Medical Terminology in the Histology Laboratory

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Author: Anita Buchiane, HT(ASCP) QIHC
Reviewers: Heather Spencer, HT(ASCP) and Carla Shoffeitt, MSM, HT(ASCP)

It is essential that histology professionals understand medical terminology in order to interpret information provided on specimen requisitions, review a surgical schedule and anticipate the specimens that will be submitted to the pathology laboratory, decipher a physician's handwriting, and communicate effectively with other professionals within the medical community. This course provides the definitions for a wide variety of medical prefixes, suffixes, and word roots commonly encountered in the histology laboratory.

Continuing Education Credits

Objectives

  • Recognize the importance of understanding medical terminology.
  • Define the meaning of commonly used prefixes, suffixes, and word roots.
  • Demonstrate appropriate use of medical terms.
  • Apply knowledge to identify terms encountered in the medical field.
  • Demonstrate effective communication with others in the medical community.

Course Outline

  • The Importance of Medical Terminology
      • Introduction
      • Why is it important for a histologist to know and understand medical terminology?
  • The Basics of Vocabulary
      • Basic Components
      • Prefixes
      • Suffixes
      • Stem or Word Root
      • Place the following components of a medical term with the corresponding description.
      • True or False: When two stems are combined, inserting a vowel between them is often necessary to aid in pronunciation.
  • Major Body Systems
      • Body Systems, Functions, and Organs
      • Stems Pertaining to the Respiratory System
      • Match the following respiratory organs with the stems that pertain to each:
      • Stems Pertaining to the Cardiovascular System
      • Which organ does the stem cardio pertain to?
      • Stems Pertaining to the Digestive System
      • True or False: The stem word stoma pertains to the mouth.
      • True or False: Gastro pertains to the stomach.
      • True or False: Lingua and glossa are stems that pertain to the lip.
      • What is the stem that refers to the first part of the intestines?
      • Stems Pertaining to the Endocrine System
      • The following stems are associated with the endocrine system. Match each stem with the appropriate definition.
      • Stems Pertaining to the Urinary System
      • Below are some stems that pertain to either the kidney or urine. Match the stems to the appropriate word.
      • Stems Pertaining to the Hematopoietic and Lymphatic Systems
      • Which of the following stems pertain to a cell?
      • When a word ends in the suffix "ology" it means "the study of." What is hematology the study of?
      • Stems Pertaining to the Integumentary System
      • True or False: When referring to the nail of a finger or toe, "onycho" is the stem that would be used.
      • Stems Pertaining to the Muscular/Skeletal System
      • What is the stem word for bone?
      • Stems Pertaining to the Nervous System
      • True or False: Cerebro and encephalo mean brain.
      • Stems Pertaining to the Reproductive System
      • Match the following stems with the organ they refer to.
      • Stems Pertaining to the Sensory Organs
      • Match the following stems to the correct meaning.
  • Miscellaneous Stem Words
      • Miscellaneous Stems
      • Match each of the following miscellaneous stem words with the appropriate meaning.
  • Prefixes
      • Prefixes that Denote Numbers
      • Match the prefix with its meaning:
      • Prefixes Denoting Comparisons
      • Now, by breaking the following medical terms apart, use their prefixes to match them up with the correct meaning:
      • Prefixes That Pertain to Size
      • Prefixes Pertaining to Color
      • Relative Location Prefixes
      • Match the prefixes on the right with the correct meaning from the drop down on the left.
      • Prefixes Denoting Conditions
      • Megalocystis means abnormally ___________ bladder.
      • True or False: Glycemia means the presence of glucose in the blood. If the prefix "eu" is added, the word becomes euglycemia, which is more specific a...
      • Directions and Positions
      • Using your knowledge of directional and positional prefixes, decipher the meaning of each of the following medical terms. Click on the term to display...
      • Miscellaneous Prefixes
      • What does the prefix "dys-" mean? (Choose all that apply.)
  • Suffixes
      • Suffixes That Denote Conditions and/or Symptoms
      • Match the following suffixes with the conditions they describe.
      • Match the following suffixes with the conditions they describe.
      • Suffixes Denoting Diagnoses
      • True or False: We know that "chondro" is a stem word meaning cartilage. So, chondromalacia means softening of the cartilage.
      • True or False: If a patient is diagnosed with a salpingocele, it means she has a herniation of a fallopian tube.
      • Using the list of suffixes provided, complete the following sentence: The medical term for the rupture of the liver is hepato________.
      • Suffixes Denoting Surgical Procedure
      • From the following list of suffixes, choose the one that means "to surgically remove":-otomy-ectomy-centisis-ostomy-scopy
      • Match the following surgical procedures with the suffix that denotes the proper meaning.
  • Body Planes or Aspects
      • Body Planes or Aspects
      • True or False: A mole is removed from the front aspect of a patient's leg and sent to the histology laboratory. The source information on the specimen...
      • True or False: A mole is removed from the back aspect of a patient's leg and sent to the histology lab. The specimen label should include "posterior o...
      • True or False: A mole is removed from the front of a patient's leg, above the knee, and sent to the histology lab. On the specimen label, the terms an...
  • Decoding Surgical Procedures
      • The following surgical procedures might be seen on a typical operating room (OR) schedule. See if you can break the words apart and decipher what they...
      • Let's move on to another operating room (OR) schedule. When you have decoded a term, click on it to see if you are correct.OR Schedule - Room 2
      • The cases in operating room (OR) 3 are as follows. When you think you have decoded a term, click on it to see if you are correct.OR Schedule - Room 3
      • When you think you have decoded a procedure from operating room (OR) 4, click on it to see if you are correct. Can you guess the theme?OR Schedule - R...
      • Last but not least, below is the operating room (OR) 5 schedule. When you have deciphered the meaning, click on the term to see if you are correct.OR ...
  • Common Abbreviations
      • Some Common Abbreviations Encountered in the Histology Lab
  • References
      • References

Additional Information

Level of Instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: Histotechnologists and technicians and other medical laboratory personnel who have an interest in this subject matter. This course is also appropriate for histology and medical laboratory science students and pathology residents. 
Author Information: Anita Buchiane, HT(ASCP) QHIC, is the Lead Histology Technician at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Vermont. Ms. Buchiane is a graduate of Hartford Hospital School of Allied Health in Connecticut, where she earned her Certificate in Histotechnology, and Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, Massachusetts, where she earned an associate's degree in Liberal Arts with a math and science concentration. She is a member of the National Society for Histotechnology and the VT/NH Society for Histotechnology. She was the recipient of the 2007 Lee G. Luna Foreign Travel Scholarship awarded by the National Society for Histotechnology and the 2010 Region 1 Scholarship awarded by the VT/NH  Society for Histotechnology.
Reviewer Information:
Karen Stiffler, MA, HTL (ASCP) has over 15 years of experience combined as a histotechnologist and a Program Director for Histotechnology at Lakeland Community College. She is currently a Professor and the Program Director for Histotechnology at Lakeland Community College. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Western Governor’s University.
Carla J. Shoffeitt, MSM, HT(ASCP), is the Manager of the Pathology Department of Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital of Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Healthcare Management and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Troy University, Troy, Alabama. 
Course Description: It is essential that histology professionals understand medical terminology in order to interpret the information provided on specimen requisitions, review a surgical schedule and anticipate the specimens that will be submitted to the pathology laboratory, decipher a physician's handwriting, and communicate effectively with other professionals within the medical community. This course provides the definitions for a wide variety of medical terms.

This course is part of:
Histology CE
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Brain
Conducting Passages
lymphatic system
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons