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Friday, January 27, 2012

Free Medical Terminology Flash Cards: Directional Terms

Many medical professionals depend on terms in order to correctly identify a portion of the body. An area may be described through directions or where they lie in comparison to other areas of the body. Some positions on the body may be described by more than one term. Many of these directional medical terms also have an opposite term due to symmetry of the body.

Using medical directional terminology can be less confusing than saying right, left, top, or bottom. For example, when I worked as a cancer nurse, I often cared for patients who had double lumen port-a-caths. These were intravenous access devices that had two sides with two different needles. When charting, we would identify the port with the words medial and lateral rather than left and right. When looking at a patient, it might be easy to confuse a patient's left and right with one's own left and right, but identifying the device by its proximity to the center of the body had less room for error.

When I began studying directional terms, I found it helpful to think of terms with which I was already familiar. For instance, I could remember the location of a dorsal fin on a fish, so that helped me to learn that the dorsal area on a person was the back of the body. A person with a superficial personality was someone whose actions tend to be shallow just as a superficial wound would be on the upper surface of the skin.

Some directional terms seemed totally foreign to me when I began studying, and it helped me to make up silly sayings and word pictures to help me to remember them. For instance, I would picture someone holding his hands out with palms up saying "I'd like some soup" to help me to remember supination.

These are not all possible directional terms, and some terms may have other definitions in other contexts; however, these are some of the more common ones used in medical terminology.

How to Use These Directional Med Term Flash Cards:

Each medical term is followed by its definition. Click on the first flash card below to enlarge it. Click on the next thumbnail at the bottom of the screen in order to see the next card. Feel free to start at the bottom and work toward the top for variety.

I hope you find these medical terminology study guides helpful. Find more resources at my site map!

Medical Terminology Directional Terms Flash Cards
Free Medical Terminology Study Guides
What does cranial mean?
Cranial definition: related to the head
What does posterior mean?
Posterior definition: pertains to the back of the body
What does proximal mean?
Proximal definition: nearest the center or point of origin
What does deep mean?
Deep definition: toward the inside and away from the surface
What does dorsum mean?
Dorsum definition: back surface; top of foot
What does supine mean?
Supine definition: lying horizontally on one's back
What does inferior mean?
Inferior definition: below; down; toward the feet or tail
What does anterior mean?
Anterior definition: pertains to the front; toward the belly
What does superficial mean?
Superficial definition: pertains to the surface; near the surface
What does dorsal mean?
Dorsal definition: pertains to the back; posterior
What does distal mean?
Distal definition: away from the trunk; farthest from the point of origin
What does ventral mean?
Ventral definition: toward the belly or front; anterior
What does pronation mean?
Pronation definition: palms of hands are turned down
What does medial mean?
Medial definition: toward the midline
What does caudal mean?
Caudal definition: pertains to the tail
What does superior mean?
Superior definition: above; upward; toward the head
What does plantar mean?
Plantar definition: pertains to the bottom of the foot
What does lateral mean?
Lateral definition: away from the midline; toward the side
What does supination mean?
Supination definition: palms of the hands turn upward
What does prone mean?
Prone definition: lying horizontally facedown
Med term flashcards on direction for the whole body

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Free Medical Terminology Flash Cards: Suffixes

Suffixes end words but are often where definitions begin in medical terminology. After determining the meaning of the suffix, the prefix is usually defined next, followed by the root word meaning. Suffixes may be used to to make a word either an adjective or a noun. Depending on how the root word ends, a combining vowel may be attached between the root word and the suffix.
A suffix will have the same meaning when added to any root word. For instance, -plasty means surgical repair, so rhinoplasty would denote surgical repair of the nose while angioplasty means surgical repair of a blood vessel.

Some suffixes may have the same or similar meanings. For example, -al, -ary, ical, and -oid all may mean "pertaining to," but each may be used with particular root words in practice. Some suffixes that have the same meaning may be interchanged with other suffixes with the same meaning in certain circumstances.

How to Use These Suffix Flash Cards

The following free medical terminology flash cards may help people to study common suffixes used in medical professions. Simply click on the first flash card to enlarge. Click on the next thumbnail to advance to the next flash card.

These flash cards give the suffix first, followed by the definition. Feel free to start at the last card and work backwards for variations in study. I welcome your feedback and encourage you to visit my site map for more great study guides!

Free Suffix Medical Terminology Flash Cards
Study Guide for Learning Suffixes
What does -plasty mean?
-plasty definition: surgical repair
What does -us mean?
-us definition: suffix identifying singular nouns
What does -gravida mean?
-gravida definition: pregnancy
What does -ectasis mean?
-ectasis definition: stretching, dilatation
What does -rrhaphy mean?

What does -ize mean?
-ize definition: to treat, to make, combine with
What does -pathy mean?

