Medical Terminology class--useful?

[sKris]

I am starting an ABSN program in August. All my prerequisite are finished (or will be in 3 weeks) so I don't need to take any summer classes. However, our comunity college offers a 1 credit, 6 week, online medical terminology class. The class is required for their nursing program and I was thinking it might be helpful to take before I start in the fall. Has anyone taken something similar? Was it worth it? Helpful? Unecessary? Thanks!

[holli_80_73]

I took it in school even though I didn't have to have it and the professor was a nightmare--It ended up being harder than my biochem class at that time. She gave 2 exams the entire time and one was matching...where there were 350 words to match up...by the time I was finished with that exam I was seeing jumbled letters in front of me..that looked like this. AABBCCD

AABBCCDDE, ABAB, BABA, AABB, ABCDE,

I am not sure where she got the idea for an exam like that but I am sure it was an isolated case...so take it or study on your own so you will know the lingo better in classes :)

[KTakami]

I am starting an ABSN program in August. All my prerequisite are finished (or will be in 3 weeks) so I don't need to take any summer classes. However, our comunity college offers a 1 credit, 6 week, online medical terminology class. The class is required for their nursing program and I was thinking it might be helpful to take before I start in the fall. Has anyone taken something similar? Was it worth it? Helpful? Unecessary? Thanks!

I took a MedTerm class during my 2nd sem of nursing school (ADN). How I wish I had done so prior to nursing school, since the class teaches you how to break up big medical terms that are mostly Greek roots into simpler terms so that you can pretty much make out the meaning og big words in the doctor's progress notes or History & Physical. If you decide to do so, pls do read the book required and possibly the exercises in it so that it will all benefit you. I am not a flash card person but I made them for that class per my instructor's suggestion and feel that I retained more info from the class.

However, you may want to take the class with one of your semesters to make you full-time status if dependent on fin aid. It shouldn;t be too hard of a class, but fun, especially once you're already a nursing student, and practicing the terminology skills during clinicals at the hospital.

Something my instructor told us on the first night:

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)

literally is

Through-the-skin via-the-lumen [of a] heart vessel repair.

Good luck!

-graduating 4th sem this May more prepared