Course credit
2 credit hours
Course description
Basic terminology and vocabulary used in medical field; structural organization of the body, major anatomy, medical procedures and instrumentation, and medical specialties.
Delivery
This course is available in a web-based format, utilizing web pages and MyCourses, a computer conferencing program. MyCourses requires Internet access and a web browser — no additional software is required. Students may need access to someone who can assist with computer set-up.
Prerequisites
none
Instructor
Susan Roberts-Dobie, Assistant Professor, Health Promotion and Education, Health, Physical Education & Leisure Services
Susan Roberts-Dobie is an Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Education at the University of Northern Iowa, where she teaches the courses ‘Introduction to Public Health’, ‘Epidemiology’, and ‘Implementing Health Promotion Programs’. She also heads UNI’s chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma, the National Honor Society for Health Education Students. Susan is the recipient of the 2006 UNI College of Education Excellence in Teaching Award, the award given each year to one faculty member exhibiting outstanding work with students in and out of the classroom and the 2007 Veridian Community Engagement Award in recognition of her (and her students’) work to improve the health of the local community.
Susan received her Ph.D. in Public Health, focused on Research Methodology, from Oregon State University. Prior to her work at Oregon State, Susan worked as a Planning Consultant for the Black Hawk County Health Department and as the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coordinator for the YWCA of Black Hawk County. Her undergraduate degrees are from the University of Northern Iowa in Health Education (Teaching) and Spanish.
Currently, her lines of research are focused on health literacy and health disparities, as well as the prevention of unintended pregnancies. She is a member of the American Public Health Association, Iowa Public Health Association, the American Association for Health Education, and Eta Sigma Gamma.
Outside of her professional interests, Susan is an avid reader, aspiring chef, and the mother of two young boys.
Evaluation
15 assignments, 3 exams
Overview
A course in medical terminology allows people with professional and personal interests in health and disease to communicate effectively and efficiently. The focus of this class is learning terminology and vocabulary used in the medical field, including structural organization of the body, major anatomy, medical procedures and instrumentation, and medical specialties.
This course will be of benefit to many professional preparations, including medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, laboratory work, social work, school and community health education, psychology, and physical education, to name just a few professions. Also, medical terminology is very beneficial to individuals with a personal curiosity in the medical field, which includes almost everyone.
Learning medical terms is not unlike learning a foreign language. It requires simple memorization of word roots, prefixes and suffixes. Not many classes can make this claim, but taking a course in medical terminology is actually easier by correspondence. I will provide you with information at the beginning of each chapter that may assist you in learning, and will help you focus your attention on the most commonly used word parts, and then you have the task of memorizing terms.
You will not memorize each and every word, but you will learn how to break down an unknown word into known parts, and will be able to define difficult medical terms in this way. I still use this method to define obscure words, and am often pleased with how close I can come to the dictionary definition.
Course Objectives
Course Organization
The course is divided into 15 assignments. Each assignment includes chapters from the required textbook, comments and chapter highlights which complement the text, and written assignments. The first nine chapters present an introduction of the study of medical terminology, and the remaining chapters each focus on specific body systems. Many students have commented on how easy this text is to use as an independent study course. There are also medical "flash cards" at the end of the text that you can cut out and use, with common root words, suffixes, and prefixes. These are very helpful, in addition to flash cards you can make yourself on index cards. There are additional exercises and electronic flash cards on the CD included with the text.
Remember: Repetition is the key to memorization.
The assignments involve multiple choice questions. The Assessments tool is utilized for the submission of written assignments. You will have 40 minutes to complete each assessment. Once the allotted time has expired, you will not be able to save any more questions. Written assignments in the Assessments tool can only be completed one time. Questions are delivered all at once and can be answered in any order. You can revisit questions after you have answered them and change your answer before submission.
Note: Although many pictures of the body are included in the text, you will not be asked to map any locations on the Assessments and Tests. This course is about medical terms, so we will leave mapping to the Anatomy courses.
The course includes 3 exams. Exams will be proctored.
Course Outline
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Assignment 3
Assignment 4
Exam 1
Assignment 5
Assignment 6
Assignment 7
Assignment 8
Assignment 9
Assignment 10
Exam 2
Assignment 11
Assignment 12
Assignment 13
Assignment 14
Assignment 15
Exam 3 (not comprehensive)
Grading
The 15 written assignments, will contribute 300 points to your final grade (20 points each). There are three exams, worth 100 points each. Exam 1 will be taken after the first four assignments are completed. Exam 2 is after Assignment 10, and Exam 3 after Assignment 15. Exams contain multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions, and one or two "case studies." These case studies present a patient's medical problems in paragraph form, with some of the medical terms underlined. You will define or describe the underlined words. Exam 3 is NOT comprehensive; however the chapters tend to present material based on previous assignments.
Note: Spelling counts. When an answer is correct, but misspelled, partial credit will be given.
A total of 600 points are possible for the course. Please note that UNI Guided Independent Study requires that you complete all assignments and exams to pass the course. Final grades are based on the following grading scale:
Final grades:
A = 558 - 600 points
A- = 540 - 557 points
B+ = 522 - 539 points
B = 498 - 521 points
B- = 480 - 497 points
C+ = 462 - 479 points
C = 438 - 461 points
C- = 420 - 437 points
D+ = 402 - 419 points
D = 378 - 401 points
D- = 360-377 points
F = < 360 points
Textbook(s)
Stanfield, P., Hui, Y.H., & Cross, N. (2008). Essential Medical Terminology, 3rd edition. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Recommended, but not required, for this course is a good medical dictionary. I use two dictionaries in my professional and personal use: Stedman's Medical Dictionary, which also comes with a very helpful CD-ROM, and Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. A good medical dictionary is approximately $30, but is a good investment, especially if you will be in a health-related profession.
Texts are available from www.bookfinder.com
University Book and Supply carries most books used in guided independent study.
To search for textbooks by course, click on "Select a Campus Term" and select Univ.Northern Iowa - Guided Independent Study
Visit the store at 1009 West 23rd Street, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: 319-266-7581 or 800-728-7581
Fax: 319-277-1266
E-mail: bookstore@panthersupply.com
To enroll
ONLINE
GIS enrollment information
IN PERSON
UNI Continuing and Distance Education
2637 Hudson Road (corner of 27th St. and Hudson Rd.)
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0223
Campus map (Look for Building 31)
For more information
Cindy Klodt, Guided Independent Study
UNI Continuing and Distance Education
319-273-2123 or 800-772-1746
ContinuingEd@uni.edu