The Beginner’s Guide to Medical Terminology: A Professional Cheatsheet

Language Learning
September 24, 2020

Learning the fundamentals of medical terminology early on can give you a big head start in your career.

When you’re in school, it makes it easier to learn about other topics. When you’re working, it makes it easier to communicate and keep everyone on the same page.

In this “mega guide”, I go over why medical terminology is important and where it comes from. I then cover many of the key medical terms that I think will be the most beneficial for you to know in your career.

Let’s get started.

Contents hide

1 What’s the Point of Learning Medical Terminology?

2 How Can Knowing Medical Terminology Improve Your Medical Career?

3 Where Do Medical Terms Come From and Why Do We Use Them?

4 From the Beginning: Understanding Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes

5 Everyday Medical Terms

6 Body Parts and Systems

7 Final Thoughts

What’s the Point of Learning Medical Terminology?

Don’t worry, it’s not a stupid question.

When you think about it, your patients don’t really use medical terms to explain their symptoms. Most use everyday words and images to describe their pain or problems.

I’ve rarely met a patient who describes an acute pain in their upper abdominal cavity. Instead, they tell me that their stomach is in agony or they’ve got a stabbing pain in their belly.

So why do we, as medical professionals, have to learn proper medical terms if our patients don’t use them?

Quite simply, because it’s a matter of life and death.

Patients describe their symptoms in their terms, but our job is to take that information and translate it into a diagnosis that we can share with our team, and hopefully cure.

Standardized terms help to keep everyone on the same page. If we all know what symptoms you are treating and where in the body it is, then we can take effective and targeted action.

Using standard language to describe conditions and symptoms means that there is a shared understanding. It also takes away some of the subjectivity, the personal interpretation, which can be lethal.

For example, ‘a lot of blood’ could mean different things to you and me depending on our experiences. If we use the phrase ’class III hemorrhage,’ then everyone involved in the patient’s care knows that they are losing 30-40% of their blood volume and they need a transfusion.

The devil really is in the details.

Patients also need their doctors and nurses to use the same terms.

Patient education is one of the most important parts of our job. It’s how we help our patients manage and control their own health.

If patients are educated using the same words and definitions, they have a far better chance of understanding what is wrong with them and how they deal with the problem.

Just imagine if a patient came to you in the ER and said that their family physician had said that they were prone to feeling off if they eat too much sugar. You wouldn’t know whether they were diabetic or just mildly intolerant to sugar.

A patient with an understanding of their health conditions is so much easier to treat quickly and efficiently.

Standardized medical terminology not only provides clarity, it also creates efficiency.

OMG, can you imagine how long and boring life would be without contractions and abbreviations?

We use them every single day. Y’all, can’t, should’ve, LOL, BRB. These little shorthands help us speed up communication, and medical terms are no different.

For example, CSU stands for catheter steam urine sample [1] and is so much quicker to say than the full term.

Let’s be fair though, you can’t use the abbreviations effectively unless you know the terms in the first place. So your understanding of medical terms needs to be top-notch so that you can work more efficiently.

How Can Knowing Medical Terminology Improve Your Medical Career?

First and foremost, knowing medical terminology shows that you are a professional. It’s hard to get promoted if you don’t speak like a professional.

Then there is efficiency. A solid knowledge of medical terms means that you won’t waste your time trying to figure out what a patient’s notes or your colleagues are saying.

Speaking of colleagues, how annoying is it when you’re trying to complete a task or finish some work, but you just don’t get what your colleague or manager wants from you? Now add in all the blood, guts, and gore of a hospital.

Being able to use lingo they understand will make your colleagues so much happier and they will have a much higher opinion of you.

Ultimately, people with good relationships with their colleagues are far more likely to progress within an organization. So it pays to please your workmates.

Most importantly, a solid grasp of medical terminology means that you can provide the best possible care for your patients. Ultimately, this is what matters the most as a medical professional.

Where Do Medical Terms Come From and Why Do We Use Them?

Who’s up for a bit of etymology?

The study of word meanings, etymology, is a bit of a nerdy, niche past time. Some people love it, some can’t be bothered with it.

Whichever side you fall on, it pays to understand where medical terms come from.

I don’t know about you, but when I can understand the connection between a word and it’s meaning, it sticks in my head better.

