The Process of Learning Medical Terms

Abstract

This short paper offers an overview of a resource to assist students in how to learn medical terminology that can be complex and intimidating.

How to Learn and Study Medical Terminology

The short YouTube video “Medical terminology-the basics: Lesson 1” is the first entry in a series of short videos on different medical terms. Lesson 1 is very helpful in providing strategies for learners to use. For example, breaking down words into prefixes or suffixes can help someone understand if the word is referring to too much or too little of something, or something large or small (such as hyper or hypoglycemic). There are also prefixes and suffixes referring to when an organ such as a heart is going too fast or too slow (tachycardia versus bradycardia). The purpose of this initial introductory video is not upon a specific medical discipline or kind of terminology, but how to make learning medicine less intimidating. Understanding how to break a word down into prefixes and suffixes can make what seems like a long, intimidating word much less so.

The video is also very helpful in understanding words as existing in contrast (such as hyperglycemia/hypoglycemia, hyperthyroid/hypothyroid). Again, it can be very intimidating to look at a very long list of words. But it is far less so when a student learns such important words in contrasting pairs. Adopting learning strategies is just as important as learning specific medical terms themselves. Learning never ends for a medical professional, and the profession is always generating unfamiliar words as technology develops. The video is also helpful because simply hearing specific words said aloud can be very useful. It forces the student to slow down and listen to what the speaker is saying, as he reads out different terms and breaks them down, versus staring at words on a flashcard, where it can be very easy to speed through the material while retaining very little.