OET Referral Letter for Pediatric Nurse Example – Sample letter showing how to refer a pediatric patient in the OET Writing sub-test.

How to Write an OET Referral Letter for a Pediatric Patient (Sample Included)

Writing an OET referral letter for a pediatric nurse is among the toughest but most fulfilling aspects of the OET Writing sub-test. It not only assesses your English proficiency, but your proficiency in communicating professionally in a healthcare setting. What follows is a step-by-step guide to framing and writing a highly scoring referral letter for a pediatric case — complete with an example and explanations.

Significance of Referral Letters in OET

In the OET Writing sub-test, nurses usually need to compose a referral letter to another medical practitioner. The letter’s role is to hand over patient care, maintaining continuity and safety. In the case of pediatric nurses, this is even more important, as children’s cases often have sensitive information, developmental milestones, and interactions with the family.

A good OET referral letter demonstrates your skill in accurately summarising case information, highlighting essential facts, and writing in the right tone for a clinical audience. This is what actually happens in real-life nursing communication, so it’s vital to master it for the exam as well as for your own practice.

Understanding Pediatric Case Context

Before writing, you must be familiar with the pediatric scenario presented in the OET case notes. Pediatric cases are different from adult cases in several ways:

They have developmental facets (i.e., growth, behaviour, feeding).
The parents or guardians tend to be the principal communicators.
You need to exhibit a sensitive and reassuring tone, with evidence of care for the child and family.

For instance, if you’re referring a 5-year-old with chronic asthma to a respiratory specialist, your letter should highlight the child’s recent symptoms, triggers, current management plan, and parental concerns — while maintaining a clinical, factual tone.

How to Identify Key Patient Details

OET examiners want you to sift and condense only the most pertinent case information. Mentioning all the points from the prompt may render your letter wordy and meandering. Refer to this checklist to determine what is most important:

Reason for referral – Why are you writing this letter? (e.g., further investigation, continuing management, specialist advice)
Patient background – Age, pertinent medical history, presenting complaint.
Recent status – Summarize the most recent episode or changes.
Treatment administered – Include medications, surgery, nursing interventions, or parental recommendations.
Current status and request – Close with what you anticipate the recipient to do next.

Tip: If you have several details regarding the same symptom, select the newest or most clinically significant one.

Your OET referral letter needs to be polite, clear, and professional — not emotional or chatty. When pediatric cases do include children and parents, weigh clinical objectivity against empathy.

Here's how:

Utilize formal and concise language: “He presented with” rather than “He came in with.”
Refrain from over-describing parental worry; instead, say, “His mother was concerned with recurrent wheezing episodes.”
Adopt a neutral tone throughout.
Employ the passive voice when describing actions (e.g., “was admitted,” “was treated”).

Some general sentences for pediatric referral letters are:

“I am referring this child for further evaluation/management of…”

“He/she has a history of…”

“Your assessment and continued care will be appreciated.”

Example Letter with Explanation

Case Summary:

You are a pediatric nurse at Greenfield Community Clinic. You have been providing care to Liam Brown, a 4-year-old boy who has had recurrent ear infections for the last six months. Today, you are referring him to an ENT specialist for further management.

Sample OET Referral Letter for Pediatric Nurse

Date: 12 March 2025

Dr. Susan Clarke

ENT Specialist

Greenfield Hospital

Re: Liam Brown, 4 years old

Dear Dr. Clarke,

I am submitting Liam Brown, a 4-year-old male, for further evaluation and management of persistent episodes of otitis media.

Liam has been coming to our clinic for the last six months with earache, off-and-on fever, and difficulty hearing. The mother indicates that the attacks have become more frequent, at an interval of three to four weeks. On every visit, he was treated symptomatically with oral antibiotics and analgesics.

On his last visit on 10 March, Liam complained of bilateral discharge from the ears, fever, and irritability. On examination, there was inflamed tympanic membrane with purulent discharge. His mother complained of deafness in him as he had been requesting repetition and decreasing response to talk.

Liam’s growth and development are otherwise unremarkable, and his history is otherwise not significant other than mild seasonal allergies. Immunizations are current.

With the frequency of infections and the recent concern for hearing, I feel an ENT evaluation would be in order to eliminate chronic otitis media and to discuss further treatment.

Thank you for considering this issue. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need further information.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]

Registered Pediatric Nurse

Greenfield Community Clinic

Explanation:

The introductory paragraph is explicit about the goal (“to refer”) and states the central reason (“recurrent otitis media”).

The body paragraphs follow a chronological order — past history, recent episode, and current issues.

Only pertinent details are given; parental feelings are stated briefly but in a professional manner.

The last paragraph respectfully asks for further evaluation — a typical conclusion for an OET referral letter.

Practice Tips for High Scores

Organize first, write later: Take 5 minutes to choose and arrange main points.
Adopt the right format: Introduction → Medical history → Current state → Request.
Keep it within word limit: 180–200 words is best.
Keep formal tone: Refrain from contractions or colloquial expressions.
Ensure grammar and cohesion: Utilize connecting words such as “however,” “therefore,” and “as a result.”
Work on pediatric OET writing samples: Reading sample answers makes you aware of the way high-band answers are framed.
Apply model phrases effectively: Don’t memorize whole letters — rather, learn to modify phrases such as “I am writing to refer…” or “Further management is advised for…”

By practicing consistently with OET nurse letter examples, you’ll develop the skill to summarize medical notes effectively and write within the expected tone and format.

Conclusion

Composing an OET referral letter for a pediatric patient takes more than good grammar — it calls for clinical acumen, structure, and professionalism. Prioritize what is of most interest to the reader (the receiving health worker), keep it organized, and adopt a tone that conveys competence and empathy.

Through steady practice and familiarity with OET writing requirements, you can write referral letters that convey both linguistic skill and practical nursing ability with confidence.