IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe a person who has chosen a career in the medical field

Describe a person who has chosen a career in the medical field

Suggested ideas for each part

• Who the person is: 👩‍⚕️ My cousin, Dr. Linh / 🏥 A close family friend / 🧑‍⚕️ My former classmate
• What profession they chose: 🩺 A doctor (general practitioner, surgeon, pediatrician, etc.) / 💉 A nurse / 🏥 A pharmacist
• Why they decided to work in this field: 👪 Inspired by a family member / 😷 Wanted to help people / 🎓 Passionate about science & healthcare
• How you feel about their choice: 👏 Admire their dedication / 😮 Impressed by their hard work / 🥺 Feel proud and inspired

Useful grammar structures

1. Past simple: When she was a child, she dreamed of becoming a doctor.
2. Present perfect: She has been working at a hospital for five years.
3. Comparisons: Being a doctor is much more challenging than many other jobs.
4. Conditional sentence (Type 2): If I were in her position, I would find it extremely difficult.
5. Relative clause: She is someone who truly cares about others.

Collocations

1. Lifesaving profession 🏥 (nghề cứu người)
2. Demanding job ⏳ (công việc đòi hỏi nhiều)
3. Emotional resilience 💪 (sự kiên cường về mặt cảm xúc)
4. Work long hours ⏰ (làm việc nhiều giờ liền)
5. Strong sense of responsibility 🎯 (ý thức trách nhiệm cao)
6. Make a meaningful impact 💖 (tạo ra ảnh hưởng ý nghĩa)
7. Medical expertise 🧠 (kiến thức chuyên môn y tế)
8. Dedicated healthcare professional 👩‍⚕️ (chuyên gia chăm sóc sức khỏe tận tâm)

Full spoken sample (about 2 minutes)

One of the most hardworking and inspiring people I know is my cousin, Dr. Linh 👩‍⚕️. She is a dedicated healthcare professional who has been working as a pediatrician at a major hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for the past five years. Ever since she was a child, she dreamed of becoming a doctor because she wanted to help sick children recover and lead healthier lives.

She was deeply inspired by our grandfather, who was also a doctor and spent his entire life treating patients in rural areas. Seeing how he made a difference in people’s lives motivated her to pursue this lifesaving profession 🏥. However, her journey was not easy. She had to study extremely hard in high school to get into medical school, and even after that, she spent years training and practicing before she became a fully qualified doctor.

Her job is incredibly demanding ⏳. She often works long hours, sometimes even overnight, and she has to handle emergencies where quick decisions are a matter of life and death. Not only does she need medical expertise 🧠, but she also needs emotional resilience 💪 because working with sick children can be heartbreaking at times. However, despite all the challenges, she absolutely loves her job. She once told me that there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a child recover and go home with their family.

I deeply admire her strong sense of responsibility 🎯 and dedication. I don’t think I would be able to handle such a stressful and demanding career, so I truly respect those who work in the medical field. If I had the chance, I would love to shadow her for a day to see what her daily routine is like. Overall, I think she has made a fantastic career choice because she is making a real difference in people’s lives. The world definitely needs more people like her!

Part 3: Discussion Questions

1. Why do some people choose to work in the medical field?

Ideas

• 🎓 Passion for science and healthcare
• 👩‍⚕️ Desire to help others and make a difference
• 💰 Stable income and job security

Collocations

1. Compassionate nature 💖 (tấm lòng nhân ái)
2. Lifelong commitment ⏳ (sự cam kết trọn đời)
3. Prestigious career 🎓 (nghề nghiệp danh giá)

Sample answer

Many people choose to work in the medical field because they have a compassionate nature 💖 and genuinely want to help others. For some, it’s a lifelong commitment ⏳ to improving people’s health. Others see it as a prestigious career 🎓 with good income and job stability. Regardless of the reason, it’s a profession that requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice.

2. How does working in a medical-related profession impact a person’s life?

Ideas

• ⏰ Long working hours and high stress
• 🏥 Emotionally demanding but rewarding
• 🔬 Requires continuous learning

Collocations

1. Work-life balance ⚖️ (cân bằng giữa công việc và cuộc sống)
2. Emotional burnout 😞 (kiệt sức về mặt cảm xúc)
3. Continuous professional development 📚 (phát triển chuyên môn liên tục)

Sample answer

Working in the medical field can be exhausting because of the long working hours ⏰ and high stress levels. Many doctors and nurses struggle with work-life balance ⚖️, and some even experience emotional burnout 😞. On the other hand, it’s an incredibly rewarding career, and there are always opportunities for continuous professional development 📚 to improve their skills.

