Medical Terminology: The key to starting your medical career
Anyone who is seriously considering pursuing a medical career, particularly medical transcribing, should plan on taking a medical terminology course. A solid foundation in medical terminology is needed to provide the quality of work necessary to advance and be successful. During the medical terminology course you will acquire an in-depth knowledge of the human body and the terms commonly used to describe it and it’s conditions.
During the medical terminology course, students will learn the different word parts which are combined to describe various specialties and conditions. They will also learn pronunciation and spelling because many of the word parts sound and look similar but have very different meanings. Prefixes, suffixes and roots are essential knowledge for most people who want a medical career and you’ll learn them all during your medical terminology course. Once you’ve completed your training you should fee comfortable identifying the various terminology components and using them to determine the meaning of the word being used.
Students will be shown various word parts and learn how to connect them to provide meaning. For example, many medical terms are connected using the letter “o”. Take the word gastroenterology. This word consists of three parts: two root words – “gastr” (which means stomach) and “enter” (which means digestive tract) – and the suffix “logy” (which means the study of). They are all connecte together using the letter “o”. By knowing what the various word parts mean, you can determine that the word gastroenterology means the study of the stomach and digestive tract.
Learning the various word parts makes deciphering the meaning of medical terminology you’ve not see before much easier.
Medical Terminology for the body systems
In addition to learning all of the various word parts, you will also have to master the medical terminology associated with the body systems. There are ten body systems that you will need to become familiar with. They are:
- lymphatic
- circulatory
- digestive
- endocrine
- reproductive
- musculoskeletal
- nervous
- respiratory
- urinary
- skin and sense organs
These ten systems are what form the body and they can be complicated so it will take some dedication to master the information relating to each.
Medical terminology students will also study pathology which is the branch of medicine dedicated to studying the development and indentification of diseases which impact the different body systems. Students will learn how various diseases can affect different body functions. To go along with this knowledge, students will learn about the tests and treatments medical professionals use to fight various diseases. This part of the course will generally be divided by system and students will get an overview of the most frequently used tests and procedures.
As you can see, someone who is planning on making their career as a medical transcriptionist should plan on taking a medical terminology course as part of their medical transcriptionist training. It’s an investment of time and money that will pay off in better jobs in the end.
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