SST831 - Medical Terminology I

Outline info
Semester
School
Last revision date 2024-01-29 00:54:14.369
Last review date 2024-02-05 00:15:03.868


Subject Title
Medical Terminology I

Subject Description
This subject is of interest to secretaries, unit clerks, medical librarians, pharmaceutical and insurance company representatives, pre-nursing students, and others who require proficiency in the language of medicine. This subject consists of 45 hours of instructional time plus a minimum of 6-8 hours of homework assignments per week.

Credit Status
This is a credit subject applicable towards the Medical Unit Clerk, Medical Administrative Assistant and Medical Transcriptionist Specialist Certificate Programs offered through the Faculty of Continuing Education and Training.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this subject the student will be able to:

1. Identify medical terms and divide them into their various component parts including the roots, prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms;

2. Demonstrate the proper pronunciation and spelling of the terms;

3. Relate medical terms to their respective body system as well as to the various structures and functions within the body;

4. Identify and correctly use medical terms and conditions related to various body systems.


5. Use basic principles to construct and analyze medical terms, thereby enabling the student to remain up to date with the development of new medical terminology.

Academic Integrity
Seneca upholds a learning community that values academic integrity, honesty, fairness, trust, respect, responsibility and courage. These values enhance Seneca's commitment to deliver high-quality education and teaching excellence, while supporting a positive learning environment. Ensure that you are aware of Seneca's Academic Integrity Policy which can be found at: http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/academic-integrity-policy.html Review section 2 of the policy for details regarding approaches to supporting integrity. Section 2.3 and Appendix B of the policy describe various sanctions that can be applied, if there is suspected academic misconduct (e.g., contract cheating, cheating, falsification, impersonation or plagiarism).

Please visit the Academic Integrity website http://open2.senecac.on.ca/sites/academic-integrity/for-students to understand and learn more about how to prepare and submit work so that it supports academic integrity, and to avoid academic misconduct.

Discrimination/Harassment
All students and employees have the right to study and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and/or harassment. Language or activities that defeat this objective violate the College Policy on Discrimination/Harassment and shall not be tolerated. Information and assistance are available from the Student Conduct Office at student.conduct@senecapolytechnic.ca.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
The College will provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities in order to promote academic success. If you require accommodation, contact the Counselling and Accessibility Services Office at ext. 22900 to initiate the process for documenting, assessing and implementing your individual accommodation needs.

Camera Use and Recordings - Synchronous (Live) Classes
Synchronous (live) classes may be delivered in person, in a Flexible Learning space, or online through a Seneca web conferencing platform such as MS Teams or Zoom. Flexible Learning spaces are equipped with cameras, microphones, monitors and speakers that capture and stream instructor and student interactions, providing an in-person experience for students choosing to study online.

Students joining a live class online may be required to have a working camera in order to participate, or for certain activities (e.g. group work, assessments), and high-speed broadband access (e.g. Cable, DSL) is highly recommended. In the event students encounter circumstances that impact their ability to join the platform with their camera on, they should reach out to the professor to discuss. Live classes may be recorded and made available to students to support access to course content and promote student learning and success.

By attending live classes, students are consenting to the collection and use of their personal information for the purposes of administering the class and associated coursework. To learn more about Seneca's privacy practices, visit Privacy Notice.

Prerequisite(s)
Grammar is Important SST051

It is your responsibility to ensure that program requirements and subject prerequisites as outlined are met. Prerequisites are included for your academic protection. Subject content and your professor's teaching assumes that students are academically prepared and instruction will proceed accordingly. Students lacking prerequisites not only jeopardize their own ability to success but present unnecessary interruption. If you lack appropriate prerequisites (or advance standing for the prerequisite subject) you may be asked to withdraw or transfer to a more appropriate subject with the risk of academic/financial penalty. It is your responsibility to save documents, articles and notes that the instructor has provided on BlackBoard or in class. Students will not be able to access BlackBoard as of the last day of the student's class.

Topic Outline
The order of the topics is at the discretion of the professor. The content of one module does not have to be completed before another module is started, nor do the modules have to be taught in the order listed. Rather by the end of the subject all the topics will have been covered.