Let’s take the word carcin as an example. It’s a greek word meaning crab but in the medical world, it means cancer.

Why the link between cancer and crabs you ask?

Well, an ancient Greek legend tells the story of a crab that was sent to attack Heracles. Heracles smashed the crab with his club, and the gods put the crab in the sky as a memorial to the creature.

The word cancer is the anglicized or English version of the Greek word carcin (which means “crab”). That’s why the zodiac symbol is called cancer.

The disease we now know as cancer was given this name because of the way the cells grow in pincer-like shapes similar to a crab’s pincers. [2]

You don’t need to be able to read and speak ancient Greek or Latin to understand medical terms, but knowing the origin can help fix the words and meanings in your brain.

Why are most medical terms are Greek or Latin in origin? It’s really simple and obvious once you think about it.

Modern medicine as we know it began in the ancient Greek and Roman times, so it makes sense that they would have named their discoveries in their own languages.

Nowadays, using Greek and Latin terms is not just about sounding smart or following tradition, although that probably is a factor for some practitioners!

Latin and Greek are neutral languages that aren’t biased towards one nation or language. This means that medical professionals who train all over the world can understand their international colleagues in a professional sense even if they speak different languages.

Think about all the physicians, nurses, technicians, assistants, and patients you meet in a week. Now try to list where they come from originally and the languages they use. You’ll probably be in double figures.

A universal language is a literal and figurative lifesaver considering the diversity of the medical profession and patient base.

From the Beginning: Understanding Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes

illustration of how roots prefixes and suffixes work

Ok, I won’t lie, this bit is going to be a bit grammar heavy. Don’t panic though, you’ll pick it up easily because it’s not as hard as it seems.

There is actually a formula or recipe for medical terms which helps you to figure out what part of the body it relates to and what kind of problem it describes.

How handy is that?

To put it simply, every medical term will have at least one root word while some have multiple root words.

Prefixes can be added before the root word to change the meaning or add information, usually telling us a location or number. [3]

Suffixes can be added to the end for further information, and usually describe the kind of problem. [4]

A medical term may have all three parts, prefix, root word(s), and suffix, or it may have just two parts, one of which will be a root word.

Some terms do not have a prefix or suffix and are just root words.

Still with me?

Often, words will have a joining vowel between each part of the words. More often than not, the letter ‘o’ is used, but ‘a’ and ‘i’ can also be used. These joining vowels are super useful because they separate the parts of the word, but they also make the word as a whole much easier to pronounce!

Let’s take a look at the term neuroblastoma. The root word is blast which refers to immature cells.

Added to the beginning of this root word is neuro which is a prefix relating to nerves. Already we know this term has something to do with immature cells found in the nervous system.

At the end of our root word, is a suffix, oma this word means tumor.

All together now!

Thanks to the formula we can work out that the word neuroblastoma means a tumor formed by immature nerve cells. [5]

What I’ve done below is to list some common prefixes, root words, and suffixes so that you can look up any tricky terms that trip you up.

Unfortunately, it’s not an exhaustive list. That would take years! I’ve tried to include the common ones you’ll come across frequently.

Eagle-eyed readers might notice that some of the words appear in both the prefix and the root word table. This is because these words like to keep busy and do more than one job!

Root Words

Step 1 for deciphering medical terms: always start with the root word!

Once you pick out the root word, it’s easier to see the prefix and suffixes.

