HCDS 1302 - Medical Terminology I

Credit hours: 3

Industry Certifications Graduates are eligible to sit the Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) certification exam through the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI)

Course Description:
A study of medical terminology word elements including prefixes, suffixes and root words. Diagnostic, clinical, laboratory, pharmaceutical and surgical terms are also learned as they pertain to each body system. (3 lecture hours/week)

Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:

Construct and deconstruct medical vocabulary by analyzing its structure, including prefixes, suffixes, word roots, plurals, nouns, and adjectives.
Distinguish between or among medical homophones (sound-alikes), commonly confused medical terms, and synonyms.
Categorize and interpret abbreviations, brief forms, acronyms, eponyms, and foreign words and phrases commonly used in clinical practice.
Categorize surgical procedures and other interventional diagnostic and treatment modalities by specialty, indications or related diagnoses, technique, and typical findings.
Discriminate among procedures, techniques, and findings in diagnostic and treatment modalities by specialty, indications or related diagnoses, technique, and typical findings.
Compare and contrast the etiologies and pathologies of diseases and trauma within a specialty or body system.
Identify and define methods of diagnosis and treatment of common diseases and conditions.
Identify and analyze current trends and advancements in medicine.
Define and translate a core of medical abbreviations for each chapter studied.