How to Pass Medical Terminology for Health Professionals in Nursing School
It is important a nursing student can pass medical terminology in nursing school. To become a
successful nurse, it is important to have a superior knowledge of medical terminology. Medical
terminology provides the basis for just about any career in the healthcare profession. When it
comes to studying medicine, the area has its very own language that nurses must understand in
order to be productive nurses.
Terminology related to the diagnoses, anatomy, and treatments make up a great deal of what
medical terminology is all about. Medical terminology has Latin roots so nurses may have some
level of difficulty mastering this complex task. Nursing"schools that require nursing students to
take this nursing class can help,"with the proper learning resources, nurses master medical
terminology in no time.
What is Medical Terminology?
Medical terminology refers to the terminology and medical language used by those working in
the healthcare profession. Learning medical terminology is vital to communicating with other
medical professionals. Nurses take courses in medical terminology as a separate class in nursing
school, or some programs offer online options to receive this type of training.
Medical terminology has a foundation in Latin. Nursing students begin their program by learning
about root words, prefixes, and suffixes. This foundation can help these students to decipher
unfamiliar words based on their knowledge of word parts. When these students become nurses,
they have the skills they need to identify technical terms so that they can actively use the
vocabulary on their jobs. These courses also focus on disease, body symptoms, and disease care
so that the medical terminology has more meaning when used in context.
The basic objectives of these courses are as follows: defining medical terms using suffixes, roots,
and prefixes; pronouncing and spelling medical terminology; identifying and understanding
medical terminology; identifying and understanding medical abbreviations; and analyzing the
meaning of unfamiliar words based on knowledge.
How Nurses Use Medical Terminology on the Job
Nurses use medical terminology on the job in a number of ways. Perhaps the most obvious way
that they use medical terminology is to communication with each other. Those in the healthcare
field have their own language that they use to communicate just as those in other professions.
Another way the nurses use medical terminology is to help their fellow medical professionals
understand a patient’s condition. Instead of giving a long version of what is going on with the
patient, nurses can give them a short synopsis using medical terminology to explain.
Nurses must be able to use the correct medical terminology in a crisis situation where every
second counts. Using medical terminology fluently can mean the difference between a patient
living and dying. Nurses depend on their knowledge of medical terminology to read and
understand their patient’s charts and understand a prescribed medical plan that the patient’s
doctor has selected.
Nurses also use their medical terminology skills when they monitor patients and write notes in
regards to the patient’s progress. Doctors depend on the correct terminology in the notes to
determine further treatment options for the patients.
How to Pass Medical Terminology & Study Guide
Many nursing student have trouble with passing medical terminology. It is literally like learning
a new language. The key to passing medical terminology is memorization. There are many tools
and books that can help you memorize this medical language. One great study book is called
“Medical Terminology for Dummies“. It is inexpensive and a great help for nursing students.
Tips on How to Study for a Medical Terminology Test in Nursing School
Although medical terminology is very complex in nature, nursing students and nursing
professional learn to master medical terminology with an exceptional level of expertise. Here are
a few suggestions to help students study for the medical terminology test.
Make flash cards for the medical terminology. In additions to writing the word and
definition, it is a good idea to write down the dictionary pronunciation of the word. Doing
so will help when studying the notes for the class.
Take additional medical terminology courses online. If the medical terminology is still
not clear at the end of the courses, take an online course as a way to receive additional
support to help pass the test.
Use online resources. There are a great number of websites that are dedicated to helping
medical professionals with understanding medical terminology.
Read the chapters in the book and utilize all additional resources. It is important to
become familiar with the content to succeed in the class. Use additional resources such as
chapter questions, chapter reviews, workbooks, and online resources as a way to prepare
for the medical terminology test.
Study the medical terminology. The best way to understand medical terminology is to
study it as often as possible. Create a study plan and stick to it as much as possible. Also,
make sure to incorporate time to take breaks while studying.
Understanding medical terminology is important to any nursing career. Their knowledge of
medical terminology has a great influence on the outcome of their patient’s. Nursing
professionals must master medical terminology in order to communicate effectively on their
jobs.
As a new nursing student, it is very important to learn medical terminology. Learning medical
terminology basics will help you better understand and comprehend the material you read for
nursing school.
Also when you have a deeper understanding of medical terms you will be able to answer test
questions on exam more efficiently. There are so many medical terms that it is impossible to
memorize them all. Medical terms are derived from word parts.
The best method of improving your knowledge of medical terminology is to understand how
those word parts form the medical terms. Once you have that basic understanding you can
memorize the parts and be able to understand the meaning of any medical term.
The parts that form medical terms include word roots, prefixes, suffixes and combining vowels.
These parts have their origin in Greek and Latin. Below is some information on the different
word parts to help you begin to build a foundation for a medical vocabulary. An important tool to
have is a good medical dictionary.
Word Root
The word root is the main body of the word and helps with the fundamental meaning of the
word. The word root will usually but not always refer to body systems, organs, anatomy,
diagnosis and medical procedures. A medical term can have more than one root. We will use the
example word esophagogastroduodenoscopy. The suffix (-scopy) and the combining vowel (o)
will be covered below.
Prefixes
The prefix is placed before the word root to modify or vary the meaning. You will find that when
the prefix is written detached it is commonly followed by a hyphen (-). The prefix (hyper-)
means excessive or higher than normal. In the example below the prefix (hypo-) means below or
lower than normal. The word root (volemia) means volume of plasma in the body or “the
condition” of the volume of plasma in the body.
Suffixes
The suffix is placed at the end of a word root or word part to modify or vary the meaning.
Suffixes can indicate a condition, disease or a procedure. When a suffix is written detached it is
preceded by a hyphen (-). This indicates that another word part precedes it. In the example below
the suffix (-itis) means inflammation. The suffix (-scopy) means observation, visualization or
examination. The word root (gastr) pertains to stomach.
Combining Vowel
The combining vowel is usually an (o) which is often inserted between word roots to make a
word easier to pronounce. Combining vowel usually connects one word root to another word
root and also connects a word root to a suffix.
The combining vowel does not modify or vary the meaning. When a word root is written with a
combining vowel a forward slash is used.
Example: esophag/o; gastr/o; duoden/o
Example: esophagogastroduodenoscopy
Try saying the word without the (o)!
Helpful Tips
1. When you evaluate a medical term, begin at the end of the word with the suffix.
2. Learn the individual parts of the medical term instead of trying to learn individual words.
3. Most every medical term has a suffix.
4. Remember that the word root(s) gives the fundamental meaning of the word.
5. The combining vowel doesn’t have a meaning but is used to connect more than one word
root or a word root and suffix.
6. A prefix is in the front
7. A suffix is at the end
8. A combining vowel is in the middle
