In informal speech -r Doktor is also used. A patient would address his doctor as
Herr/Frau Doktor or the professor in a hospital as Herr/Frau Professor (normally
without a surname).Patients are normally registered with their ‘general practitioner’ (-r Hausarzt/
praktische Arzt), although they could, theoretically, choose a new doctor every
three months by taking their ‘health insurance card’ (Versichertenkarte) to someone
else. This card could also be taken directly to a ‘specialist’ (Facharzt), but the ‘patient’,
-r Patient (-en), would be better advised to get a ‘transfer note’ (-e Überweisung)
from his/her doctor and take it to the recommended consultant.Consultants usually work in their own practices and one would arrange for ‘an
appointment’ (-r Termin) directly with his/her ‘secretary’ (-e Sekretärin) or ‘doctor’s
receptionist and nurse’ (-e Arzthelferin).The official titles for consultants are:-r Facharzt für Allgemeinmedizin ‘specialist for general medicine/GP’
Facharzt für Kinder-/Frauen-/Nerven-/Lungenheilkunde ‘specialist for
paediatrics/gynaecology/neurology/lung diseases’NOTE -r Kassenarzt ‘doctor who treats members of health insurance schemes’.
(For further specialist areas refer to a dictionary.)In informal speech, compounds are preferred:-e Kinderärztin ‘paediatrician’
-e Frauenärztin/Gynäkologin ‘gynaecologist’
-e Nervenärztin/Neurologin ‘neurologist’Other medical staff include:-e Krankenschwester/der Krankenpfleger ‘nurse’
-e Stationsschwester ‘ward sister’
-e Gemeindeschwester ‘district nurse’
-r Sanitäter (-) ‘first-aid attendant’
-e medizinisch-technische Assistentin (MTA) ‘medical laboratory assistant’
-r Heilpraktiker ‘practitioner of complementary medicine’(b) Treatmentjmdn./etw. heilen ‘to heal sb./sth.’
(un)heilbar ‘(in)curable’
jmdn./etw. behandeln ‘to treat sb./sth.’110
Talking about physical well being