Should I take medical terminology as an elective?

[i♥words]

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.

[BetterThanFiction]

It would definitely benefit you in the long run. I say go for it!

Good luck!

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[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

Since its online and you probably can juggle it with your other classes I'd say go for it unless your tuition is $$$ then I'd just get the book.

[mom_coach_nurse, LPN]

I just started reading Medical Terminology for Dummies, lol. And I love it & am having an easy time understanding it. I'm also taking notes as I go along.It's not required, but I think it'd be helpful to know.

[i♥words]

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!

Very cool. Thanks for the info.

I'm going for it.

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

In my area, Medical Terminology isn't reqd for ADN or BSN but it is for LVN. By taking it, I will be able to apply for LVN school, also which is a bonus because all the community colleges in my area are lottery based.

Medical Terminology coursework is also asked for on some nursing assistant job postings in a hospital in my area.

Medical Terminology should be somewhat of an "Easy A" and boost your GPA. Especially if you are used to taking harder classes like Chem, Micro, A&P1, etc.

Medical Terminology got me in the habit of breaking up words into parts. It also familiarized me with some words that came up at work and in A&P2.

[i♥words]

Medical Terminology coursework is also asked for on some nursing assistant job postings in a hospital in my area.

That is something I hadn't thought of.

Medical Terminology should be somewhat of an "Easy A" and boost your GPA. Especially if you are used to taking harder classes like Chem, Micro, A&P1, etc.

That would be nice!

Medical Terminology got me in the habit of breaking up words into parts. It also familiarized me with some words that came up at work and in A&P2.

That's interesting. I've already taken A&P 1 and A&P 2. In A&P 2 there were several things that my prof discussed outside of our textbook that had me so confused because she used a lot of terminology that I wasn't familiar with. And at the time I didn't write any of it down, so I can't remember anything she said. :\

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

It can only help. I had taken a med term class for a Health Claims Analyst course I was taking years prior to starting my LPN schooling. I'm in my LPN to RN bridge program now and I feel bad for my fellow students who haven't had any sort of med term class, they were so lost in A&P when the teacher would use proper med terminology. I honestly think it should be a requirement to have a med term class PRIOR to taking any A&P or nursing classes, but that's just my two cents

[i♥words]

*Update* My medical terminology online course was an easy A. I really enjoyed it. The textbook was great. If you can't take a med term class you might just get the book.

I do wish that I had taken this class first, before A&P. It would've helped a lot! But I still enjoyed it and learned some new things. The book is patho heavy, which I hope prepares me a little more for my pathophysiology class next semester. I know I'll go back to the book to look up terms and diseases. And the A helped my GPA out, too. 4.0 this semester.