When it comes to trying to improve your skills in something, it is rare to think watching TV is going to have much benefit. After all, watching TV is often the activity we turn to as a means to switch off from our busy days and relax.

The value of TV

There are a number of programs that are currently programmed on TV schedules or available on demand that can do both: relax you while also exposing you to English that’s going to help you improve your speaking and listening communication skills for work and in the test. It's also a great way to expand your knowledge of accents, helping you understand your patients wherever you want to work.

Each programme gives valuable examples of communication between healthcare professionals and their patients as well as between healthcare colleagues.

Top 5:

1. GPs Behind Closed Doors. The fascinating observational documentary series that takes viewers into the private world of a local GP surgery

2. One born every minute. Set in maternity wards around the UK. This series focuses on the different staff who assist parents-to-be during labour and birth while celebrating the moment a new child enters the world.

3. Outback ER. Set in one of Australia’s remotest hospitals, the staff in this series never know what to expect from one day to the next.

4. Hospital. This series looks at some of the challenges facing the healthcare system in the UK, the NHS [National Health Service]

5. Embarrassing Bodies. A team of British doctors talk to patients with problems they believe to be too embarrassing to discuss with their regular GP and provide them with advice and treatment. At the same time they remove the embarrassment by proving all bodies are the same.

Tips for while you listen

While watching these programs, here are five tips of things you can do at the same time:

• Listen to the language used by the medical professional to start the conversation with the patient.
• Listen for the responses the medical professional uses to answer questions or comments made by the patient.
• Listen to how the tone, speed, intonation and language choices change for different medical situations and for different types of patient e.g. emergency/routine, old/young
• Listen for the language used by the medical professional to explain, reassure and persuade
• Listen for the language used by the medical professional to communicate with patients who are emotional e.g. angry, confused, frustrated, scared.

Note down examples of this language and then try it out in your own communication as soon as you can to make your English sound more natural and improve your range of language choices.