-pathy definition: disease
What does -tion mean?
-tion definition: process of
What does -genic mean?
-genic definition: producing, pertaining to, formation
What does -cele mean?
-cele definition: herniation, swelling
What does -ad mean?
-ad definition: increase, toward
What does -logy mean?
-logy definition: the study of
What does -ian mean?
-ian definition: specialist in a particular field of study
What does -pexy mean?
-pexy definition: surgical fixation
What does -ula mean?
-ula definition: little, small
What does -oma mean?
-oma definition: tumor
What does -ptosis mean?
-ptosis definition: prlapse, drooping
What does -ary mean?
-ary definition: relating to, pertaining to
What does -e mean?
-e definition: silent letter used to end some nouns
What does -emia mean?
-emia definition: blood condition
What does -lytic mean?
-lytic definition: destruction
What does -ion mean?
-ion definition: process, action
What does -iatrician mean?
-iatrician definition: physician, one who treats
What does -cyte mean?
-cyte definition: cell
What does -al mean?
-al definition: pertaining to
What does -stasis mean?
-stasis definition: stopping, controlling
What does -opsia mean?
-opsia definition: visual condition
What does -um mean?
-um definition: suffix used to identify some singular nouns
What does -lith mean?
-lith definition: stone
What does -esis mean?
-esis definition: condition of
What does -ic mean?
-ic definition: pertaining to
What does -a mean?
-a definition: suffix sometimes used to denote a noun ending
What does -dynia mean?
-dynia definition: pain
What does -graph mean?
-graph definition: instrument used to record
What does -phobia mean?
-phobia definition: abnormal fear
What does -scopy mean?
-scopy definition: viewing with a scope
What does -ory mean?
-ory definition: characterized by, pertaining to
What does -pnea mean?
-pnea definition: breathing
What does -iatric(s) mean?
-iatric(s) definition: related to medical treatment or medicine or physicians
What does -ectasia mean?
-ectasia definition: dilatation, stretching
What does -algia mean?
-algia definition: pain
What does -metry mean?
-metry definition: the process of measuring
What does -ical mean?
-ical definition: pertaining to
What does -tripsy mean?
-tripsy definition: crushing intentionally
What does -osis mean?
-osis definition: condition
What does -megaly mean?
-megaly definition: enlargement
What does -genesis mean?
-genesis definition: formation, generating
What does -centesis mean?
-centesis definition: surgical puncture
What does -tic mean?
-tic definition: pertaining to
What does -ole mean?
-ole definition: little, small
What does -scope mean?
-scope definition: instrument used to view
What does -iatry mean?
-iatry definition: medical profession, medical treatment
What does -gram mean?
-gram definition: record, picture
What does -clasis mean?
-clasis definition: breaking into small pieces, crushing
What does -ist mean?
-ist definition: practitioner
What does -lysis mean?
-lysis definition: destruction, detachment
What does -er mean?
-er definition: one who
What does -iasis mean?
-iasis definition: presence of an abnormal condition
What does -ac mean?
-ac definition: pertaining to
What does -desis mean?
-desis definition: surgical fusion, binding
What does -mania mean?
-mania definition: "madness," a mental disorder
What does -ician mean?
-ician definition: specialist in a field of study
What does -plegia mean?
-plegia definition: paralysis
What does -stomy mean?
-stomy definition: creation of a new opening with surgery
What does -rrhexis mean?
-rrhexis definition: rupture
What does -ism mean?
-ism definition: condition
What does -oid mean?
-oid definition: resembling

What does -graphy mean?
-graphy definition: the process of recording
What does -ectomy mean?
-ectomy definition: surgical removal
What does -cide mean?
-cide definition: to destroy, to kill
What does -ate mean?
-ate definition: something that...
What does -lepsy mean?
-lepsy definition: attack, seizure
What does -ile mean?
-ile definition: capable, pertaining to
What does -ia mean?
-ia definition: condition (noun ending)
What does -ar mean?
-ar definition: pertaining to
What does -meter mean?
-meter definition: instrument used for measuring
What does -plasia mean?
-plasia definition: formation or development
What does -opsy mean?
-opsy definition: process of viewing
What does -rrhagia mean?
-rrhagia definition: excessive discharge or flow
What does -eal mean?
-eal definition: pertaining to
What does -itis mean?
-itis definition: inflammation
What does -iatrist mean?
-iatrist definition: physician, one who treats
What does -gen mean?
-gen definition: something that generates
What does -blast mean?
-blast definition: embryonic stage of development
What does -logist mean?
-logist definition: someone who specializes in the study of
What does -ule mean?
-ule definition: small one
What does -y mean?
-y definition: process, condition (noun ending)
What does -scope mean?
-scope definition: instrument used for viewing
What does -penia mean?
-penia definition: deficiency, decrease in
What does -algesia mean?
-algesia definition: sensitivity to pain
What does -lithiasis mean?
-lithiasis definition: formation or presence of stones
What does -tomy mean?
-tomy definition: incision into
What does -philia mean?
-philia definition: attraction to
What does -ous mean?
-ous definition: pertaining to
What does -uria mean?
-uria definition: characteristic of the urine
What does -rrhea mean?
-rrhea definition: flow, discharge
medical terminology suffix flash cards