Course Syllabus for Basic Medical Terminology
Course Description: This course will provide students with a basic medical terminology vocabulary for use in the health care setting. This knowledge will enable them to become successful communicators (especially in the health care setting). Thru the course and semester projects students will learn ways to become active community members and life-long learners.
Course Outcomes:
1.) Use prefixes, suffixes, word roots, and combining vowels to built and define medical terms.
2.) Acquire a basic speaking vocabulary.
3.) Use basic medical language in written communication.
4.) Interpret the meaning of medical terms used in written and verbal communication.
Course Objectives:
1.) Describe how medical terms are created.
2.) Use basic medical suffixes and prefixes accurately.
3.) Defines directional terms and anatomic planes of the body.
4.) Identify selected body systems structures and their related word parts.
5.) Use system word parts, prefixes, and suffixes to build and define words.
6.) Define medical terms related to selected diseases.
7.) Define selected diagnostic and surgical procedural terms for each body system.
8.) Define other selected medical terms and related to color and medical specialties.
9.) Recognize selected abbreviations related to each body system.
10.) Spell, pronounce, and use specific medical terms.
Course outline:
I. Introduction to Medical Terminology
A. Origin of Terms
i. Acronym
ii. Eponym
iii. word parts
iv. modern language
B. Word Parts
i. word roots
ii. suffixes
iii. prefixes
iv. combining vowel
C. Learning medical terms
i. connecting word parts
ii. defining terms using the meaning of the word parts
iii. spelling
iv. pronunciation
v. forming plurals
vi. using medical terms in written and verbal communication
D. Body Structure
E. Body organization
F. Anatomic planes
G. Directional terms
II. Selected Terminology by Body Systems
A. Structures and word parts
B. Functions and word parts
C. Diseases and disorder terms
D. Diagnostic test and equipment
E. Surgical procedural terms
F. Area of study and specialists
G. Signs, symptoms and related terms
H. Abbreviations
11 week course schedule
Week 1: Meet one another; introduce the Medical Terminology course, go over class rules and expectations, introduce the book;
Basic Medical Language by Myrna LaFleur, begin Lesson One; Introduction to Medical Terms and the Organization of the Human Body.
Week 2: Complete Lesson 1 and 2, Integumentary System and Colors. Introduce semester project.
Week 3: Review and test on Lesson 1 and 2. Complete Lesson 3; Respiratory System and Lesson 4 Urinary system.
Week 4: Review and test on Lesson 3 and 4. Complete Lesson 5; Reproductive System. Review of lessons 1 thru 4.
Week 5: Review and test on Lesson 5. Complete Lesson 6, Cardiovascular and Lymphatic System. Semester project selection begins
Week 6: Review and test on Lesson 6. Complete Lesson 7, Digestive System. Time to work on semester projects.
Week 7: Review and test on Lesson 7. Complete Lesson 8 and 10, Ears, Eyes and plural endings and the Nervous System.
Week 8: Review and test on Lesson 8 and 10. Complete Lesson 9, Musculoskeletal System.
Week 9: Review and test on Lesson 9. Complete Lesson 11 and 12, the Endocrine System and Directional Terms and Anatomical Planes
Week 10: Review and test on Lessons 11 and 12. Finalize and complete Semester projects.
Week 11: Presentation of Class projects. Lets celebrate all your hard work!
The class time will be a mixture of lecture time, review, use of game type learning , study time, class participation in the lesson exercises, discussion time, sharing of homework or Life lessons learned and class projects.. Please remember that this is a tentative schedule and I may add to it or change it a little. I hope this will be a good learning experience for all of you. Participation and communication are the keys to success. I hope the things you learn here are the building blocks of having a successful career in the health care industry. The goal for all of our students here at Vista Adult School is that you will become successful communicators, active community members and life long learners. My hope is you will take with you this and more.