Should I Take a Medical Terminology Class?

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I am starting my pre reqs in the fall and was wondering if i should take a medical terminology class. It's not a pre reqs at the schoolo i plan to attend.

Thank you :)

Cheryl

mommy to 4

Achoo!, LPN

1,749 Posts

Specializes in Urgent Care.

If you need extra credits, it would be a very beneficial class to have. Do you really need it? Not really, as they go through it along with your theory courses.

Specializes in Assisted Living Nurse Manager.

I took a medical terminology course when I went to school for medical assissting. This class helped me so much when I was in LPN school. The knowledge that I acquired from this class was so much more than just plain medical terminology. We studied the systems that it pertained too. So when I started my actual nursing classes I was more familiar with the terms than some of my classmates. To me it is a benefit.

bethg5

65 Posts

I just completed this course in the fall and it is not a required course at my school. I gained a lot of knowledge from this course that was beneficial in my biology course and of course helps out in A & P. Just keep in mind that this is not an easy course. My school only counts it as 2 credit hours and it required more study time than my 4 hour biology course did. I studied non-stop and barely ended with an A. A lot of people under estimate this course and then end of failing it or not getting the grade they hoped for. So just make sure you don't overload your schedule. It would be horrible to ruin your gpa over a course that isn't even required.

HeartsOpenWide, RN

1 Article; 2,889 Posts

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I could only help. I took it when I went through a Medical Assisting program. I found that in Physio, Anatomy and Micro my teacher used a lot of the words I had learned, except he had to explain what they meant to the class (but I already knew! Its always nice to have the upper hand!)

cdietrich404

114 Posts

I checked again and my school no longer even offers it. They offered it last year online and that was what i was going to do, but now its gone.

Nursing in 09

43 Posts

I checked again and my school no longer even offers it. They offered it last year online and that was what i was going to do, but now its gone.

I can't fit it into my schedule, but i got a medical terminology disc on ebay for a cheap price..$7 i think. It goes step-by-step and has pre and post tests. I was told my waiting list for the program was 2-21/2 yrs, I am in for August and have only been on the list since Jan. 05. I have micro this summer so no time for terminology or a nurse's aid program. Also some books have med term lists in them. Good Luck!!!!!!!!:yeah:

LeahSusan

8 Posts

I would recommend taking a terminology class. When I decided to go into nursing school it was on a whim and I went in as a total "nursing virgin" with no prior experience. If you're in the same boat I am I would really encourage you to take that class when you have the chance. :)

I highly reccomend taking a terminology class. Instructors use words you otherwise will not know and they will not always expain. It will make life much easier on you. We are required to take it. Ours is a hearing-visual class that is very easy because of the way the system works. Also, once you take the class, even if you don't know the word, you can figure it out.

Daytonite, BSN, RN

1 Article; 14,603 Posts

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
i checked again and my school no longer even offers it. they offered it last year online and that was what i was going to do, but now its gone.

i don't want you to feel that you got left behind somehow. here are several websites where you can learn all about basic medical terminology in your free time. the information there is pretty much the same you would get if you went to a class. if would be a very good idea for you to save up and buy yourself a really good medical dictionary (not a cheap-o paperback). it will be an investment in something you will put to use over the years. taber's cylopedic medical dictionary or mosby's medical dictionary are both good. check out the prices on them over at amazon or barnes and noble web sites. while i was going through nursing school i had my taber's at my side while i was reading my nursing textbooks because there were always unknown medical terms i had to look up--and i took a basic medical terminology class before nursing school!

http://www.msjensen.gen.umn.edu/1135/med_term_activites/ - medical terminology help from the university of minnesota - includes link to their interactive quiz program that has a medical terminology section - lots of online quizzes to help you learn medical terminology

http://www.lcsc.edu/healthocc/enable02/medterm.htm - medical terminology in a nutshell with several short quizzes - organized into sections on word roots, suffixes, prefixes, how to read a medical term, and abbreviations

http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_rice_terminolog_2/0,4681,198650-,00.html - this is the companion website self study resource for terminology of health and medicine by jane rice. there is a dropdown box just under the top banner that will give you access to the various chapters of the course. clicking on the individual chapters takes you to a page of objectives. however, on the left side of each page are links to multiple choice, t/f, labeling, fill in the blank and essay questions for that chapter along with a link to a glossary of medical terms. the labeling includes basic anatomy structures to be labeled.

http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/healthcare/medterm-v02.asp - this is a free on line medical terminology course. this link takes you to a page of links that are organized by stems (word roots), prefixes, and suffixes. there are multiple choice and matching exams after each section that give you instant feedback that tells you if your response is right or wrong

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wnor/terminologyanatplanes.htm - this really is more for someone taking anatomy, but it is medical terminology. the site the shows and tells you the anatomical planes of the body, defines terms of relation or position, defines terms of movement, and has a listing of frequently used medical terms in anatomy with their definitions. a reference you might want to print out for your anatomy notebooks.

cdietrich404

114 Posts

Daytonite~ Thank you so much for all that!!!

freddi

4 Posts

You will find most of it a waste of time I think. But then you get into nursing school and they start throwing words around thinking you know what they are. ETOH, ASA and a few others. Taking the Med Term course may save you some head scratching.

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