The current study focuses on institutional talk in the medical encounters between nurses and patients. Based on an analysis of the institutional talk in English nursing textbooks, three functions of all right emerge as a discourse marker. In addition, the data reveal the different frequency of use of all right between medical professionals and patients. The findings reflect the asymmetry between medical professionals and patients, confirming the findings of previous research. The intonational end of all right is found to be related to the location in the conversation as well as the patient’s attitude toward medical treatment. The results emphasize the need for further research to elucidate the multifunctionality of discourse markers in various institutional settings.