1: Pros and Cons
The format of this book is very helpful for the beginner who is trying to learn medical terminology. Each lesson starts with an overview of the body systems you'll be talking about, followed by a labeled diagram and a brief explanation. From there, you learn the word roots, prefixes, and suffixes that have to deal with the topic your on. Then, there are various exercises to help you learn the terms. The answers to most exercises are on the left, and a bookmark is provided to cover them up. That way, after you answer them, you can quickly and easily check your work.
The book comes with a computer program that is also helpful - matching, true/false, short answer, and pronunciation exercises. The only problem with this is that if you get the answer wrong on the CD, it doesn't tell you the right answer. You'll have to consult your textbook or another medical dictionary for the right answer.
My book came with flashcards, as well, a set for each lesson. The flashcards were kind of hard to separate. After awhile I ended up just cutting them out instead of folding and tearing along the perforated line. I think the flashcards aren't as useful because they are provided - studies show you learn more if you make the flashcards yourself. Still, it was nice to have them there, and I often kept the set I was currently learning in my purse so I could flip through them whenever I got a spare moment.
I took Basic Medical Terminology as a continuing education course at a local community college. Frustrated with the instructor and the long distance I had to drive to get to class, I soon dropped it and switched to the home-study course. Basically, now I teach myself medical terminology, using this book as a guide, and return to the college only when I need to take tests.
This is great for beginners of all backgrounds who are interested in learning medical terminology!
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