In the week 1 video lecture, Dr. Swigart introduces the course and strategies for understanding the structure of clinical abbreviations and complex terms. In week 1 readings, we focus on learning abbreviations related to vital signs. Understanding the structure of abbreviations will help you to identify the meaning of abbreviations presented in this course, as well as those you encounter in the future.
Welcome to Clinical Terminology
This course prepares you to understand clinical terms and abbreviations that are commonly heard or read on a general U.S. hospital unit. To facilitate your learning, the terms are presented in authentic clinical contexts using text, audio, and visual representations. The web-based Clinical Dictionary for Beginning International and U.S. Health Care Providers will complement your learning.
Now, may we introduce ourselves?
About Us
Valerie Swigart, BSN, MSN, MEd, PhD, RN, CRNP
Valerie Swigart is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Her research and teaching career has focused on the interface of technology, communication, ethics, and health care. Her clinical expertise includes many years of hospital-based clinical practice and work as a family nurse practitioner. She is a celebrated teacher, having received the Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the Nursing Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award and an Innovation in Education Award from the Provost’s Council on Instructional Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been instrumental towards building curricula to enhance students’ global competence and international academic partnerships.
Michael M. Gold, PhD
Michael Gold is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. He has had extensive experience teaching students from various cultures for whom English is a second language. He is an expert in the areas of information systems, web site design and construction of database systems. He assisted with the design of this course as well as designed and implemented the Clinical Dictionary web site that supplements this course.
Course Overview
Course Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:
Recognize abbreviations and terms commonly encountered in the U.S. clinical setting when seen in writing.
Interpret abbreviations and terms commonly encountered in the U.S. clinical setting when used in speech.
Analyze the structure of abbreviations and complex medical terms to determine their meanings.
Use clinical abbreviations and terms appropriately in context.
Course Format
The course has six weeks of instruction. Text, audio and images are used to present abbreviations and terms related to specific clinical topics. The topics of the weeks are:
Week 1: Vital Signs
Emphasis: The structure of abbreviations
Week 2: The Clinical Environment and Patient Care
Emphasis: The structure of complex medical terms
Week 3: Emergencies, Medication and IV fluid Administration
Emphasis: Refining skills for analysis of complex terms
Week 4: Abbreviating Diseases and Conditions
Emphasis: Dealing with acronyms and initializations
Week 5: Abbreviating Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures
Emphasis: Using abbreviations safely
Week 6: A Clinical Experience
Emphasis: Practice hearing, seeing and responding to a clinical situation
Weekly Content
The following components comprise weeks 1-5:
Informational text, images, and Video lecture (6-7 minutes)
A list of key terms
Exercises using and analyzing abbreviations and complex terms
Practice quizzes
A learning assessment
Week 6 provides the experience of observing activity, hearing clinical conversation on a hospital unit and interpreting what is said.
Designed to Enhance Your Learning
The study of clinical terminology often involves memorization of long lists of words. Although, some memorization is required, we employ a three-fold process to avoid rote memorization and enhance your learning:
We encourage understanding of the structure of abbreviations and complex medical terms. Knowledge of structure provides a framework for analyzing and arriving at the meaning of newly encountered or forgotten abbreviations and terms. Students studying in the health professions or preparing to take professional examinations such as the NCLEX must learn how to decode complex medical terms. The mini-lectures explain how to use the PRS List and Key Term Exercises are offered with each weekly unit.
We encourage learning-in-context using audio, images of the environment and equipment, simulated patients, and vicarious activity to reinforce concepts and assist you with associations that enhance memory. Many of the learning experiences depend on your ability to recognize subtle differences in spoken sounds. Therefore, this course is not recommended for, or may pose a challenge for, those students with impaired auditory recognition skills. However, the course’s many textual and image-based materials should be valuable to all learners.
Frequent practice quizzes are constructed to enable learning while assessing knowledge; they are an integral part of the learning content.
Recommendations for Optimal Learning
Material Use
Thousands of students have taken this course. Those who were most successful used the materials in this way:
Start at the beginning of each week.
View the short video lectures as directed.
Use the learning resources (the clinical dictionary, PRS List) when directed.
Use the discussion board to ask questions and share ideas.
Take the end-of-week quiz only when you feel confident about your knowledge.
Each week builds upon the previous instruction. Move through the weekly lessons slowly or quickly (see pacing below), but do not skip a week.
Recommended Pacing
It is important to pace your learning according to your English language skills and clinical knowledge.
If English is your native language and you have had some clinical experience, the abbreviations for vital signs will be familiar to you; focus on the video lecture and structure of the abbreviations. You can work through the module quickly, but slow at the end when more complex terms are presented. You will find that each module becomes progressively more challenging.
If English is not your native language and you have had no or little clinical experience, move through each unit slowly. Make sure that you understand each abbreviation whether written or spoken. Repeat and practice each abbreviation, speaking the terms out loud, and practicing writing them.
Grading
While each week contains a number of practice quizzes that are ungraded, the final quiz at the end of each week is graded. The purpose of the end-of-the-week quizzes is to assess your knowledge and skills gained by participating in the weekly lecture, readings, and practice exercises. Graded quizzes do not have a time limit and you will have three attempts at each quiz. Your best attempt will be recorded in the gradebook. Each quiz is worth 10 points, for a total of 60 points over the 6-week course. A passing grade is 80% or higher.
Discussion Board Participation
The purpose of the discussion board is to establish a community of learning that promotes collaboration, respect, and knowledge. The discussion board offers a valuable opportunity to learn from each other.
Consider the following strategies to maintain a rich instructional dialogue that values all perspectives:
Always be courteous and respectful.
Learn by listening to the experiences, ideas, perspectives and reactions of others.
Engage with the issues. Bring up new ideas.
Incorporate academic sources (books, articles, Web links) when possible. Always credit your source.
Limit the length of quotes from other sources to no more than a few lines.
If a comment causes you to feel offended, take time to think through what might be happening. Consider cultural and linguistic differences related to the English language. Respond without placing the individual who made the comment on the defensive.
The ideal length of a discussion board posting is one or two paragraphs, but there is no required length.
Getting Help
If you have questions about the content of the course (for example, terminology, abbreviations, pronunciation, clinical usage, or quiz questions), post them to the discussion forum.
Once a question is posted, Dr. Swigart will wait 24-72 hours so that student dialogue about the question can occur. Questions not answered through student dialogue will be answered by Dr. Swigart. Please note that the instructor may not be able to personally answer all questions since this course serves thousands of students.
Use up-votes to help yourself and other students by voting-up responses that are most helpful to you.
Attributions
This course employs a number of visual assets. Unless otherwise noted, all images and photographs are © University of Pittsburgh.