Doctors and treatment · Health
refer someone to a specialist
send someone for expert care
To refer someone to a specialist means to send them to a doctor with special knowledge of a condition.
This vs that
My GP referred me to a specialist.
I got a second opinion.
Hear it in real life
Can your local doctor deal with it?
I'm not sure. They may refer me to a specialist.
My GP decided to refer me to a specialist because the pain kept coming back.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
'Referred me to' is the normal concise way to describe this medical step.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: My GP referred me ‸ a specialist.
Say: My GP referred me to a specialist.
Use 'to' after 'refer someone' when naming the specialist.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
refer someone to a specialist
The GP referred me to a specialist at the local hospital.
They may refer you to a specialist if the symptoms continue.
Doctors and treatment words
Health · Doctors and treatment: the words around “refer someone to a specialist”.
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Easy to mix up
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Your turn: say it out loud
My GP referred me to a specialist.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
refer someone to a specialist
send someone for expert care
“My GP decided to refer me to a specialist because the pain kept coming back.”
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