Knowledge of Latin medical terms is essential for verbal and written communication.
Learning medical Latin is very valuable when preparing to enroll in medical school or health-related professional training programs. Equally valuable is learning Greek word roots, prefixes and suffixes used in medical terminology. Because Latin is not a living language, you will have a hard time finding courses that teach only medical Latin, though it is covered very thoroughly in medical terminology courses. Books, CDs, audio tapes, computer programs and online programs are available for teaching yourself Latin and Greek terms related to medicine.
Instructions
1. Decide how, where and when you want to learn. If you feel like you will perform better and gain more knowledge by attending a course taught by an on-site instructor, contact your local vocational school or college and enroll in a course on medical terminology. The course includes not only Latin, but also Greek medical terms. If you require flexibility in your learning schedule and are sufficiently self-directed to complete the course without direction by a teacher or course facilitator, you may learn at home, using instructional materials for medical terminology.
2. Enroll in a medical terminology course at your local vocational school or college. This will probably require admission to the school or college and an admission fee. Advantages include on-site instructors and, when you complete a college course, you will earn credits which may count toward prerequisite or co-requisite credits that will apply to your degree.
3. Teach yourself by purchasing self-directed course materials on medical terminology at a bookstore or from an online source and completing the course of study at your convenience. Common elements found in various course materials are definitions, examples of terminology used in medical communication, spelling, pronunciation and tools for self-assessment. Whether you decide to learn at a physical campus or teach yourself at home, the method of study is the same.
4. Review the objectives for each learning module or chapter before you begin. Read entire chapter or module. Study illustrations and graphs provided. Complete learning exercises and self-test. Review list of terms and phrases taught in the module. For every term or phrase that is not committed to your memory, make a vocabulary flash card with the Latin or Greek term on one side and the English translation the back.
5. Study your flash cards. Carry them with you and review them as often as possible. As you encounter terms on cards that you consistently answer correctly, throw them away and replace them with vocabulary cards with terms from new learning modules. When you successfully complete the course, including vocabulary flash cards, you will have a very good base of knowledge of medical Latin.
Tags: medical terminology, medical Latin, school college, complete course, course materials, flash cards, Latin Greek