Learning medical terminology requires a lot of memorization.
Learning medical terminology is difficult because of the sheer amount of information you have to remember. Luckily, over time medical students have figured out a number of ways to memorize this complicated vocabulary. Using some tricks of the trade, you too can learn to use medical terminology by using word association.
Instructions
1. Make small lists of medical words you have to memorize, and work with them one at a time. For example, if you have a list of 100 medical words to remember this week, break them down into five- or ten-word lists. This is called "chunking."
2. Take one medical word from your list and write it down in the middle of a piece of paper or a note card. Then look at the word and write down the first word that comes to mind. You might have to learn the word "pulmonary," which is related to the lungs, so you think of "pull" for pulling air into the body.
3. Choose a word that is similar to your medical word that brings to mind an association. For example, medical terminology involving the spine includes the word "lumbar." You can use the word "lumber" which means wood, which is like stick, which is strong and straight like your spine.
4. Close your eyes and picture your medical word in your head. Do not think of other words, just think of pictures that remind you of your word. For example, the "parietal" lobes of the brain control sensory information and are on either side of your head. Therefore you may picture your "parents" on both sides of you telling you what is going on.
5. Make a story with your list words. Break your word list into smaller groups of three to five words and tell a short, ridiculous tale that doesn't make any sense but that involves all the words. For example: "Marvin the monkey was a trapeze artist and hurt his TRAPEZIUS muscle. So he went to the doctor who said he was AURICULARIS. Marvin said you mean ridiculous, and the doctor said go see my octopus friend in front of the clinic, his name is OCCIPITUS FRONTALIS.
Tags: medical terminology, medical word, word that, doctor said, Learning medical