Medical Terminology is too overwhelming?

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Jul 20, 2017

DEEP breath!

The terminology will begin to make sense once you have something on which to hang it- mentally. Words memorized without context are just that. Words.

There's a reason this course was only a single credit- it wasn't that important to being a nurse!

shibaowner, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 20, 2017

You do need to understand medical terminology. Nursing school is not going to take time to teach it to you. Why else do you think your school required the course? Honestly, if you can't be bothered to work hard by yourself and absorb information quickly, how do you think you are going to succeed in nursing school? If you understand medical terminology, it will be easier to remember what you learn, and you will also be able to figure out what medical terms mean, even if you haven't seen them before. Davi-Ellen Chabner has a bunch of great workbook style books that allow you to self-study. You can buy a used, older version cheap on Amazon. And you are going to have to do a lot of memorization very fast in nursing school so you better get used to it. Use the workbook I recommended and make flashcards if you need to. I don't mean to be harsh, but if you are incapable of reading a book and understanding it and learning from it without powerpoints and modules, I don't see anyway for you to get through nursing school or to be a good RN. And if you get through nursing school, how are you going to study for the NCLEX? No one is going spoon feed you information in just the way you want it. How are you going to read and understand patient charts when you are an RN? How are you going to document and communicate with other nurses and doctors? RNs often have to research information on the fly while they are on the floor - you may not recognize a medication or you may see a patient with confusing symptoms or maybe a patient asks you a question and you want to give them the right information. In order to find the information, you have to know the right terminology in order to do a search! You also have to learn how to find ways to help yourself learn. There is a plethora of information on the internet in places like Khan Academy, Youtube, etc. Here is a video to get you started:

OsceanSN2018 · Jul 20, 2017

You do need to understand medical terminology. Nursing school is not going to take time to teach it to you. Why else do you think your school required the course? Honestly, if you can't be bothered to work hard by yourself and absorb information quickly, how do you think you are going to succeed in nursing school? If you understand medical terminology, it will be easier to remember what you learn, and you will also be able to figure out what medical terms mean, even if you haven't seen them before. Davi-Ellen Chabner has a bunch of great workbook style books that allow you to self-study. You can buy a used, older version cheap on Amazon. And you are going to have to do a lot of memorization very fast in nursing school so you better get used to it. Use the workbook I recommended and make flashcards if you need to. I don't mean to be harsh, but if you are incapable of reading a book and understanding it and learning from it without powerpoints and modules, I don't see anyway for you to get through nursing school or to be a good RN. And if you get through nursing school, how are you going to study for the NCLEX? No one is going spoon feed you information in just the way you want it. How are you going to read and understand patient charts when you are an RN? How are you going to document and communicate with other nurses and doctors? RNs often have to research information on the fly while they are on the floor - you may not recognize a medication or you may see a patient with confusing symptoms or maybe a patient asks you a question and you want to give them the right information. In order to find the information, you have to know the right terminology in order to do a search! You also have to learn how to find ways to help yourself learn. There is a plethora of information on the internet in places like Khan Academy, Youtube, etc. Here is a video to get you started:

Thank you for your feedback, it was helpful. I have found that I tend to not do so great in online course because I focus better in a class room setting that is not meant for self teaching but at the time my university only offered MT online. Though I will look into khan academy and I hopefully I can make sense of everything and connect the dots.

OsceanSN2018 · Jul 20, 2017

DEEP breath!
The terminology will begin to make sense once you have something on which to hang it- mentally. Words memorized without context are just that. Words.
There's a reason this course was only a single credit- it wasn't that important to being a nurse!

Thank you, your comment just relieved a ton of stress off me as I tend to worry a lot when thebsubject pertains to nursing school these days.

OsceanSN2018 · Jul 20, 2017

You do need to understand medical terminology. Nursing school is not going to take time to teach it to you. Why else do you think your school required the course? Honestly, if you can't be bothered to work hard by yourself and absorb information quickly, how do you think you are going to succeed in nursing school? If you understand medical terminology, it will be easier to remember what you learn, and you will also be able to figure out what medical terms mean, even if you haven't seen them before. Davi-Ellen Chabner has a bunch of great workbook style books that allow you to self-study. You can buy a used, older version cheap on Amazon. And you are going to have to do a lot of memorization very fast in nursing school so you better get used to it. Use the workbook I recommended and make flashcards if you need to. I don't mean to be harsh, but if you are incapable of reading a book and understanding it and learning from it without powerpoints and modules, I don't see anyway for you to get through nursing school or to be a good RN. And if you get through nursing school, how are you going to study for the NCLEX? No one is going spoon feed you information in just the way you want it. How are you going to read and understand patient charts when you are an RN? How are you going to document and communicate with other nurses and doctors? RNs often have to research information on the fly while they are on the floor - you may not recognize a medication or you may see a patient with confusing symptoms or maybe a patient asks you a question and you want to give them the right information. In order to find the information, you have to know the right terminology in order to do a search! You also have to learn how to find ways to help yourself learn. There is a plethora of information on the internet in places like Khan Academy, Youtube, etc. Here is a video to get you started:

I replied to your comment but it was flagged for suspected spam and I don't know why.

