Question

Carol wants to become a medical assistant. She is wondering why it is necessary to spend the time learning the roots, suffixes, and prefixes of medical terms when it is faster to simply memorize the actual medical terms. She has commented to you that she is studying to be a medical assistant, not an English teacher, and that learning all the word components seems like a waste of time.
Required:
How would you respond?

Answer 1

Medical terminology is to create a standardised language for medical professionals. This language helps medical staff communicate more efficiently and makes documentation easier. This enables staff to save time by ensuring they don’t have to explain complex medical condition in plain English and can focus on the treatment of patients. Medical terminology can look and sound complex, but it's important to be able to break words down and understand their roots, prefixes and suffixes to prevent any misunderstandings or errors.