Medical Terminology

Medical Terminology covers a broad range of medical vocabulary that pertains to systems of human anatomy and medical treatment. This course presents components of medical vocabulary such as prefixes and suffixes and root words. This will provide you the basic skills to break down and define medical terminology used in the healthcare field. Having this understanding of common medical terms can help you grow and develop into a career in the healthcare industry.

The Medical Terminology program offers a clear and concise introduction to medical terminology with extensive opportunities for student practice. It reviews word components and basic principles for interpreting terms within each of the major medical specialties. The course does not require any previous knowledge of science or biology. The skills learners obtain through this program will benefit them in any healthcare field they choose to pursue.

Certifications

This course assists learners in preparing for the following certifications. Note: Learners must pass a certification exam and, in some cases, document a specified amount of work experience, in order to be eligible for certification.

• National Workforce Career Association (NWCA) Medical Terminology Certification (MTC) Certification

(The NWCA exam can be offered both in groups of students in the classroom or individually online.)

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Basic skills for building and analyzing medical terms.
• The use of word roots, combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes.
• Anatomical terminology.
• Introduction to the major medical specialties.
• Anatomy and physiology of body systems.
• Medical terms aligned to the organs and tissues of the body and their function in health and disease.
• Pronunciation of terms.
• Spelling of terms.
• Practice analyzing, pronouncing, and spelling terms related to anatomy and physiology.
• Practice analyzing, pronouncing, and spelling medical terms containing diagnostic and procedural suffixes.
• Practice deciphering medical terminology as written in case reports.
• Major classes of drugs and associated medical terms.
• Diagnostic tests and procedures organized by body system.
• Medical abbreviations and symbols.