Term	Definition/ relating to…	Origin
Abdomin	Part of the body below the chest but above the pelvis.	Latin – Meaning hidden, i.e hidden part of the body.
Aden	Gland	Greek
Arteri	Relating to arteries	Greek
Audi	Hearing	Latin
Bio	Life	Greek -meaning the course of human life.
Brachio	Arm, especially the upper arm.	Greek – literally meaning shorter probably in comparison to the longer forearm.
Bronch	Bronchus – an airway that conducts air into the lungs.	Greek
Carcin	Cancer	Greek – literally meaning a crab.
Cardiac	Heart	Greek
Col	Colon	Latin
Cyt	Cell	Greek – literally meaning a hollow receptacle.
Derm / dermat	Skin	Greek
Dors	Back	Latin
Enchepal	Brain	Greek – literally meaning in the head.
Gast	Stomach	Greek
Gynec	Female	Greek
Hemat / hemo	Blood	Greek/ Latin
Hepati	Relating to the liver	Greek
Hist	Tissue	Greek – literally meaning web or structure.
Intestin	Intestine	Latin
Lapar	The soft part of the body between the chest and pelvis (similar to abdomen).	Greek
Lymph	Relating to the lymphatic system which circulates fluids.	Latin – water or water goddess.
Malign	Bad/harmful	Latin – literally meaning bad born.
My	Muscle	Greek – literally means mouse.
Nephro	Kidneys	Greek
Neur	Relating to nerves.	Greek – literally means sinew or string.
Ocul	Eye	Latin
Onco	Tumor	Latin – literally meaning mass or bulk.
Ophthalmol	Eyes and eye socket	Greek – literally meaning eye and chamber.
Optic	Sight	Greek
Or	Mouth	Latin – meaning hole.
Osteo	Bones	Greek
Ot	Ear	Latin
Ped	Child	Greek
Path	Disease	Greek – meaning suffering.
Pharmac	Drug	Greek
Pulmon	Lungs	Latin – literally meaning floater or float.
Sarco	Tissue	Greek – meaning flesh.
Sept	Infection	Latin – to rot.
Thorac	Chest	Latin – meaning breastplate.
Thyro	Relating to the thyroid gland found in the neck.	Greek – literally meaning shield-shaped.
Toxo	Poison	Greek – literally meaning bow or related to archery because of the habit of dipping arrows in poison.
Trache	The tube connecting the lungs to the larynx (or voicebox).	Greek
Trich	Hair	Greek
Umbilic	Navel	Latin
Ure	Urinary system.	Latin
Uter	Womb	Latin
Ventr	Relating to the front of the body.	Latin – meaning belly.
Vicero	Relating to internal organs.	Latin

[6 – 9]

Prefixes

In medicine, prefixes are used to tell us where a thing is in relation to the body part or system. Sometimes they tell us how many things are present or affected.

They can also tell us about timings or measurements.

Don’t forget that the beginning of a word is not necessarily a prefix. Some words don’t have prefixes so in those cases, the first part of the word is the root.

Prefix	Meaning	Origin
A/an	Without or lacking	Greek
Ab	Away from	Latin
Ad	Toward	Latin
Ante	In front of	Latin
Anti / Contra	Against	Greek
Auto	Self	Greek
Bi	Two	Latin
Di	Two / half	Latin
Dys	Difficult / painful	Greek
Ecto	Outside / external	Greek
Endo	Inside / internal	Greek
Epi	Upon	Greek
Hemi	Half	Latin
Hyper	Over / excessive	Greek
Hypo	Under / deficient	Greek
Infra	Beneath	Latin
Inter	Between	Latin
Intra	Within	Latin
Neo	New	Latin
Para	Beside / near	Greek
Peri	Around	Greek
Pre	Before	Latin
Poly	Multiple or many	Greek
Post	After	Latin
Quad	Four	Latin
Semi	Half	Latin
Sub	Below	Latin
Syn	Together with	Greek
Tri	Three	Latin

[6 – 9]

Suffixes

Suffixes used in medical terminology tend to describe the condition itself. They tell us what sort of symptom the condition is causing or the nature of the problem.

Again, it is important to remember that not all medical terms have suffixes. The end of a word is not automatically the suffix.

Suffix	Meaning	Origin
-algia, -dynia	Pain	Greek
-centesis	A surgical procedure involving puncturing.	Latin
-dilation	Widen or open	Latin
-ectomy	Surgical removal	Greek
-emia	Blood condition	Latin
-esis, -iasis, -osis, -ity, -ia, -y	State or condition	Greek
-gram	Written or recorded	Greek
-graphy	Process of writing or recording.	Greek
-iac	Pertaining to	Greek
-ites, -itis	Inflammation	Latin
-ology	Study of	Greek
-oma	Tumor	Greek
-pathy	Disease	Greek
-penia	Deficiency or lack of	Greek
-phagia, -phagy	Eating or devouring	Greek
-plasty	Surgical shaping	Greek
-pnea	Breathing	Greek
-rrhage	Heavy flow	Greek
-rrhaphy	Suture	Greek
-rrhea	Flow or discharge	Greek
-stomy	Surgical opening	Greek
-scopy	To examine	Latin
-tomy	Cutting or incision	Greek

[6 – 9]

In general, Greek suffixes go with Greek prefixes and visa versa for Latin.

