Interview with the author: Alecia Banfield
Dr. Alecia Banfield (MBBS, MPH, TEFL/TESOL) is a Medical English specialist and a certified OET Premium Preparation Partner who has helped thousands of healthcare professionals achieve exam success. She is the founder of Banfield’s Professional Medical English (BPME), a leading expert in quality Healthcare Communication.
Her recent book, OET Reading: Six practice tests for the Occupational English Test, is designed to support healthcare professionals on their Occupational English Test (OET) journey.
You have a unique background as both a medical doctor and an English teacher. What inspired you to transition from medicine to teaching English to medical professionals?
Genetics, inclination and fate. My dad was a passionate teacher, my mother a public health nurse. They taught us that when you can explain something simply enough so that a child understands, that’s when you know you really know your stuff. On the job, patients coming back repeatedly with issues they could control themselves with the right tools really bothered me. So, I broke things down in everyday terms until they ‘got it’. I got a bigger thrill out of teaching patient self-empowerment than I got from doing any number of lumbar punctures, chest-tube insertions or prescription-writing. Then I got married, moved globally and had to learn Spanish and German from zero. I noticed that my adult brain would do things that got in the way of becoming fluent in listening, reading, writing and speaking, so I went back to point zero to recheck my approach. What a difference! When faced with a “What is the next phase of my career”moment, teaching my non-native speaking peers to connect with English-speaking patients and colleagues just seemed to fit naturally.
How has your experience as a doctor influenced the way you teach English to healthcare professionals?
Naturally. Learning something academically is different from learning it to implement real skills in real life, especially under pressure. Adults in high-stress situations connect with what they need immediately, and engage with real scenarios they have themselves been in. Get them in this sweet spot, and they lock in. Then come the chances to teach the academic language stuff that they still do need to master.
As an OET Premium Partner, what do you think makes the Occupational English Test (OET) so crucial for medical professionals?
“Crucial” is the right word. It is good when you can open a bank account with no problem or write an argumentative essay on the pros and cons of democracy, for example. But interviewing a mother with a troubled pregnancy or standing over an unconscious patient with and eagle-eyed anaesthetist, head surgeon and scrub nurse firing off commands are not times when fluently asking “What is my overdraft limit?” helps. OET knows exactly what healthcare professionals face every day in clinical and non-clinical settings, and that’s what the test focuses on. It is language not only to pass an exam. It is about employability, best patient outcomes and, frankly, lowering of medico-legal liability and insurance premiums so the business of healthcare can continue for all.
Your latest book focuses on OET Reading practice. What inspired you to create this resource?
As a Medical English and Premium OET Tutor for many years, I have seen so many students struggle with OET Reading for a range of reasons. When Prosperity Education approached me to write the first in their OET Test series and said it was the Reading subtest, I was honoured, intimidated and thrilled all at once. I was determined to do my very best to create a valuable resource.
How does your book differ from other OET preparation materials currently available?
OET covers 12 professions, but most books focus primarily on about three. I wanted to cover as many professions as possible: Medicine, Nursing, Veterinary Science, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Radiography, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics and even more. And of course, public health which spans all of them!
Can you give us an overview of the structure of the book and how learners can use it effectively?
The focus of the book is the six practice tests, which are in the standardised OET format, so candidates experience exactly what a real Reading test is like. For study support, there is a concise yet comprehensive preamble outlining shifts in thinking, strategies and pitfalls of each section, and brief examples that highlight good and bad practice. This conciseness aids candidates and teachers to more quickly visualise, conceptualise and ultimately ‘get it’. There are answers, of course, and for all of the Part A second and third sections, directions to where answers can be found in texts. Readers may use the tests for practice or mock testing to see how they perform under timed pressure.
What are some of the most common challenges candidates face in the OET Reading sub-test?
Time-management, focus fatigue, limited vocabulary, understanding the broader meaning of what is being stated and discerning the detailed differences between answer options. Another common issue is not paying enough attention to important details in the questions and options and so missing clues to the right answer.
Did your experience as a medical professional shape the way you selected or wrote the texts for the practice tests?
Most definitely. I’ve covered so many areas of healthcare in my past: emergency and elective medicine, patient referrals, primary and secondary care patient education, personnel management, administration, CPD and medical conference presentations, and my least favourite: fighting for budgets for everything from cooling fans to programmes for a clinic. That is a huge well to pull from. I could write more OET books and never repeat a topic!
Many candidates struggle with time management in the OET Reading test. Do you have any tips to help them improve their reading speed and accuracy?
The guidance given depends on why they are struggling with time: are they slow readers, even in their native language? Is the problem vocabulary or understanding semantics? Is it performance anxiety where their brain just spaces out? These are just a few of the common time-management issues I’ve seen. A skilled tutor can identify and guide candidates over their stumbling blocks, and recognise instances where they can’t and guide them to resources that can help, even if those resources lie outside of language learning.
What advice would you give to candidates who find medical vocabulary challenging in the OET Reading sub-test?
Read. And do a course. Our dad used to say, “Only two things start at the top: wells and graves. And you see where they go.” I started teaching by building comprehensive Medical English courses that cover what healthcare professionals do in real life, and used those immediate, relatable topics to teach vocabulary from the ground up, with lots and lots of pictures. Once learners encounter new medical terminology, they need strategies to consolidate it so that it remains in their brain and at their fingertips. Our Medical English and OET courses tackle that, as well.
Apart from practice tests, what other study techniques do you recommend for OET candidates?
Develop a study calendar. We’ve found that our candidates who are organised and plan set study time (as opposed to “I will when I can”) do much better, often passing OET their first time. We’ve even developed an easy-to-use Study Planner tool to help them with this. I’ve used it in class with students and have seen them have that lightbulb moment when they realise that “I don’t have time” isn’t really true. Rather, it’s how they’ve been looking at and spending their time.
How can healthcare professionals who are not native English speakers improve their reading skills in daily medical practice?
Read – on the job and off. And do it every day, even if only for 10 minutes at a time. They will be shocked at how much they improve after just a month of doing this. They should use two new words, phrases or idioms at least three times in the first two days after they’ve learned them. It’s called ‘spaced repetition’ and it works.
You run Banfield’s Professional Medical English (BPME). How does your company support OET candidates in preparing for the exam?
Besides providing study materials and live teaching, we connect, human to human, with our candidates. We try to answer every student query whether it be via text, email, phone call or in-course or in-class. Having a real human partner who connects with them on their journey, as opposed to an AI or auto-messaging interface, seems to remain very valued. We aim to keep the personal touch in all that we do.
What role does personalised coaching play in OET preparation, and how does BPME integrate this into its teaching approach?
The doctor in me would describe private tutoring as a scenario promoting personalised diagnosis and management. Each of us have different learning styles and stumbling blocks in listening, reading, writing and speaking. Private 1:1 Coaching allows for a more emotionally freeing atmosphere for tutor and candidate to identify, discuss and work on specific obstacles. Our tutors are OET-trained and we offer Private Coaching and Speaking Assessments as either stand-alone or part of Premium courses. Group courses are excellent for creating a sense of community and for candiates to learn from one another as well as the tutor, but private tutoring is also a strong contender for those whose life commitments do not allow participation in fixed-time group courses.
Finally, where can readers find your book, and how can they connect with you for further guidance on OET preparation?
Since the book is available on multiple platforms, just head over to this link and choose your preferred purchase platform. We like making life simple for everyone.
