Capps Natalie Pate - Quick medical terminology: a self-teaching guide

Contents

Quick Medical Terminology

Copyright 2003 by Shirley Steiner. Copyright 2011 by Shirley Steiner and Natalie Capps.
All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada

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ISBN 978-0-470-88619-9 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-06373-6 (ebk);
ISBN 978-1-118-06374-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-06375-0 (ebk)

For

Dorothy Elizabeth Wilson Soltesz, who is my mom and best friend.

Mildred Hall, who is my godmother and may not know how much she influenced my growing-up years. Mildred assured me I had what it takes to go to college, get an education, and create a better life.

S. S.

For

My perfect mate, Barry, and remarkable children, Harden, Pate, and Jacqueline Capps

My parents and sisters, who shaped me:

Susie Ashworth, Nick Pate, Amy Bean, and Molly Pate

With affection, gratitude, and adoration for you all.

N. C.

To the Reader

What This Book Is and Who Its For

So you want to learn the language of medicine. Great! Everything you need for learning medical terminology is right in your hands. The language of medicine is precise and technically oriented. It is among the great tools of the mind for better understanding and more accurate communication between all practitioners of the life sciences. Learning this special language is your opportunity to be among them. Quick Medical Terminology can prepare you for a new job or even a new career in one of the nations fastest growing job markets, health care and allied health services.

In Quick Medical Terminology youll learn to pronounce, spell, and define medical terms used in todays health care settings. You will use a word-building strategy that helps you discover connections and relationships among word roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Youll learn the meaning of each part of a complex medical term and be able to put the parts together and define the term. Very quickly youll develop a large repertoire of useful medical terms, much greater than the 500-plus terms presented in this text.

Beginning with Chapter 4, most of the medical terms in each chapter will focus on a particular part of the body. Grouping related terms in this way will hel you learn them better. However, the order of the chapters should not be confused with the order of a standard head-to-toe medical evaluation. At the end of the book, there is a Review by Body System Assessment that will walk you through the standard head-to-toe examination medical professionals typically follow. This review will bring together the medical terminology you will learn in the rest of the book.

Quick Medical Terminology is an enjoyable way to learn the very special language of medicine by yourself, at your own pace. If you speak and understand English and have a high school education or equivalent, youll quickly learn the basics and much more.

How to Use This Program

We suggest you use the following steps to approach your learning.

Step 1. Pre- and Post-Testing

If its worth learning, isnt it worth knowing you have succeeded? You will find two Final Self-Tests in the back of your guide. We suggest you take one test before you begin your study and take another after you have completed all your lessons. Pre- and post-testing shows you how much you have learned. Either one of the final tests may be used first.

Step 2. Self-Instructional Chapter

This self-teaching guide lets you proceed at a pace that is right for you. It provides everything you need to complete each of the eleven instructional chapters, which include:

Introduction and Mini-Glossary. The first page of each chapter introduces you to what you will cover and provides a Mini-Glossary of the terms and word parts youll be learning. You may want to refer to it as you proceed through the lesson.

Numbered frames. Numbered frames are the building blocks of each chapter. A frame presents a small amount of information and expects you to read and think about that information. Then it asks you to respond to it.

The way you respond may be:

• to select a medical term or definition from a list of suggested answers.
• to write a medical term for a given definition.
• to draw a conclusion and write it in your own words.

Example

Emesis is a term that means vomiting. A term that means excessive vomiting is hyperemesis. Underline the part of the medical term meaning excessive.

A gallbladder attack can cause excessive vomiting. Write the term that describes this unpleasant condition.______________________

Example

Myelo / dysplasia means defective development of the spinal cord.

Chondro means cartilage. What does chondro / dysplasia mean?___________

Answers. As you work through the chapter, youll find the correct answers on the left-hand side of the page. Its a good idea to use a folded piece of paper to cover the answer until you give your own. Your answer will be correct most of the time, but when your answer doesnt match ours, be sure you know why it doesnt. You may need to go back and review a few frames before continuing.

Pronunciation Guide. When you work with a medical term for the first time, the answer column guides your pronunciation of the new term. Take the opportunity to practice pronouncing each new term correctly several times. Say it aloud or subverbally (saying it to yourself).