  • Basic Word Structure 
  • Body Terms 
  • Suffixes, Prefixes 
  • Digestive System
  • Urinary System
  • Female/Male Reproductive System
  • Nervous System
  • Cardiovascular System
  • Respiratory System 

Mode of Instruction
Students learn through classroom lectures, exposure to medical articles, consultation reports, films, as well as homework assignments.

Blended models of delivery may also be available.

Prescribed Texts
The Language of Medicine 11th Edition, Davi Ellen Chabner,  Elsevier  ISBN 978-0-323-37081-3.

Reference Material
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary Latest Edition. F. A. Davis.


Student Progression and Promotion Policy

http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/student-progression-and-promotion-policy.html

Grading Policyhttp://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/grading-policy.html

A+ 90%  to  100%
A 80%  to  89%
B+ 75%  to  79%
B 70%  to  74%
C+ 65%  to  69%
C 60%  to  64%
D+ 55%  to  59%
D 50%  to  54%
F 0%    to  49% (Not a Pass)
OR
EXC Excellent
SAT Satisfactory
UNSAT Unsatisfactory

For further information, see a copy of the Academic Policy, available online (http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/academics-and-student-services.html) or at Seneca's Registrar's Offices. (https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/registrar.html).


Modes of Evaluation
Since this is a professional credit subject, marking standards reinforce professional practice by demanding legible, tidy work. Written materials should be well organized, correctly formatted and grammatically correct, with proper spelling and punctuation.

Please Note

  • Assignments, tests and the final examination are evaluated on subject knowledge as well as correct language usage, organization, and mastery of the subject. 
  • In recognition of the significance of proper language skills in the workplace, marks are deducted, in accordance with departmental policy, for language errors on all tests, assignments and exams. (i.e. spelling, grammar, word usage, sentence, and paragraph structure, etc.) 

Assignments
  • The student must retain a copy of all assignments.
  • If assignments are handed in late without sufficient medical or other reason, which must be documented and approved, two marks per day will be deducted for each day the assignment is late up to a maximum of 10 marks in total. 
  • Assignments will not be accepted after the return of graded assignments to the class and/or the provision to the class of the answers to the assignment.
  • Written assignments must be word processed. At the professor’s discretion, assignments that are not word processed, may be subject to mark deduction or not accepted. 
  • For particulars, please obtain standards, dates, etc. from your instructor.

Absenteeism and Tests
  • Students should be aware that absenteeism will impact on their ability to achieve satisfactory grades.
  • If you miss a test, you must provide the reason in writing to the instructor within one week. If your reason is accepted, the weighting of that test will be added to that of the final exam. Otherwise, you will be given a zero for the test. You must submit an original doctor’s certificate identifying the date, length of time of expected absence and the specific reason for your absence, or other appropriate documentation.
  • Progress tests and quizzes may not be announced in advance and details of the assignment requirements may be explained in class.

Final Exam/ Final Assignment
  • Students must attain a grade of at least 50% to pass the course.

Field Placement Requirements

Students who do not successfully complete all professional subjects may not be eligible for placement. 

Academic Honesty

Students at Seneca College are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavours. When students cheat on an examination, steal the words or ideas of another, or falsify their research results, it corrupts the learning process. A Seneca College degree, diploma or certificate signifies to society mastery of a set of defined learning outcomes in a designated field of study. If academic credit is obtained dishonestly, the value of every graduate's diploma in the field of study is diminished, as is the reputation of the college as a whole.

Penalties for Academic Dishonesty

The penalty for a first offence is a grade of '0' on the assignment or examination. The penalty for the second offence is expulsion for a time period determined by the Academic Honesty Committee, normally for a minimum of three semesters. For further information refer to the policies section of the Seneca College student handbook, or to the following website: http://library.senecapolytechnic.ca/Academic_Honesty/

Grading is based on the following marking scheme:

Test 1 15%
Test 2 15%
MidTerm 30%
Final Exam 40%

Materials permitted into tests and exams are at the discretion of the instructor.

Approved by: Sandra Noble