....Medical Terminology prior to Nursing School?? I have 3 more courses to take before I can apply and then I'm off for a year. I was thinking of taking an online Medical Terminology class to fill in the time space and I thought it would be beneficial to me. It is not a requirement for our nursing program.
I'm just curious of those who had to take it for the program, (or chose to take it on your own), if you thought it was beneficial for you, and those who didn't take it... do you wish you would have???
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
I did not take a med terminology class and I did fine without one....can anyone give a brief description of what is covered in such a class? I mean, I know it seems obvious, but Im just curious...is it a lot of memorizing terminology?
If you go back and go to some of the websites that I listed in my post (#14) to this thread you will find what is covered. If you have a copy of Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary you will find a listing of medical terminology (mostly word roots) in the appendix. You will also find prefixes and suffixes listed throughout the alphabetized part of the dictionary itself.
As I've said before, these medical terminology classes only cover basics. There is still a great deal to learn after the class which is why you still need a good medical dictionary to look up terms. And, yes, a course in medical terminology is basically a lot of memorizing. It eventually makes a lot more sense when you see some of these conditions in actual patients when you start to do your nursing clinicals. Until then, you have to memorize.
You do not need to pay $500.00 for a medical terminology course. Save that money for your stethoscope, uniforms, etc.
You can buy a book at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles on Medical Terminology. Some come with audio CDs. Price range $30.00 - $50.00.
Knowing medical terminology will help with spelling and being familiar with words, but you will learn the relevance of those words throughout your science prerequisites and in nursing school.
You could also find out what Anatomy & Physiology text you will need for your prerequisites and buy it ahead of time and start reading it.
I would really discourage spending $500.00 for a medical terminology course.
Daytonite, BSN, RN
1 Article; 14,604 Posts
As I've said before, these medical terminology classes only cover basics. There is still a great deal to learn after the class which is why you still need a good medical dictionary to look up terms. And, yes, a course in medical terminology is basically a lot of memorizing. It eventually makes a lot more sense when you see some of these conditions in actual patients when you start to do your nursing clinicals. Until then, you have to memorize.