Revised Revised 8/2025

HIM 111 - Medical Terminology I (3 CR.)

Course Description

Introduces the student to the language used in the health record. Includes a system-by-system review of anatomic disease, operative terms, abbreviations, radiography procedures, laboratory tests, and pharmacology terms. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the language of medicine. Emphasis is placed on a generalized medical vocabulary for each organ system.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Students must be able to read and write at a college level and have a willingness to learn.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Analyze and construct medical terms by identifying and interpreting prefixes, suffixes, and root elements.
  • Apply standard linguistic rules to accurately spell, pluralize, divide, and pronounce medical terminology.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in using medical dictionaries and reference tools to verify terminology and definitions.
  • Utilize directional, positional, and anatomical plane terms to describe the human body accurately.
  • Interpret and translate common medical abbreviations used in clinical documentation.
  • Review and apply anatomical and physiological terminology relevant to each body system independently.
  • Read, interpret, and extract clinical information from patient health records using appropriate medical language.
  • Complete written assignments that reflect current trends in healthcare and demonstrate contextual understanding of medical terminology.
  • Engage in individual and collaborative projects and presentations to reinforce course content and promote active learning.
  • Define and differentiate pathological, symptomatic, diagnostic, procedural, and therapeutic terms associated with each body system.

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Introduction to Medical Terminology: Word Structure
  • Prefixes, suffixes, and abbreviations
  • Terms involving the body as a whole
  • Terms related to the Integumentary System
  • Terms related to the Digestive System
  • Terms related to the Urinary system
  • Terms related to the Cardiovascular and Lymphatic systems
  • Terms related to the Blood and Immune Systems
  • Terms related to the Respiratory system
  • Terms related to the Male Reproductive system
  • Terms related to the Female Reproductive system, Obstetrics, and Neonatology
  • Terms related to the Nervous system and Mental Health
  • Terms related to the Sensory Systems
  • Terms related to the Musculoskeletal System
  • Terms related to the Endocrine System
  • Terms related to Oncology and Cancer