Remembering medical terminology is crucial to getting through med school and passing certification exams
Medical terminology can be dense and difficult to navigate for students attempting to get through school. Several effective methods exist to help students retain medical terminology for use in the field without having to spend a lot of extra cash or take too much extra time out of the day.
Mnemonic Memory Tools
A mnemonic is a way of recalling learned terms through easy-to-remember phrases or single words. For instance the word "vanished" is used as a medical mnemonic for the symptoms of cerebellar damage--V means vertigo, A is ataxia, N stands for nystagmus, I is intention tremor, S is slurred speech, H is hypotonic reflexes, E stands for exaggerated gait and D is dysdiadochokinesia. Remembering words such as this can assist the brain in recalling the often complex terms that are required of certain medical conditions and treatments. A searchable database of medical mnemonics can be found at the Medical Mnemonic's website.
Flash Cards
Flashcards are the old-fashioned way of memorizing terms for class. Basically the term to be remembered is written on one side of an index card and the definition is written on the other. According to the American Council on Exercise's website, flashcards work best as a memorization tool when the student is able to put the learned terms into practice quickly as opposed to simple memorization and regurgitation in a test setting. Flash cards make a convenient learning tool for medical students working in an internship setting.
Tutorial Sessions and Classes
Many colleges and universities like Des Moines University have coursework set aside to assist students in learning medical terminology. At Des Moines, an online tutorial is offered in which students will be presented 300 medical terms and given tools for best remember them by teaching the students how medical terms are constructed through Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes. A student who has a good handle on the language can remember learned terms easier and identify unfamiliar terms more quickly than someone who has no understanding of Latin.
Tags: learned terms, medical terminology, medical terms, through school
