Should I take medical terminology as an elective?

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My school added a pre-nursing medical terminology class and I'm considering taking it. It's online and isn't a requirement for nursing majors. Still, I'm wondering if it would be helpful.

I've heard some schools have medical terminology in their degree plans. Is this true? And do you think a medical terminology class would be better than, say, getting a book from Barnes & Noble and just reading up on the subject?

Any advice is welcome.

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I took a medical terminology course before I started nursing classes. The structured learning helped me stay on track (which I wouldn't have done on my own) and it was a fairly easy online course. Plus, it helped boost my GPA because I made an A in the class.

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I really enjoyed Med Term. I took it after A&P because I decided to use it as my elective for my associates degree. I'm glad I took it because I'm able to use the knowledge I gained in there to better my understanding of new terms I'm introduced to. Im more capable of figuring out what a term means by looking at the root, prefix, and suffix. I think taking a course instead of just reading a book is better, because you are required to commit the information to memory.

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It's not a requirement for my school.. however, I plan on taking it. I think it's a very good course to take so you have a deeper understanding of medical terminology.. as opposed to just memorizing definitions.

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That class will benefit you so much. My BSN program sent us our packets and in it they told us that they don't teach med term nor med math but we would need a basic understanding because we will be given a med term test the first week of school. So I studied on my own this summer. Luckily, I took those classes back when I was @ a community college in 2009. I reviewed on my own and not much has changed. Word roots, suffixes, and prefixes are important. Also, spelling and pronunciation is key. Best of luck to you.

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Thank you so much, everyone. I am really leaning towards taking it. See, I knew asking you guys would help. :)

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It can't hurt! I took it twice! My school offered a 1 cr and a 3cr. I took them both. It can only reinforce what you learn, and it can boost your gpa. It wasn't required at my school either.

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I look Med Term in the Spring and Loved it!!! I going to study everything my class didn't cover and review for the rest of the summer now that my summer class is over! My class was so informative and will be helpful down the road. It introduced me on a basic level to procedures and, hey, at-least I know word parts and can figure things out. I say go for it!!! :up:

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I also took Medical Terminology, even though it was not required. The class was informative and not too difficult. It also helped me land an internship paying 14 dollars an hour before I even started nursing school! I would definitely recommend taking it!!

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I also took Medical Terminology, even though it was not required. The class was informative and not too difficult. It also helped me land an internship paying 14 dollars an hour before I even started nursing school! I would definitely recommend taking it!!

Someone was telling me that it could help with jobs/internships before nursing school. What kind of internship did you do, if you don't mind my asking?

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I interned with a national college of physicians (don't want to give away which one). So I worked with doctors to review medical cases, sort them into archives, and redact pateint info using the HIPPA regulations. It wasn't exactly nursing but it set me apart on my nursing app and was a great experience. I also had a friend who took medical terminology and now works as a secretary in a hospital. So it can definitely help with getting jobs/internships!

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Is this class 100% necessary...no. It is helpful... of course. Any class that you can take that will further your knowledge in the health care field is a good thing,

Now the flip side... you can absolutely learn this information on your own. If you are a motivated, self-learner, you can get a book and teach it to yourself. I took this class, and in the end, I felt I could have saved some money investing in a book from Amazon and writing out some flash cards.

Make sure that you FOR SURE understand the anatomical directions and relationships. Distal, lateral, medial, proximal, etc. These will help in Anatomy

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