Medical Terminology - HLT 143 at Virginia Highlands Community College
https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/vhcc/courses/HLT143-MedicalTerminology
Effective: 2023-08-01
Course Description
Provides an understanding of medical abbreviations and terms. Includes the study of prefixes, suffixes, word stems and technical terms with emphasis on proper spelling, pronunciation and usage.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
HLT 143 is an introductory course which emphasizes the basic structure and function of the language of medicine and health professions.
Course Objectives
- Communication
- Pronounce basic medical terms.
- Spell medical terms.
- Identify and use correct medical terminology in writing and conversation
- Critical Thinking
- Relate basic anatomy and physiology of the body systems to medical terms.
- Identify fundamental word structure as it relates to medical terms.
- Divide medical terms into their component parts.
- Define selected basic medical terms.
- Apply medical terminology in clinical scenarios.
- Information Literacy
- Use a medical dictionary.
- Utilize the Internet to research topics and locate resource information.
- Scientific Reasoning
- Combine prefixes, suffixes, and word roots to form medical terms.
Major Topics to be Included
- Body System Roots
- Divide medical terms into their component parts.
- Identify the meaning of basic body system root terms and how they are associated with prefixes and suffixes.
- Use combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes to build medical terms.
- Suffixes
- Use suffixes with combining forms to build terms.
- Explain what combining forms are and why they are used.
- Prefixes
- Define prefixes used in medical terminology.
- Explain the role of a prefix in medical terminology.
- Body Organization
- Identify the main parts of a cell.
- Identify body cavities and organs contained within those cavities.
- Describe the terms that relate to positions, directions, and planes of the body.
- Identify the anatomic and clinical divisions of the abdomen.
- Applying Terminology Strategies
- Apply strategies to interpret, build, and pronounce words using prefixes, suffixes, combining forms, and roots for various systems including but not limited to: cardiac, respiratory, digestive, neuro, musculoskeletal, and the renal systems.
- Identify primary structures and basic functions of systems.
- Explain procedures of laboratory and clinical tests, and abbreviations that pertain to the given systems.
- Apply terminology to the construction and use of SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan) notes in clinical settings.