If you want to work in the healthcare field, it is critical that you know medical terminology.
Career opportunities like a Medical Records Specialist cannot perform basic job duties if they do not understand medical language. In 2021, there were 186,400 Medical Records Specialist jobs in the United States. The outlook for this role, like many healthcare careers, is bright, showing a 7% growth from 2021 to 2031.
Do you want a career that is going places? Healthcare jobs will always be in demand. If you desire to join a field that is relevant, then healthcare is it.
Now, you just need education in medical terms. The problem is when you research medical terminology, you will probably notice one big thing about it. It appears quite challenging.
Do not let this discourage you! Keep reading to discover how to master medical language simply and effectively. Here are the details.
Leverage Visual Learning Techniques
Memorizing medical terms is much simpler when you use visual learning techniques, meaning that you associate an image with each medical term. The image in your head becomes a “cue” for you.
With an image in your head, it is easier to recall a term.
Human brains are amazing. They are like storage containers keeping old photos. If you can assign a picture in your mind and associate it with each medical term, your brain makes the connection and remembers them.
Not only will it make the medical language easier to learn, but it also makes it more fun and interesting, too.
Use Flashcards
This is an old-fashioned technique that even preschoolers use, but that is because it works. Flashcards make it easier to remember medical terminology and its important concepts.
There are a few ways to get medical terminology flashcards to practice with. This includes purchasing them, finding an online resource that has them, and simply buying a package of notecards for a dollar or two at your local grocery store and writing them yourself.
Rewrite Medical Terms
Information sticks with you more easily when you rewrite it on a piece of paper versus typing it on a computer. That is another technique that even young children use to retain what they learn.
You may need to rewrite them over and over, but the more you write them, the easier it is to remember them.
Learn Latin and Greek Words
If you would like to learn medical terms like a boss, a great way to start is by learning Latin and Greek root words. If you learn these root words, you will speed up the process of mastering medical terminology. Even learning some of the typical Latin and Greek prefixes, suffixes, and roots will make learning better.
It may seem intimidating, like learning a whole new language, but learning these portions of terms is not that complex.
Don’t worry. You would just need to learn some basic Latin and Greek terms, then you can decipher what a word means.
Recognize Patterns in Words
Usually, medical terminology words are terms that are made of smaller parts. Often, it is a combination of root words.
A root word is the medical terminology base word. Then, there is a prefix, which is the words’ first few letters, and the suffix, which is the words’ endings.
Let’s take the word “cardiology” for example. Cardiology is a medical term for the “study of the heart.” How can you tell?
The root word “cardio” means “heart” and “ology” relates to the study of something. Another example is dermatology, meaning “study of the skin.”
Further, medical terminology has many abbreviations. This is important to learn because physicians in hospitals use them a lot in their notes. Interpreting the notes would be challenging if you do not learn abbreviations.
Purchase a Medical Terminology Workbook
For healthcare professionals, while there are a lot of great learning techniques, it is equally important that you accompany the right tools with the right technique. If you wish to learn the medical language, invest in medical books, like this one.
A medical terminology book is just what the doctor ordered!
If you invest in the best medical terminology workbook, it will make understanding, pronouncing, and memorizing medical terms easy and effective. Invest in your success with this workbook.
Try Medical Term Bingo
Studying takes time and concentration. You should take a brief break and have some fun sometimes. There is a way you can combine fun and education.
Just like you can make your own flashcards, you could make your own game of bingo. Drawing or printing a bingo grid is a quick and easy do-it-yourself project. Include the terms you want to memorize.
Then, create answer cards. Include the definitions of the medical terms on them.
The best part is that you can play bingo with anyone, even friends or family, with no experience or background in medical terminology. You only need to invite players who know how to play Bingo!
Making Medical Terminology Easier
Learning the field of medicine is hard, and at Medical Creations, we get it. However, we also know that it does not have to be that hard.
We do what we do best at Medical Creations because we want every medical student to have an easier life, becoming the best healthcare professional they can be. We do this so you can go out and make a difference in the world.
If you are interested in more great ways to master medical terminology, we can help. Contact Medical Creations now.
