So yeah I am a proud newbie to EMS... But I have a quick question.. How in the world do you get through medical terminology? How are you suppose to memorize all that stuff... Too much stuff ranging from flexion, midline, and thats about all i can name off the top of my head.. IS THERE ANY HOPE??!?!
Memorizing Medical Terminology - What did I get myself into...
- Thread starter jhall98
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I had hundreds and hundreds of flashcards that I worked through every day. Today there are great digital tools like Quizlet that allow you to create digital, portable flash cards.
Other ideas:
- Re-write the words and definitions in a notebook
- Categorize the terms in meaningful groupings. Extra points for color coding.
- Repetition - practice, practice, practice
- Put a graphic/picture with each of the words to help with memorization
CALEMT
The Other Guy/ Paramaybe?
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Abandon all faith yee who enter here.
All joking aside like MMiz pointed out Quizlet is amazing. Plus you won't learn everything overnight, you'll eventually learn a good amount of medical terminology over time.
ThadeusJ
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Remember that your everyday lingo is about 50,000 words or less. Medical terminology encompasses about 150,000 words (at least that's what I learned). So give it some time and you'll start to see how they are composed of parts which are used for different words. And never forget that once you think you've got the hang of it, you'll see that they suddenly changed the rules.
Ewok Jerky
PA-C
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It's all about the Latin roots. Even if you've never heard the word before you can figure out what it is if you know the roots.
Start using the terms to describe things in everyday life. Maybe not in actual conversations but at least in your head.
Start using the terms to describe things in everyday life. Maybe not in actual conversations but at least in your head.
ThadeusJ
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To follow along with this thread in my early days and fresh outta school I was walking along a forest trail with some friends and we came across a another couple walking the other way. They stopped and asked us what was ahead (for them) and my reply was the the trail "bifurcates" so stay on the right. They had to ask me what the heck "bifurcate" meant and as we went our separate ways, I could hear him mocking me by repeating over and over that "the trail bifurcates so don't get lost".
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So he was perseverating?
ThadeusJ
Forum Lieutenant
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Well, he was sweating...(I know, I know...but couldn't resist)
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"Medical Terminology" is pretty much a language of its own. You don't so much memorize it as learn the basics and go from there, much like learning any language. Much of "medical" stuff is based in Latin and as you learn, you'll find things just get easier. One place to start is by taking an A&P course. That will both introduce you to the language more properly and you'll also start learning MORE about the human body that will eventually allow you to begin to think well beyond EMT-level stuff.
You could also take a "Medical Terminology" course but often that results in a review of A&P simply because you're using the words to describe things that you find in the body. Those courses are NOT easy even if you've had a full year of A&P and are that much more difficult if you haven't.
Pay attention to things, write things down to look them up later, and get used to using the terms. Eventually they'll become part of your "normal" language when dealing with other "medical" folks. Much of my early education in patient care required a goodly amount of contact with physicians (specifically Orthopedic Surgeons) so I had to learn their language so that we both are speaking a common language to describe an athlete's injuries. Trust me, learning the language didn't happen overnight. I've been in healthcare, learning and speaking the language for about 20 years. I'm still learning and I expect to keep learning the language until I no longer work in any healthcare area.
You could also take a "Medical Terminology" course but often that results in a review of A&P simply because you're using the words to describe things that you find in the body. Those courses are NOT easy even if you've had a full year of A&P and are that much more difficult if you haven't.
Pay attention to things, write things down to look them up later, and get used to using the terms. Eventually they'll become part of your "normal" language when dealing with other "medical" folks. Much of my early education in patient care required a goodly amount of contact with physicians (specifically Orthopedic Surgeons) so I had to learn their language so that we both are speaking a common language to describe an athlete's injuries. Trust me, learning the language didn't happen overnight. I've been in healthcare, learning and speaking the language for about 20 years. I'm still learning and I expect to keep learning the language until I no longer work in any healthcare area.