Sometimes, just to be confusing, the generally accepted term for something is a mix of both languages (example: neonatology).

Everyday Medical Terms

Some medical terms make their way into everyday usage, though not always correctly. (Thank you very much, prime time medical dramas!)

Many of the words below will probably be familiar to you due to exposure from television and film, or just everyday usage.

These words are general medical terms that can be used to describe the intensity or type of symptom.

We haven’t included names of diseases or body parts as there are far too many to list and some are covered in later sections!

Term	Definition
Abrasion	A scrape or cut
Abscess	A collection of pus within a body part.
Acute	Something that becomes painful or worsens quickly.
Asymptomatic	Displaying no symptoms.
Benign	A non-cancerous mass.
Biopsy	A medical procedure that removes and tests a small sample of skin or tissue.
CAT or CT Scan	Computer Tomography Scan. A combination of x-rays and computer imaging allows doctors to see inside the body.
Chronic	A recurring or consistent problem.
Communicable	Can be passed from person to person.
Congenital	From birth
Contagious	Able to be passed through the air.
Contusion	A bruise
Degenerative	Something that gradually gets worse.
Edema	Swelling caused by excessive fluid build-up.
Embolism	A blood clot (that travels through the bloodstream and then blocks bloodflow).
Endemic	A disease or condition that is widespread in a certain group of people.
Febrile	Relating to a fever.
Fungal	Caused by a fungus.
Generalized	Affecting multiple areas of the body.
Incurable	Unable to be cured or healed.
Infantile	Affecting babies and young children.
Infectious	A disease or illness that can spread from person to person.
Inflammation	Redness or swelling.
Intravenous or IV	Something that is inserted directly into the vein.
Invasive	A disease or procedure affecting the internal parts of the body.
Local	Only affects a small or particular area of the body.
Lesion	Abnormal area of tissue or skin.
Malignant	A cancerous tumor.
Mild	Not serious.
Morbid	Caused by a disease.
Mortal	Serious enough to cause death.
Non-specific	Having multiple causes.
Parasitic	Caused by parasites
Pathological	Caused by a disease
Perforated	An organ or tissue that has a small hole in it.
Polyp	An abnormal growth within an organ.
Psychiatric	Involving mental illness.
Psychosomatic	A problem that is caused or made worse by your mental state or condition.
Quiescent	An illness or disease which is not getting worse.
Refractory	An illness or disease that does not improve following medical treatment.
Severe	Very great or intense.
Sporadic	Appearing in separate areas of a body, region, or country at irregular intervals.
Strangulated	A body part that has been cut off from or does not have enough blood flowing to it.
Susceptible	More at risk of catching something.
Suspected	In injury or illness that has not been confirmed yet.
Sutures	Stitches
Systemic	Affecting your whole body.
Terminal	Cannot be cured and will eventually lead to death.
Transmit	Pass from one person to another.
Traumatic	Causing serious injury or harm.
Unresponsive	Does not respond to medical treatment.
Viral	Caused by a virus.
Virulent	Very dangerous and affects lots of people quickly.
Wasting	A disease that makes you thin and weak.
Waterborne	Transmitted through water.
Zoonotic	A disease or illness that can be passed from animals to humans and vice versa.

[10 – 11]

Body Parts and Systems

illustration of the body and related words

The human body is complex and wonderful. It is an intertwined network of systems that control all of our conscious and unconscious processes.

The reason that disease, illness, and injury can have such a devastating impact on a person, is because an interruption with one system has a downstream effect on other systems too.

This section will take you through some of the major systems of the body and their parts.

