of the patient’s medical history that are either normal or unimportant.
• As this example indicates, receiving OET case notes with numerous dates during hospitalization is fairly typical. It is not necessary to include all of these dates; just the essential ones should be included.

OET Discharge Writing Samples for Nurses

Given below are some OET Discharge Writing Samples for Nurses as they will appear in the OET, along with a sample response for your reference. By studying this, you will be able to familiarise yourself with the expectations of this writing task. Let’s check out the three OET Discharge Writing Samples for Nurses which will help you understand the format.

Sample Letter 1 on OET Discharge Writing

PATIENT DETAILS:

• Name: George Gale (Mr) 
• DOB: 24 Apr 1936, 85 y.o. 
• Address: 14 Long Street, Oldtown 

SOCIAL BACKGROUND : 

• Retired retail manager 
• Widower (wife died 2019) 
• Son, 47 y.o., works abroad 
• No family close by 
• Living alone in own flat, level 2, no lift 
• Socialises w. neighbours 
• Independent, cooks, daily walks to shops 
• Social drinker, smoker – 10 cigs/day 

MEDICAL HISTORY : 

• 2003: Osteoarthritis diag. 
• 2009: Hypertension diag. 
• 2013: GORD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease) – self treated with antacid tablets 
• 2019: Non-specific colitis – ongoing monitoring, no treatment required 

MEDICATIONS : 

• Paracetamol 500mg 2 tablets 4x/day (osteoarthritis) 
• Felodipine 5mg 1x/day (hypertension) 

PRESENTING COMPLAINT : 

• Disorientation & fever (following fall

HOSPITAL ADMISSION :  10 May 2021

Subjective: 

• Pt reports fall 09 May – while brushing teeth, felt weak, ‘legs gave way’, fell backwards w. Headstrike, approx. 5hrs lying on floor  
• Neighbours heard call for help around 0300 10 May, called ambulance 2 weeks before fall: single episode of vomiting, palpitations, dysuria 

Objective: 

• Confusion, disorientation 
• Temp: 38.1°C (high), BP: 155/80 (elevated), Pulse: 86 bpm (normal), RR: 26/min (elevated) 
• Urinalysis: ≥ 100,000 cfu/ml (high), 2 wbc/hpf 

Diagnosis: 

• Urinary tract infection (UTI) – ?cause of fall

TREATMENT RECORD : 

• 10 - 14 May 2021: IV antibiotics: amoxicillin 1 x 750mg/8 hrs & Pt’s regular meds continued 

Observations: 

• nil dizziness, nil palpitations 
• Temp: 37.2°C (normal), BP: 130/80 (normal), Pulse: 86 bpm (normal), RR: 20/min (normal) 
• 15 May 2021: Ready for discharge to nursing home for temporary care 

Concerns: 

• Pt lives alone, no home help 
• Keen to return to own home ASAP 
• Significantly lowered mobility 30 min/day of physical activity to be encouraged 
• Still episodes of confusion assessment for independent living recommended 

Write to head nurse at nursing home re further care required.

Writing Task : 

Sample Letter 2 on OET Discharge Writing

PATIENT DETAILS:

• Name: Mrs Evelyn Brown
• DOB: 12 March 1942 (79 y.o.)
• Address: 21 Oak Avenue, Riverside

SOCIAL BACKGROUND : 

• Retired schoolteacher
• Married; husband (83 y.o.) primary caregiver
• Non-smoker, occasional wine
• Active in local church group

MEDICAL HISTORY : 

• 2012: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (on oral medication)
• 2016: Hypercholesterolemia
• 2018: Osteoporosis
• 2019: Cataract surgery (right eye)

PRESENTING COMPLAINT:

• Admitted 15 June 2021 following a fall at home
• Tripped over rug in living room → fractured left wrist
• No head injury, nil LOC
• On admission: mild pain, swelling, tenderness in wrist

HOSPITAL TREATMENT:

15 June 2021: 

• X-ray confirmed distal radius fracture
• Plaster cast applied; IV analgesics for pain

16–21 June 2021: 

• Physiotherapy initiated for mobility & strengthening exercises
• Blood sugar levels monitored, remained stable
• Lipid profile within normal limits

22 June 2021:

• Stable, pain controlled with oral analgesics
• Cast intact, no complications noted
• Ambulating independently
• Discharge today with outpatient physiotherapy plan

CONCERNS / RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Requires assistance with daily household tasks for 4–6 weeks
• Husband elderly, limited capacity for physical support
• Encourage adherence to physiotherapy schedule
• Continue current medications: Metformin 500 mg twice daily, Simvastatin 20 mg daily
• Regular GP follow-up recommended

Write a discharge letter to In your letter, summarise Mrs Brown’s hospital stay, treatment, and ongoing needs for community support.

Writing Task : 

Sample Letter 3 on OET Discharge Writing

PATIENT DETAILS : 

• Name: Mrs Linda Harris
• DOB: 18 October 1950 (70 y.o.)
• Address: 7 Rosewood Drive, Central City

SOCIAL BACKGROUND : 

• Retired secretary
• Married, husband supportive
• Non-smoker, occasional wine

MEDICAL HISTORY : 

• 2010: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
• 2014: Hypertension
• 2019: Osteoarthritis (knees)

PRESENTING COMPLAINT / ADMISSION

12 July 2021:

• Severe abdominal pain, nausea, fever
• On admission: Temp 38.5°C, BP 145/90 mmHg
• Abdominal tenderness

Investigations:

• Ultrasound: acute cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation)

TREATMENT IN HOSPITAL : 

13 July 2021

• Laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed
• IV antibiotics (Cefuroxime) for 5 days
• Pain managed with Paracetamol 1g QID
• Regular monitoring: stable vitals

20 July 2021:

• Afebrile, pain controlled, wound site clean
• Ambulating independently
• Fit for discharge today

CONCERNS / RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Wound care to be monitored
• Low-fat diet advised
• Continue antihypertensives & diabetic medications
• Follow-up with GP in 1 week
• Husband able to assist at home

Write a discharge letter to In your letter, summarise Mrs Brown’s hospital stay, treatment, and ongoing needs for community support.

Writing Task : 

Now that you have got an overview of the writing task and a good sense of what to expect on exam day, start your OET journey. Browse our learning materials to learn more about OET preparation and to get started on your path to being OET certified right away.

Also Check:

• How to prepare for OET in 30 days
• A Comprehensive Guide to OET for Nurses for your Success
• Nursing Referral Letter OET Writing Sample: Know Your Way To Success
• OET Score Calculation