3. Do you think medical professionals are valued in society?

Ideas

• 🙌 Highly respected, especially after COVID-19
• 💰 Well-paid but not always appreciated enough
• 🏥 Essential role in every community

Collocations

1. Unsung heroes 🦸 (những người hùng thầm lặng)
2. Critical role in public health 🏥 (vai trò quan trọng trong y tế công cộng)
3. Face high expectations 🎯 (đối mặt với kỳ vọng cao)

Sample answer

Yes, I believe medical professionals are highly valued, especially after the pandemic, when they were seen as unsung heroes 🦸. They play a critical role in public health 🏥, but at the same time, they face high expectations 🎯 and enormous pressure. In some countries, they may not always be financially rewarded as much as they deserve.

4. How can technology influence medical-related professions in the future?

Ideas

• 🤖 AI and robotics in surgery
• 💊 More advanced treatments and medicines
• 🏥 Telemedicine and remote healthcare

Collocations

1. Revolutionize healthcare 🔄 (cách mạng hóa ngành y tế)
2. Medical breakthroughs 🚀 (đột phá y học)
3. Improve patient care 🏥 (cải thiện chăm sóc bệnh nhân)

Sample answer

Technology is already changing the medical field, and in the future, it will revolutionize healthcare 🔄 even more. AI and robotics will assist in surgeries, leading to more medical breakthroughs 🚀. Telemedicine will also become more popular, allowing doctors to improve patient care 🏥 without requiring physical visits to hospitals.

5. In your opinion, which profession is more important: doctors or nurses?

Ideas

• 🏥 Both play essential roles in healthcare
• 👩‍⚕️ Doctors diagnose and treat diseases
• 💉 Nurses provide direct care and emotional support
• 🏆 It’s not about which is “more important,” but how they work together

Useful Grammar Structures

• Comparatives: Doctors have more specialized knowledge, while nurses provide more direct care.
• Passive voice: Patients are often cared for by nurses before seeing a doctor.
• Opinion expressions: Personally, I believe both professions are equally valuable in the healthcare system.

Collocations

1. Medical expertise 🧠 (kiến thức y khoa)
2. Patient-centered care 🏥 (chăm sóc lấy bệnh nhân làm trung tâm)
3. Frontline healthcare workers ⏳ (nhân viên y tế tuyến đầu)
4. Critical decision-making 🎯 (quyết định quan trọng)
5. Provide emotional support 💖 (cung cấp hỗ trợ tinh thần)

Sample Answer

Personally, I don’t think we can say that one profession is more important than the other because both doctors and nurses play essential roles in the healthcare system 🏥. Doctors have medical expertise 🧠 and make critical decisions 🎯 about diagnoses and treatments, while nurses are frontline healthcare workers ⏳ who spend more time with patients, providing emotional support 💖 and ensuring they recover properly.

If I had to choose, I’d say that patient-centered care 🏥 wouldn’t be possible without nurses, but at the same time, without doctors, there would be no diagnoses or surgeries. So, instead of comparing their importance, I believe the best healthcare comes when both doctors and nurses work together as a team.

6. What qualities are essential for someone to succeed in a medical profession?

Ideas

• 💖 Compassion and empathy
• ⏳ Patience and emotional resilience
• 🧠 Strong medical knowledge and problem-solving skills
• 🎯 Attention to detail and decision-making ability
• 👩‍⚕️ Ability to handle pressure and work long hours

Useful Grammar Structures

• Modal verbs: Doctors must be compassionate, and they should be able to handle stressful situations.
• Relative clauses: A good doctor is someone who can remain calm under pressure.
• Conditionals (Type 2): If a person were not passionate, they would not be able to survive in the medical field.

Collocations

1. Compassionate nature 💖 (tấm lòng nhân ái)
2. Emotional resilience 💪 (sự kiên cường về mặt cảm xúc)
3. Critical thinking skills 🤔 (kỹ năng tư duy phản biện)
4. Strong sense of responsibility 🎯 (ý thức trách nhiệm cao)
5. Ability to work under pressure ⏳ (khả năng làm việc dưới áp lực)

Sample Answer

To succeed in the medical field, a person must have a compassionate nature 💖 because they will be dealing with patients who are often scared and in pain. They also need emotional resilience 💪 to handle stressful and heartbreaking situations, such as losing a patient or working in emergency departments.

Apart from that, doctors and nurses require critical thinking skills 🤔 to diagnose illnesses accurately and make life-saving decisions. A strong sense of responsibility 🎯 is also crucial, as one mistake could put a patient’s life at risk.

Lastly, the ability to work under pressure ⏳ is a must. Many healthcare professionals work long hours without proper rest, so if someone lacks passion and commitment, they might struggle to keep up with the demands of this profession.