Course Outline
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- The Importance of Medical Terminology
- Introduction
- Why is it important for a histologist to know and understand medical terminology?
- The Basics of Vocabulary
- Basic Components
- Prefixes
- Suffixes
- Stem or Word Root
- Put the following components of a medical term in the order in which they would appear.
- When two stems are combined, it is often necessary to insert a vowel between them to aid in pronunciation.
- Major Body Systems
- Body Systems, Functions, and Organs
- Stems Pertaining to the Respiratory System
- Match the following respiratory organs with the stems that pertain to each:
- Stems Pertaining to the Cardiovascular System
- Cardio is a stem that pertains to the (which organ) ________.
- Stems Pertaining to the Digestive System
- The stem word stoma pertains to the mouth.
- Gastro pertains to the stomach.
- Lingua and glossa are stems that pertain to the lip.
- What is the stem that refers to the first part of the intestines called?
- Stems Pertaining to the Endocrine System
- The following stems are associated with the endocrine system. Match each stem with the appropriate definition.
- Stems Pertaining to the Urinary System
- Below are some stems that pertain to either the kidney or urine. Drag the stems and drop into the appropriate box.
- Stems Pertaining to the Hematopoietic and Lymphatic Systems
- Which of the following stems pertain to a cell?
- When a word ends in the suffix "ology" it means "the study of." What is hematology the study of?
- Stems Pertaining to the Integument System
- When referring to the nail of a finger or toe, "onycho" is the stem that would be used.
- Stems Pertaining to the Muscular/Skeletal System
- What is the stem word for bone? When you think you know the answer, click on the choice below. Other choices can also be "clicked" on to reveal additi...
- Stems Pertaining to the Nervous System
- Cerebro and encephalo mean brain.
- Stems Pertaining to the Reproductive System
- Match the following stems with the organ they refer to.
- Stems Pertaining to the Sensory Organs
- Match the following stems words to the correct meaning.
- Miscellaneous Stem Words
- Miscellaneous Stems
- Match each of the following miscellaneous stem words with the appropriate meaning.
- Prefixes
- Prefixes that Denote Numbers
- Match the prefix with its meaning:
- Prefixes Denoting Comparisons
- Now, by breaking the following medical terms apart, use their prefixes to match them up with the correct meaning:
- Prefixes That Pertain to Size
- Prefixes Pertaining to Color
- Relative Location Prefixes
- Match the prefixes on the right with the correct meaning from the drop down on the left.
- Prefixes Denoting Conditions
- Megalocystis means abnormally ___________ bladder.
- Glycemia means the presence of glucose in the blood. If the prefix "eu" is added, the word becomes euglycemia, which is more specific and means a norm...
- Directions and Positions
- Using your knowledge of directional and positional prefixes, decipher the meaning of each of the following medical terms. Click on the term to display...
- Miscellaneous Prefixes
- What does the prefix "dys-" mean? (Choose all that apply.)
- Suffixes
- Suffixes That Denote Conditions and/or Symptoms
- Match the following suffixes with the conditions they describe.
- Match the following suffixes with the conditions they describe.
- Suffixes Denoting Diagnoses
- We know that "chondro" is a stem word meaning cartilage. So, chondromalacia means softening of the cartilage.
- If a patient is diagnosed with a salpingocele, it means she has a herniation of a fallopian tube.
- Using the list of suffixes provided, complete the following sentence: The medical term for the rupture of the liver is hepato________.
- Suffixes Denoting Surgical Procedure
- From the following list of suffixes, choose the one that means "to surgically remove":-otomy-ectomy-centisis-ostomy-scopy
- Match the following surgical procedures with the suffix that denotes the proper meaning.
- Body Planes or Aspects
- Body Planes or Aspects
- A mole is removed from the front aspect of a patients' leg and sent to the histology laboratory. The specimen label should include anterior or ventral...
- A mole is removed from the back aspect of a patients' leg and sent to the histology lab. The specimen label should include "posterior or dorsal" in th...
- A mole is removed from the front of a patient's leg, above the knee, and sent to the histology lab. On the specimen label, the terms anterior or ventr...
- Decoding Surgical Procedures
- The following are surgical procedures that might be seen on a typical operating room (OR) schedule. See if you can break the words apart and decipher ...
- Lets move on to another operating room (OR) schedule. When you have decoded a term, click on it to see if you are correct.OR Schedule - Room 2
- The cases in operating room (OR) 3 are as follows. When you think you have decoded a term, click on it to see if you are correct.OR Schedule - Room 3
- When you think you have decoded a procedure from operating room (OR) 4, click on it to see if you are correct. Can you guess the theme?OR Schedule - R...
- Last but not least, below is the schedule for operating room (OR) 5. When you have deciphered the meaning, click on the term to see if you are correct...
- Common Abreviations
- Some Common Abreviations Encountered in the Histology Lab
- References
Additional Information
Level of instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: Clinical laboratory histotechnologists and technicians and other medical laboratory personnel who have an interest in this subject matter. This course is also appropriate for histology and clinical laboratory science students and pathology residents.
Author information: Anita Buchiane, HT(ASCP) QHIC, is the Lead Histology Technician at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Vermont. Ms. Buchiane is a graduate of Hartford Hospital School of Allied Health in Connecticut, where she earned her Certificate in Histotechnology, and Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, Massachusetts, where she earned an associates degree in Liberal Arts with a math and science concentration. She is a member of the National Society for Histotechnology and the VT/NH Society for Histotechnology. She was the recipient of the 2007 Lee G. Luna Foreign Travel Scholarship awarded by the National Society for Histotechnology and the 2010 Region 1 Scholarship awarded by the VT/NH Society for Histotechnology.
Reviewer information: Karen Stiffler, MA, HTL (ASCP) has over 15 years of experience combined as a histotechnologist and a Program Director for Histotechology at Lakeland Community College. She is currently a Professor and the Program Director for Histotechnology at Lakeland Community College. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Case Western Reserve University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Western Governor’s University.
Reviewer information: Carla J. Shoffeitt, MSM, HT(ASCP) is the Manager of the Pathology Department of Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital of Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Healthcare Management as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Troy University, Troy, Alabama.
Course Description: It is essential that histology professionals understand medical terminology in order to interpret information provided on specimen requisitions, review a surgical schedule and anticipate the specimens that will be submitted to the pathology laboratory, decipher a physician's handwriting, and communicate effectively with other professionals within the medical community. This course provides the definitions for a wide variety of medical terms.
