Medical Terminology Introduction (no audio)

Medical Terminology: The Basics:

Presented by Marlene Obermeyer, MA, RN April 2011 Medical Terminology: The Basics

Different cultures :

Different cultures

Different languages:

Different languages

Medical Terminology:

Medical Terminology

How does the doctor understand? :

How does the doctor understand? In the United States, people come from different cultures and speak different languages. It could be fun and interesting to know and learn about different cultures and languages. In the healthcare setting, it is critical, that the patient and the doctor, or any medical provider understand each other.

The third person…:

The third person… When the doctor and the patient do not speak the same language, the medical interpreter provides the link to allow each person to understand the other.

Three Languages:

Three Languages

Did you know?:

Did you know? During an interpreting encounter, three languages are being spoken. First, the physician speaks in English. Second, the patient speaks a second language. Third, the physician speaks a medical language that may not have the same meaning to the patient and the interpreter.

Medical Language:

Medical Language Medicine has its own language so that the different professionals involved in patient care are able to understand each other using words that have the same meaning to all of them.

What is medical terminology?:

What is medical terminology? Medical terminology is a vocabulary for accurately describing the human body and associated components, conditions, and processes using a three-step approach. In this course, we will refer to medical terminology as medical word or medical term for short.

Fever:

Fever

Fever:

Fever For example, the word “Fever”. A patient may tell the physician that she had a fever because her skin felt hot to the touch and she wasn’t feeling well. However, to the physician, feeling hot may not mean the patient had a fever unless her temperature was over 101 degrees.

Same word, different meaning.:

Same word, different meaning.

The Interpreter:

The Interpreter The interpreter not only converts the words of the patient to the English language, and vice versa, but the interpreter should also make sure that both the patient and the physician have the same understanding of the word “fever”. By interpreting completely and accurately, the interpreter speaks a “common language” that both the patient and the physician can understand.

In this course…:

In this course… In Part 1 of this course, we will focus on learning medical terminology, which includes learning about the different diseases, diagnostic tests, treatments and procedures. You will learn more about the techniques of medical interpreting in Part 2 of the course.

As an interpreter…:

As an interpreter… As a medical interpreter, you may be asked to interpret, or convert into another language, ‘untranslatable words”, English medical words that do not have direct translations into another language. Therefore, in this course, you will learn the origins and meanings of the English medical words in order to accurately convert them into another language.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy:

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy For example, this long word with 26 letters. How do you understand the meaning of these words? How would you interpret this medical word into your other language? In this section, you will learn how to break up medical words and how to put them together to understand their meaning. By understanding how a medical word is formed, you will be able to convert the medical word that the physician speaks into the language that the patient understands.

Our focus…:

Our focus… Our focus on Part 1 of the Medical Interpreter Program is to prepare you to work as a professional in the healthcare setting. You will be prepared to interpret medical terms accurately, and gain confidence in your ability to pronounce and explain the meaning of medical terms and untranslatable words into the patient’s language.

Good luck!:

Good luck! Thank you for taking the program. We are here to help you achieve your goal of becoming a professional medical interpreter! Marlene at Culture Advantage director@culture-advantage.com http://www.cultureadvantage.org