Why is there no medical terminology class for the RN program? Among others.

[amanda1266]

Hi all, I was going through my school information tonight, I am not yet a student. I noticed that the CMA program they have seems to have alot more "stuff" about basic healthcare than the RN program does. Like Medical Terminology. It's a whole class in the CMA program but not even mentioned in the outline for the RN program. Is that just something that you learn along the way in the RN program? I noticed a couple other classes to that aren't listed on the RN program. Just curious how this works.

[RB2000]

I took an online med term class last semester and it helped a lot. It helped with biology last semester, it helped with taking the Hesi, and it is helping with A&P this semester. Our school doesn't require it either, but I certainly thought that it couldn't hurt. : )

[Wall-E]

You will pick up the lingo once you are in nursing school. However, if you feel comfortable having an early exposure, there are medical technology classes that are offered via distance learning. I had to take a course via distance learning and it helped me tremendously during my time in nursing school.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

We had a medical terminology self study module tacked on to one of our classes. We had 2 tests in the class on it but spent no actual class time working on it. We do the same thing with math- we have a book and assignments from it but it's all self directed and as long as you pass the math exams with the minimum grade (90), no one is checking your homework. Actually, if you fail no one is checking your homework either, you're just encouraged to go to remediation.

[sewnew]

I took medical terminology to fulfill one of my elective pre-reqs. It was one of the smartest things that I have ever done. Besides for getting the basic terminology down, the course was also a really good introduction to basic A&P. Then when I took A&P, I was way ahead of the game.

If you have the time and resources to take this course, I highly recommend it!

[Jiminocala]

You should pick up the information as you go along. If you are not doing it now, you should learn the definition of every new word, term, provcedure, etc. that you run across in your textbooks or other study media. That being said, I DO favor having an initial Medical Terminoliogy course in any RN or LPN program because Medical Terminology is systematic in it's use of greek and latin words, and learning how the system works up front will ease future learning because you will be able tom figure out what the words mean w/o looking up each and every new term. Now pick up your highlighter...

[BoomerRN]

We had a Medical Terminology Course but I challenged it and passed 100%. We were also taught to make beds, a regular one and a surgical bed. A dime had to bounce off it for a pass or fail grade. The only thing we were not taught was phlebotomy. We were told we would learn it once we began working, which was true.

[ladyinred667]

It depends on the program. I had to take "Intro to Health Care" as a prereq and that covered medical terminology. My cousin is in nursing school now and she is required to take a medical terminology course.

That being said, you can really pick up what you need just over the course of things.

[Ravenx2012]

I am starting my RN program March 1st. I just recieved my course list for the first session and it does include a medical terminology book requirement as Nursing 100. So I guess it really depends on what school your going to. My program is 22 months, going straight through with only a couple small breaks in between sessions.

[ayemlinda]

While medical terminology was briefly covered in my Introduction to Nursing theory class, my RN program at Santa Monica requires a 3 unit (16 week) course in Medical Terminology, so it depends on your school's curriculum. If your program doesn't require it, as others have suggested, it's something you can take on your own. Good for you for seeing the value of an important part of our work. You'll go far.

[msbabyblues]

I am working on getting into an ADN program, and we are required to take medical terminology and basic health professional skills before applying to the nursing program.

[merrywhiterose]

The one class our RN program should require as a prerequisite is Pharmacology. There's just too much to learn to remember all those meds!

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I would probably purchase Medical Terminology for Dummies or something of the sort. It is important because understanding anatomical terms can greatly assist a nurse in her career.

I can understand the OP's frustration because I felt the same way about pharmacology. I had a six week course in pharmacology and the remaining 6 weeks in that same class slot was nutrition. I felt like I learned neither one very well and had to scramble by taking a one day seminar on pharmacology to prepare for the boards.

I do understand the other comments made saying that in a short period of time, a person has to be creative to find ways to learn things quickly, etc...but, I also think that some of these fundamental skills can make one a more successful nurse.