Referral Letter Writing Tips for Nurses

A lot of nurses are often thrown off when they take the OET writing sub-test. Not because it’s unusual or difficult, but because it involves tasks that they seldom do in their workplace. One of which is writing a nursing referral letter. 

OET Review Center Lecture Point: Nursing Referral Letters  

Not a lot of hospitals in the Philippines require nurses to create referral letters. So, if you’re working or have interned in a healthcare facility that allowed you to issue this letter, rejoice! You have an advantage that most OET test takers don’t. 

However, if you’re part of the majority whose writing tasks are limited to filling out forms, ticking boxes, and completing incident reports, then you need to step up your game. Either study how to write nursing referral letters on your own or take OET classes. The latter is definitely the more advantageous option. Here’s why: 

• OET review center instructors will give you a comprehensive lecture about the topic.  

• They’ll teach you how to create referral letters that’ll satisfy the writing sub-test’s criteria, specifically: 
          o Overall Task Fulfilment 
          o Appropriateness of Language 
          o Comprehension of Stimulus 
          o Linguistic Features (Cohesion and Grammar) 
          o Presentation Features (spelling, punctuation, and layout) 

• OET instructors can also assess your referral letters and provide feedback to refine your writing approach. 

• You can also pick their brain for writing tips and other useful information about the sub-test. 

Thinking of preparing with an OET review center? Enroll in one of our training programs. Click here to learn more about our courses. 

OET Course Preview: Referral Writing Tips for Nurses

Here are some of the things that OET instructors will teach you about writing nursing referrals. 

• Stick to accepted layouts. Like most healthcare documents, nursing referral letters have a lot of variations depending on the facility and context. Make sure you use one that’s appropriate for the task. 

• Pay attention to your spelling, layout, and punctuation. These are the biggest scoring aspects under the criterion “Presentation Features.” So make sure you don’t commit any errors. Double-check your capitalization and grammar as well before moving on to the next task.

• Use accepted abbreviations. Take note. You can only use abbreviations that are accepted worldwide. OET examiners won’t accept made up or facility-specific abbreviations. So, read up on accepted healthcare short forms and abbreviations. 

• Follow the prescribed word count. Avoid going over the 180–200 word count so you’ll have ample time to reread and proofread your letter. 

Want to learn more tips on how to compose the perfect nursing referral letter and more? Become a part of our OET classes! 

References: 
Kaia. "OET Writing Sub-Test | All the tips that you require to get a high score." E2Language Blog. February 13, 2018. Accessed February 21, 2018. https://blog.e2language.com/oet-writing-tips-sub-test/.

"OET Nursing Referral Letter Writing Tips." Linguasoft Edutech Blog. April 07, 2017. Accessed February 21, 2018. https://www.linguasoftech.com/blog/oet-nursing-referral-letter-writing-tips/. 


"OET: Writing a Nurse's Referral Letter." LinkedIn SlideShare. May 16, 2014. Accessed February 21, 2018. https://www.slideshare.net/virginiaallum2010/oet-writing-a-nurses-referral-letter.