Learning medical terminology is like learning a new language, seriously! This medical language is scientifically based and used to refer to the human body clearly in more specific ways than the normal person would refer to it. Though used mostly by medical professionals, the average person can access educational resources that will teach him or her technical medical terminology as well as some medical slang.

Like any new language, understanding the basic parts and rules will make understanding everything else a whole lot easier. Knowing that medical terms are made up of three basic parts will simplify an otherwise confusing word. These three parts are the prefix, the root word, and the suffix, which are derivatives of Greek and Latin languages.

With any developed language in frequent use, the birth of slang words occurs. Medical terminology is no exception to this rule. In any environment where this elaborate medical language is in use, you can bet that some less sophisticated meanings are disguised by a clever term or acronym. This is a cross-cultural phenomenon; you will find that languages other than English adopt slang into their medical practice.

Using slang in the medical world can lead to some sticky situations. Patients, having access to their medical records, may be offended by some of the slang if they catch on. This discovery by patients can lead to suing the establishment. Read the rest of this entry »