Revised 04/2015

HLT 141 - Introduction to Medical Terminology (1 CR.)

Course Description

Focuses on medical terminology for students preparing for careers in the health professions. Lecture 1 hour per week.

General Course Purpose

The purpose of the course is to introduce the student to the following topics:

  • Medical terminology
  • Application of medical terminology to basic human anatomy and body systems

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

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

  • Analyze medical terms by their word elements, e.g., prefixes, suffixes, roots.
  • Translate medical abbreviations.
  • Use a medical dictionary correctly.
  • Correctly spell and pronounce medical terms.
  • Read and interpret clinical information from patient care settings.
  • Name the body systems and identify their basic components and functions.
  • Recognize basic medical terms.
  • Determine the specialty of care by identifying the meaning of the word root.
  • Analyze and be familiar with terms related to tissues and organs.
  • Define word root, prefix, and suffix and know how and where to use them.
  • Learn and understand medical terms by breaking them down into their component parts and learning the leaning of the parts.
  • Learn to construct medical terms from component parts.
  • Pronounce, spell, and define commonly used prefixes and suffixes.
  • Recognize anatomic position and identify bodily directions.
  • Recognize and define terms related to the abdominal cavity and peritoneum.
  • Become familiar with planes of the body.
  • Recognize divisions and regions of the abdomen, thorax and peritoneum.
  • Describe a location on the body based on descriptive orientation terms.
  • Recognize the terms related to the structure, function, procedure and pathology of cells, tissues, and glands.
  • Recognize different medical specialties and medical specialists.
  • Identify major organ structures by recognizing the combining form.
  • Define common pathological conditions of each body system.
  • Recognize basic diagnostic tests for each system.
  • Identify and understand various instruments utilized in a physical examination as they relate to specific body parts.