All Body Systems:

Cardio-Vascular System – Moves blood around the body.
Digestive System – Breaks down and absorbs nutrients from food.
Excretory System – Removes waste from the body.
Endocrine System – Creates and moves hormones around the body.
Integumentary System – Protects the body from outside threats.
Immune System – Combats threats that have entered the body.
Lymphatic System – Moves lymph around the body.
Muscular System – Moves the body.
Nervous System – Transmits signals from the brain to the body.
Skeletal System – protects and supports the body.
Reproductive System – Responsible for making and nurturing babies.
Respiratory System – Exchanges gases in the lungs.
Urinary System – Cleans the blood and body of waste. [12]

Integumentary System

Starting on the outermost part of the body, the integumentary system includes the skin and hair. It is the system responsible for protecting the body from invading microorganisms, environmental factors, and chemicals.

Fun fact: the word integumentary comes from Latin and literally means covering, which tells us that it has to do with the skin. [13]

Each part of the integumentary system is listed below along with a brief description of its particular functions or characteristics.

Part	Function/Definition
Skin	The largest organ in the body, believe it or not!
Epidermis	The top layer of the skin which contains no blood vessels. Instead, cells receive oxygen through diffusion. The cells of the epidermis continually harden, die, fall off, and are replaced to maintain a harder outer layer. So all those bits of dead skin you find in your bed or on your clothes are epidermis cells! The function of the epidermis is to protect the internal systems and organs. The harder cells protect from injury and microorganisms, while melanin found in the cells protects from UV rays.
Dermis	This is the second layer of the skin and is much thicker than the epidermis. Blood vessels and glands are found in the dermis along with fat cells and pigment cells. The function of the dermis is to provide nutrients and oxygen to the cells in the epidermis via the blood vessels, and also to remove the waste from cells. The dermis also plays an important role in regulating temperature as it contains the sweat glands.
Hypodermis	This is the innermost layer of the integumentary system and is often described as the bottom layer of skin, though it is actually the deepest layer of tissue and contains the fat cells and connective tissues. The purpose of the hypodermis is to attach the skin to the muscular and skeletal systems. The hypodermis is also responsible for insulating the body via the fat cells.
Glands	An organ that creates and secretes a substance (like snot in your nose 🙂 ).
Epidermis glands	Glands that are found in or reach the epidermis.
Sudoriferous glands	Also known as sweat glands. These are based in the dermis but mainly open directly onto the epidermis in humans. Did you know that the palms and soles of your feet have the most sudoriferous glands!
Ducts	The tubes that form the main part of a gland.
Glomerulus	The part of the sweat gland that secretes sweat.
Sebaceous glands	Responsible for secreting an oily substance that coats hair follicles to keep them soft and provides a level of waterproofing.
Sebum	The oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands.
Ceruminous glands	Produces ear wax in order to maintain the pH balance of the ear and to protect the ear canal from damage.
Cerumen	Ear wax.
Mammary glands	These glands produce milk during lactation. All humans have mammary glands though they are inactive in men.
Hair	Made in the epidermis from keratin. Hairs provide insulation to the body and also help in temperature regulation.
Hair follicle	A long tube through the epidermis inside which hairs are formed.
Nails	Made from the same material as hairs, keratin, the purpose of nails is to protect the soft tips of the fingers and toes. They also help in precision and tactile movements.
Nail bed	A pad of soft tissue that the nail rests on.
Cuticle	A thin covering of skin cells that protects the area where the nail enters the epidermis.
Nail plate	The hardened keratin cells that form the main part of a nail.
Melanin	A chemical in the dermis and epidermis which protects from UV light and gives pigmentation to the skin.

[14 – 15]

The Muscular System

This system is the movement center of the body.

There are hundreds of named muscles in the human body and their combined weight makes up over half of your mass, more if you train and grow your muscles.

As well as moving the body, the muscular system holds body parts in place and is responsible for our posture and stability.

The muscular system also helps to move blood through the body by contracting and relaxing, thereby squeezing blood through blood vessels.

Having a solid grasp of muscle anatomy and terminology is useful for any medical jobs, but it’s especially important for surgeons, as well as physical or occupations therapists.

Below you will find a list of key terms relating to the muscular system.

Full disclosure, I haven’t named every muscle as there are over 700!

Some muscles are named for the number of bones they connect to. For example, the bicep originates from two bones so it uses the prefix ‘-bi.’ [16]

Other muscles are named for their size, shape, and function. The gluteus maximus is the largest gluteal muscle so it gets the cool-sounding ‘maximus’ in its name. [16 ]

See what else you can figure out about the muscles from their names!