DesertRosee · Jul 21, 2017

I definitely agree with PP, Relax. The medical terminology will become easier the more you use it, and it's not something I would stress about. I'm in my fourth semster of nursing school and there are still some acrononyms or terminology I come across where I think, "what the heck does this mean?" But I just ask or look it up myself it isn't a big deal.

Anonymous865 · Jul 21, 2017

Most medical terminology comes from Latin (sometimes Greek) words.

When you are studying the terminology, get into the habit of taking the words apart and looking at the Latin roots. You will see the same roots over and over. Knowing the meaning of the Latin roots will give you an idea of the meaning of the word.

For example:

The Latin root for hyper is over or above.

So hyperthermia is a temperature over or higher than normal.

hyperkalemia is potassium higher than normal

hypercalcemia is calcium higher than normal

hypernatremia is sodium higher than normal

The Latin root for hypo is beneath or below

So what is the meaing of

hypothermia

hypokalemia

hypocalcemia

hyponatremia

Here's one for you - hypodermic. Hypo means beneath and derm means skin, so a hypodermic is a device used to inject medicine below the skin.

The Latin root myo means muscle.

The Latin root cardio means heart.

The Latin root itis means inflammation.

So what is myocarditis?

What about myocardial infarction?

Cardiomyopathy?

myometrium?

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Jul 21, 2017

Most medical terminology comes from Latin (sometimes Greek) words.
When you are studying the terminology, get into the habit of taking the words apart and looking at the Latin roots. You will see the same roots over and over. Knowing the meaning of the Latin roots will give you an idea of the meaning of the word.
For example:
The Latin root for hyper is over or above.
So hyperthermia is a temperature over or higher than normal.
hyperkalemia is potassium higher than normal
hypercalcemia is calcium higher than normal
hypernatremia is sodium higher than normal
The Latin root for hypo is beneath or below
So what is the meaing of
hypothermia
hypokalemia
hypocalcemia
hyponatremia
Here's one for you - hypodermic. Hypo means beneath and derm means skin, so a hypodermic is a device used to inject medicine below the skin.
The Latin root myo means muscle.
The Latin root cardio means heart.
The Latin root itis means inflammation.
So what is myocarditis?
What about myocardial infarction?
Cardiomyopathy?
myometrium?

Having studied (in my youth) both Greek and Latin- this made my heart happy!

Semper ubi, sub ubi! *

*Always wear underwear!

shibaowner, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 21, 2017

I took Medical Terminology prior to nursing school, even though my school did not require it. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. My fellow students in nursing school who did not study medical terminology were at a real disadvantage and they had to spend extra time studying and memorizing. Also, you must be able to learn from reading. In nursing school, not all of your content is going to be on a powerpoint. You will be assigned articles and books to read and then write about. If you are going for your BSN, you will have to be able to do research and write a paper based on your research. Medicine has its own language, based largely on Latin and Greek. You will also have to memorize many abbreviations and acronyms. I still look things up occasionally, but everything would take a lot longer if I had to look everything up. How are you going to read and understand a doctor's orders? How are you going to read and understand a patient's chart with their history and physical? I view nursing and medicine as a calling and loved learning the "language." I had already done a lot of learning on my own because I am passionate about the field. If you are not passionate enough about this to want to learn the language of medicine, and find it fun, that is not a good sign.

Anonymous865 · Jul 22, 2017

Having studied (in my youth) both Greek and Latin- this made my heart happy!
Semper ubi, sub ubi! *
*Always wear underwear!

:)

I studied Latin and Greek too! I loved it, but they never taught us anything like "Semper ubi, sub ubi."

OsceanSN2018 · Jul 22, 2017

I took Medical Terminology prior to nursing school, even though my school did not require it. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. My fellow students in nursing school who did not study medical terminology were at a real disadvantage and they had to spend extra time studying and memorizing. Also, you must be able to learn from reading. In nursing school, not all of your content is going to be on a powerpoint. You will be assigned articles and books to read and then write about. If you are going for your BSN, you will have to be able to do research and write a paper based on your research. Medicine has its own language, based largely on Latin and Greek. You will also have to memorize many abbreviations and acronyms. I still look things up occasionally, but everything would take a lot longer if I had to look everything up. How are you going to read and understand a doctor's orders? How are you going to read and understand a patient's chart with their history and phsical? I view nursing and medicine as a calling and loved learning the "language." I had already done a lot of learning on my own because I am passionate about the field. If you are not passionate enough about this to want to learn the language of medicine, and find it fun, that is not a good sign.

No, I am really passionate about it and I feel as If I just overeacted a bit here. I was going through a lot of stress from family when I made this post and when I sat down to self study medical terminology I still couldn't focus so I got all emotional about it. But now I am once again back at it and learning new terms as we speak! I actually enjoy learning it, and I can't wait to start nursing school already and become a nurse.