OET Referral Letter Guide for Healthcare Professionals

What Is an OET Referral Letter?

A referral letter OET is one of the most important and toughest writing tasks in the OET Writing sub-test. This task is designed to assess a healthcare professional's ability to communicate patient information to another healthcare professional. It involves writing a professional letter to request or recommend a patient's transfer to a specialist or other healthcare provider.

• Purpose: To check if you can communicate with another healthcare professional to take care of the patient.
• Content: The OET referral letter must contain several information related to the patient, such as diagnosis, symptoms, medical history, current treatment, and other relevant details.
• Importance: Simulates real-world communications, tests key skills and medical vocabulary, and is essential for professional advancement.

The OET writing referral letter sample will help you get a better understanding of the format and purpose of the particular task. Moreover, it is important to score high as this part assesses the most important skills that a healthcare professional must have.

OET Referral Letter Format

Understanding the OET referral letter format is important for the candidates to score high there. So, go through the basic breakdown of the format below.

1. Recipient’s Details: Here, write the full name of the person the patient is referred. Moreover, add their professional titles, such as a nurse, Dr., or others. Also, writing there is very important in the letter. Carry the formal tone here.
2. Reference Line: Here, you have to provide basic details about the patient, such as name, date of birth, and more.
3. Introduction: In this section, state the reason for reference and the purpose of writing the letter clearly. Moreover, add the medical history and current diagnosis of the patient, and also the issue faced because of which the patient is referred.
4. Main Body: Organize the following content in a well-structured paragraph and summarize relevant clinical details, including the patient's diagnosis, treatment to date, and relevant tests or investigations. Include relevant past medical history, social history, or family history that might be relevant to the referral. Moreover, list current medications and any relevant details about their use or effectiveness.
5. Make a Request: Clearly state what you want the recipient to do, such as further investigations, specialist consultations, or ongoing management.
6. Conclude the Letter: End the OET referral letter sample for nurses or doctors with a polite remark.
7. Closing: Use ‘Yours sincerely’ to close the letter and sign your name under your job title:

This is the most accurate and recommended OET referral letter format. Use it while writing your response to ensure high marks on the test. You can also go through the OET syllabus to check the important topics and get familiar with the format and topics you will encounter in the exam.

Samples for OET Referral Letter

To practice better for this particular task, it is important that you go through the OET writing referral letter sample. Check below to get different samples for both the doctor and the nurse.

Sample 1: For Nurse

Here, you will go through the OET referral letter sample for nurses that will help you score well in the exam.

Answer for OET Referral Letter for Nurses

Community Physiotherapy Service

8 Glen Street

Brookside

10 March 2025

Dear Physiotherapist,

Re: Mrs. Clara Reynolds, aged 79

I am writing to refer Mrs. Clara Reynolds, who has recently been discharged following a left hip replacement, and now requires home-based physiotherapy for continued rehabilitation and mobility support.

Mrs. Reynolds was admitted on 24 February 2025 for an elective hip replacement due to longstanding osteoarthritis. Her post-operative recovery was uneventful. She is now mobilizing with a frame and experiencing only mild swelling at the incision site, which is healing appropriately.

Currently, she requires assistance with climbing stairs and several activities of daily living. She lives alone, although her daughter visits twice weekly. No home modifications have been made yet to support her recovery.

She would benefit greatly from physiotherapy to improve her mobility, regain strength, and promote independence. Additionally, monitoring the surgical site as part of her care would be helpful.

Thank you for your support in facilitating Mrs. Reynolds’s continued recovery at home.

Yours sincerely,

Adolf Epstein

Registered Nurse

Sample 2: For Doctor

Here, you will go through the OET referral letter sample for doctors that will help you score well in the exam.

Answer for OET Referral Letter for Doctors

Dr. Sharon Mendez

Neurologist

City Specialist Hospital

18 Riverbank Avenue

London

6 March 2025

Dear Dr. Mendez,

Re: Mr. Alan Smith, aged 54

I am writing to refer Mr. Alan Smith, who presented with a probable transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and requires your expert evaluation and management.

On 4 March 2025, Mr. Smith experienced a sudden episode of slurred speech and right arm weakness. The symptoms resolved spontaneously within 20 minutes. He did not experience any loss of consciousness, and there were no prior similar incidents.

Mr. Smith has a background of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, both diagnosed several years ago. He is a non-smoker and consumes alcohol occasionally. On examination, his blood pressure was elevated at 150/95 mmHg, with a regular pulse of 88 bpm. Neurological examination was normal at the time of assessment. Initial investigations, including ECG and CT head, did not reveal any acute abnormalities. His blood glucose level was 9.8 mmol/L.

In the interim, he has been commenced on aspirin 300mg. Given the suspected TIA and his vascular risk factors, I believe a neurologist review is urgently warranted to guide further management and secondary prevention.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Jeffrey Hitler

General Practitioner

These are the referral letter OET nursing writing samples with answers. Use these OET writing samples to understand the tone and structure of the letter.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in OET Referral Letters

There are several mistakes that people make while writing the OET referral letter in the exam. So, some of these are:

• Unclear Purpose in the Introduction: Not clearly stating the purpose and intention in the introduction is one of the major mistakes people make.
• Lack of Planning Before Writing: Not organizing your thoughts and not going through the case notes is again a major mistake and may result in.
• Including Irrelevant Information: Including details that are not essential to the patient's condition and the required action from the recipient may not convey the accurate message to another professional.
• Poor Structure and Organization: Not representing a clear and logical format with an introduction, body paragraphs for specific themes, and a conclusion will not let you get a good score.
• Incorrectly Using Medical Terminology: Not using medical terms appropriately and correctly, considering the recipient's specialty, will change the complete meaning of the letter. So, explain any abbreviations that may not be commonly known.

These are some of the mistakes that people make in the referral letter OET. So, practice more to avoid such errors and avoid unnecessary marks deduction.

Tips to Write a High-Scoring OET Referral Letter

Here, you will find some of the tips that will help you write a high-scoring OET referral letter. So, read them and follow them in your exam.

• Prepare your letter: Use the 5 minutes of reading time to review the case notes, consider what your principal purpose for writing is, and identify what information is relevant.
• Write to the reader: Consider the specific healthcare professional you are writing to, their role, and what information they require. Use the appropriate content and language.
• Be succinct and clear: Don't use too much information that is irrelevant or complicated language.
• Write in a clear, logical order: Use an introduction, body paragraphs on specific themes, and a conclusion with your recommendations or requests.
• Use a professional tone: Use formal language, and avoid contractions, slang, or judgment.

Conclusion

This was all about the OET referral letter. Here, you went through the basic details of this task and also two samples on behalf of doctors and nurses. So, go through them, carry their tone, and understand the proper structure of the letter. Moreover, take the help of the format also as it will make the task more understandable to you. At last, go through the common mistakes that you must avoid and also the tips that will help you avoid unnecessary mark deductions. So, prepare well, take the help of the OET writing mock test, and pursue your healthcare career abroad.

FAQs

1. What Is an OET Referral Letter?

The OET referral letter checks the healthcare professional's ability to communicate patient information to another healthcare professional. It involves writing a professional letter to request or recommend a patient's transfer to a specialist or other healthcare provider.

2. Who Can Write an OET Referral Letter?

A healthcare professional such as a doctor or nurse is the only professional who can write an OET referral letter to another healthcare professional.

3. What Is the Purpose of a Referral Letter?

The primary purpose of an OET referral letter is to provide another healthcare professional with the necessary information to continue the patient's care or to request specific investigations or management.