Term	Definition
Visceral muscle (aka “smooth” muscle)	This weakest type of muscle is found within organs like the stomach or blood vessels. These muscles are responsible for moving substances around the body.
Cardiac muscle	These muscles are located in the heart and are responsible for moving blood around the body.
Skeletal muscle	The most often occurring type of muscle and is responsible for movement.
Involuntary muscle	Muscles that are controlled by the unconscious part of the brain. Cardiac and visceral muscles are involuntary.
Voluntary muscle	Controlled by the conscious part of the brain. Skeletal muscles are voluntary.
Tendons	Thick, dense fibers that connect the muscle to the bone.
Belly	The belly of the muscle is the large part of the muscle that contracts and relaxes to move bones by pulling on tendons.
Origin	Where a muscle connects with a stationary bone.
Insertion	Where a muscle connects to a moving bone.
Contracting	When muscles are stimulated by nerves to become short and thick thus drawing bones towards them.
Relaxing	When muscles release and return to their normal, elongated form.
Muscle group	A collection of muscles that work in conjunction to move the body.

[17 – 18]

The Skeletal System

Made up of 206 bones, 207 in children, the skeletal system has a number of functions including support, protection, movement, and the creation of red blood cells. [19]

Bones are made from collagen and calcium and are living tissue that grows and repairs throughout their lifetime, which is why fractures in bones can heal (given enough time, of course).

Every bone is made up of two types of bone, cortical and trabecular.

Term	Definition
Cortical bone	The dense, compact outer part of a bone.
Trabecular bone	Spongey, honeycomb-like tissue which makes up the inside of bones.
Collagen	A protein that forms the basis of bones.
Calcium	A mineral that gives bones their strength.
Axial skeleton	Made up of the bones in the vertebral column, the ribs, and the head. This part of the skeleton is largely responsible for posture and giving humans their upright posture.
Appendicular skeleton	Consists of the shoulder, arms, legs, and pelvis. These bones are responsible for movement.
Ligament	A soft tissue that connects bones to other bones.
Bone marrow	Semi-solid tissue where red blood cells are produced.
Vertebrae	Irregular bones are found in the spine that protects the spinal column and support the head.
Skull	A collection of bones including the cranium that forms the head and protects the brain.
Pelvis	Large boney frame found at the base of the spine which joins to the legs.
Articulation	Joint or connection made between bones.
Cartilage	Firm, flexible tissues found in joints.

[20 – 21]

The Respiratory System

This system is made up of organs and vessels that exchange gases within the body. Essentially the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

The system is split into the upper and lower respiratory tracts and fills much of the space in the chest and throat.

Term	Definition
Respiration	The exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen in living cells.
Upper respiratory tract	Contains the nose, nasal passages, pharynx, and part of the larynx.
Lower respiratory tract	Includes the lower part of the larynx, trachea, and the lungs.
Nasal passage	A channel behind the nose which allows air to pass into the respiratory system.
Pharynx (basically your “throat”)	A passage that takes air from the mouth to the larynx.
Larynx (aka “voicebox”)	Part of the throat where the vocal cords can be found.
Trachea	A tube made of cartilage that connects the larynx to the lungs.
Bronchi	Two tubes that split off the larynx into each lung.
Bronchioles	Smaller tubes that branch off the bronchi and each other. They get progressively smaller as they branch off before connecting to alveoli.
Alveoli	Hollow sacks that have a thin membrane which allows for gas exchange.
Pleural cavity	A liquid-filled space around the lungs which helps keeps the lungs in place and allows the lungs to inflate during inhalation.
Diaphragm	A muscle below the lungs which contracts to initiate breathing.
Inhalation	The process of drawing air into the respiratory tract.
Exhalation	The process of expelling air out of the respiratory system.

[22 – 23]

The Cardio-Vascular System

This is one of the most important systems in the body.

Its job is to supply the body with oxygenated blood from the lungs and remove deoxygenated blood from the rest of the body.

This system also transports other important substances like hormones and nutrients around the body in the blood.

