Medical Terminology

The Medical Terminology course teaches students the foundations of medical terminology including basic word structure, and terminology related to specific body systems and medical interventions.

Course at-a-glance

• Self-directed course delivered entirely online
• No final exam
• Enrol anytime
• 150 hours of learning, to be completed in up to 12 months
• Course material derived from CHA Learning’s Health Information Management (HIM) program

Who should take the Medical Terminology course?

This course is designed for anyone wishing to gain a comprehensive understanding of the language of medicine, and those wishing to enter fields related to healthcare or health information. This course is eligible for exemption for those accepted to CHA Learning’s Health Information Management (HIM) program. 

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Apply biomedical terms encountered in health care documentation, including pronunciation and spelling
• Apply medical abbreviations and acronyms found in health care documentation
• Understand medical terms and conditions
• Understand structural units of the body including cells, tissues, organs and systems, as they relate to medical terminology
• Examine the anatomical structures, their location and associated physiological functions, for each tissue, organ, and body system
• Demonstrate the course of a pathological condition in terms of etiology, clinical manifestations, changes in structure and function, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and prognosis
• Identify the normal and abnormal results of the more common diagnostic interventions and relate them to pathological conditions
• Explain the role of risk factors in health and disease
• Identify various types of interventions and relate them to pathological conditions
• Understand medical terms in their proper contexts, such as medical reports and records

Awards

There are no awards available for this course or program at this time. Click here to learn more about student awards.

To be successful in the Medical Terminology course, students should meet the following requirements.

Language

English is the language of instruction for all CHA Learning courses. It is therefore recommended that students be competent in reading, writing and speaking English.

Technical

Students must have basic computer knowledge and internet navigation skills; and access to a computer with Windows 7 or higher.

Please note:

• Students choosing to use Mac or Linux operating system must have experience using alternate remote access software.
• CHA Learning staff can only assist Windows operating system users and provide technical support in relation to our website; we do not provide technical support for internet and/or basic computer use.

Other technical requirements:

There are no application prerequisites for this course. To enrol:

1. Click on the enrol/apply button
2. Add the product to your cart
3. Create an account if you are new to CHA Learning or sign in to your existing account
4. Complete the Billing Information page
5. Enter your payment information, accept the terms and conditions and make your payment
6. Within seven business days you will receive an email with instructions to access the course/program materials.

Students are evaluated on 22 chapter quizzes, which are valued equally. There is no final examination for this course. Quizzes must be completed online.

To achieve a certificate, students must achieve an overall average of 60% or more in the course.

Course Certificate

CHA Learning will award students a certificate for successful completion of the course.

Credits

This course can be taken in combination with Anatomy & Physiology and/or Pathophysiology.

This course meets the HIM Program entry requirement for a minimum grade 12 science. CHA Learning recommends taking Anatomy & Physiology as the admission credit.

Completion of this course prior to entry to the HIM program exempts the learner from taking this course again within the HIM curriculum.

• $550 for Canadians
• $750 for International Students

A textbook is also required, at a cost of approximately $100. Students must buy this book independently. More information will be provided after enrolment.

All prices listed above are in CAD.

Please note: Bulk registration discounts are available for groups. Please review the Group Enrolment information here.

The Medical Terminology course is divided into the following 22 chapters:

Chapter 1: Basic Word Structures

• Word Analysis
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Prefixes
• Symbols and Abbreviations

Chapter 2: Terms Pertaining to the Body as a Whole

• Structural Organization of the Body
• Body Cavities
• Abdominopelvic Regions and Quadrants
• Divisions of the Back (Spinal Column)
• Positional and Directional Terms
• Planes of the Body
• Combining Forms, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Chapter 3: Suffixes

• Combining Forms
• Suffixes and Terminology
• Appendices

Chapter 4: Prefixes

• Combining Forms and Suffixes
• Prefixes and Terminology
• Appendices

Chapter 5: Skin

• Structure of the Skin
• Accessory Organs of the Skin
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms and Suffixes
• Lesions, Signs and Symptoms, Abnormal Conditions, and Skin Neoplasms
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 6: Oncology

• Carcinogenesis
• Classification of Cancerous Tumours
• Pathologic Descriptions
• Grading and Staging Systems
• Cancer Treatment
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, Prefixes and Terminology
• Laboratory Tests
• Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 7: Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

• Radiology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, Prefixes, and Terminology
• Abbreviations

Chapter 8: Pharmacology

• Drug Names, Standards, and References
• Administration of Drugs
• Terminology of Drug Action
• Drug Toxicity
• Classes of Drugs
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Prefixes and Terminology
• Abbreviations

Chapter 9: Cardiovascular System

• Blood Vessels and the Circulation of Blood
• Anatomy of the Heart
• Physiology of the Heart
• Blood Pressure
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms and Terminology
• Pathology: The Heart and Blood Vessels
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 10: Blood System

• Composition and Formation of Blood
• Blood Types
• Blood Clotting
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Terminology
• Pathologic Conditions
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 11: Lymphatic and Immune Systems

• Lymphatic System
• Immune System
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Prefixes, and Terminology
• Disorders of the Lymphatic and Immune Systems
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 12: Musculoskeletal System

• Bones
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms and Suffixes
• Pathologic Conditions Including Fractures
• Joints
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms and Suffixes
• Pathologic Conditions
• Muscles
• Vocabulary

Chapter 13: Psychiatry

• Psychiatric Clinical Symptoms
• Psychiatric Disorders
• Therapeutic Terminology
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, Prefixes, and Terminology
• Abbreviations

Chapter 14: Nervous System

• General Structure of the Nervous System
• Neurons, Nerves, and Glia
• The Brain
• The Spinal Cord and Meninges
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms and Terminology
• Pathologic Conditions
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 15: Sense Organs: The Eye and The Ear

• The Eye
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Terminology: Structures and Fluids; Conditions
• Conditions
• Abnormal Conditions
• Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations
• The Ear
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Terminology
• Symptoms and Pathologic Conditions
• Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 16: Digestive System

• Anatomy and Physiology
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Terminology
• Pathology of the Digestive System

Chapter 17: Additional Suffixes and Digestive System Terminology

• Suffixes
• Combining Forms and Terminology
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 18: Respiratory System

• Anatomy and Physiology of Respiration
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Terminology
• Diagnostic and Pathologic Terms
• Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 19: Endocrine System

• Thyroid Gland
• Parathyroid Glands
• Adrenal Glands
• Pancreas
• Pituitary Gland
• Ovaries
• Testes
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms, Suffixes, Prefixes, and Terminology: Glands and Related Terms
• Abnormal Conditions
• Laboratory Tests
• Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 20: Urinary System

• Anatomy of the Major Organs
• Physiology: How the Kidneys Produce Urine
• Vocabulary
• Terminology: Structures, Substances, and Urinary Symptoms
• Urinalysis
• Pathologic Terminology: Kidney, Bladder, and Associated Conditions
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 21: Female Reproductive System

• Organs of the Female Reproductive System
• Menstruation and Pregnancy
• Hormonal Interactions
• Vocabulary
• Terminology: Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Prefixes
• Pathology: Gynelogic/Breast, Pregnancy, and Neonatal
• Clinical Tests and Procedures
• Abbreviations

Chapter 22: Male Reproductive System

• Anatomy
• Vocabulary
• Combining Forms and Terminology
• Pathologic Conditions; Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Laboratory Tests and Clinical Procedures
• Abbreviations