Another key function of the cardiovascular system is to keep your body temperature stable by drawing blood closer to the surface of the skin allowing it to cool before it recirculates around the body. [24]

Term	Definition
Chambers	Four hollow spaces through which blood flows.
Right atrium	A chamber that receives blood from the veins and passes it to the right ventricle chamber.
Right ventricle	A chamber that receives blood from the right atrium and passes it to the lungs.
Left atrium	Receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and passes it to the left ventricle.
Left ventricle	Receives blood from the left atrium and moves it around the body. This is the strongest chamber.
Coronary arteries	Large blood vessels that cover the heart and pass oxygenated blood to the heart muscles.
Pulmonary vein	Carries oxygenated blood into the heart to be passed around the body.
Pulmonary arteries	Carry deoxygenated blood out of the heart and to the lungs.
Vena cava	The large vein that brings deoxygenated blood into the heart from the rest of the body.
Vein	Muscle-lined blood vessels that bring blood towards the heart.
Arteries	Muscle-lined blood vessels that take blood away from the heart and around the body.
Capillaries	Tiny blood vessels that branch off veins and arteries and allow gases to pass into cells through diffusion due to the thin membrane.

[24 – 25]

The Nervous System

This is a hugely complex system that transmits signals from the brain to all other parts of the body. Imagine it as the electrical system of the body.

Without a functioning nervous system, the other systems cannot function. An injury or illness which affects the nervous system can have a devastating effect on a patient.

The nervous system also receives sensory information from the external environment and transports these signals back to the brain for interpretation. Once these signals have been decoded, the brain sends signals to the other systems to adjust or change in response. [26]

Term	Definition
Central nervous system	The brain and spinal cord make up this part of the nervous system.
Peripheral nervous system	Made up of nerves and ganglia outside of the brain and spine.
Nervous tissue	The tissue that makes up the parts of the nervous system.
Neurons	Specialized cells that transmit information to other neurons, muscles, and glands.
Glial cells	Cells that support and surround the neurons and protect the neurons from pathogens.
Nerve	A white, fiber or bundle of fibers that carry impulses around the body.
Autonomic nervous system	Part of the peripheral nervous system that is responsible for the function of internal organs. This system is largely unconscious.
Parasympathetic nervous system	This is one of two divisions of the autonomic nervous system. It is responsible for stimulating rest activities in the organs such as digestion and sexual processes.
Sympathetic nervous system	The second division of the autonomic nervous system. This is responsible for homeostasis processes and also the fight or flight mechanism.
Homeostasis	The process of maintaining equilibrium.
Synapse	A connection where neurons meet each other or a muscle or gland. The synapse allows the electrical impulse to pass from one neuron to another.
Ganglion	A collection of nerve cells outside the brain.
Spinal cord	A long tube of nervous tissue that extends down from the brain stem to the lumbar region of the spine. It is from this cord that signals from the brain are passed into the appropriate nerves. Damage to the spinal cord can lead to paralysis.
Brain stem	The part that connects the brain tissue to the spinal cord and is responsible for facilitating communication between the brain and the spinal cord and thus the rest of the body. The brainstem is located below the brain tissue in the middle of the head.
Brain	An organ composed of nervous tissue that functions as the center of sensation, nervous, and intellectual activity.
Gray matter	The nervous tissue that makes up 40% of the brain. It is responsible for processing information brought into the brain from the nerves through the white matter.
White matter	Paler tissue that is made up of bundles of nerves. This makes up 60% of the brain and is responsible for passing information to and from the gray matter areas of the brain.

[26 – 28]

Final Thoughts

Ok, breathe.

I know that was a lot to take in.

Don’t feel like you need to memorize all this information. Just getting familiar with it will go a long way. Then you can come back periodically and review the different sections to keep improving your skills.

You can also use this kind of like a dictionary. Dip in and out when you need to clarify a particular medical term.

Of course this doesn’t cover everything, and you’ll have to keep learning new vocabulary little by little. But if you learn at least the basics now, you’ll give yourself a solid foundation that will make life easier for years to come.

Thanks for visiting!

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References

Ben

Ben has been practicing as a physician assistant, or PA (similar to a doctor) in emergency medicine, family practice and urgent care since 2014. He became fluent in Spanish while living in Guatemala for 2 years, and now tries to help other healthcare professionals learn medical Spanish so they can care for their patients more effectively.