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A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK
IN RI
I'm not a big fan of learning terminology in any field by
memorizing a list
of vocabulary words. I think we learn words in context. As
we learn a
new subject, the need for a special vocabulary arises, and
we learn those
words as we learn what they mean because we have to think
about what they
denote and talk and write to others about it. The specialized
vocabulary
words become a useful shorthand for concepts that are meaningful
to us.
So I think it would be more useful to take a science course
for its
science content, and learn the necessary vocabulary as you
go along.
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A: FROM MENTOR WANDA RITCHIE
IN MA
Ayushi, it sounds as if you have a very clear career goal
and that you are
actively working toward that goal. Congratulations! I feel
the medical
terminology class would be very worthwhile for several reasons.
1. You may be able to assist your family members or others
in your community
by interpreting and helping them understand doctors' diagnoses
and
instructions. There is excellent medical information available
on the
Internet, you may also be able to research medical information
efficiently
for yourself and others.
2.If you are interested in sports or physical fitness, you
may be able to
help others improve the effectiveness and safety of their
workouts through a
solid understanding of physiology.
3. Developing a basic understanding of medical terminology
will help you as
you read science magazines, medical journals, etc.
Even if your career plans ultimately change, the foundation
you develop will
help you as an individual as well as in many other careers.
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A: FROM MENTOR MARSHA SEGEBARTH
IN INDIANA
To Ayushi, I definitely believe you will benefit from a medical
terminology course - and, the sooner the better! Once you
understand
the meaning of root words it will make it easier to figure
out words
that might not be familiar to you. For example, 'cyto' always
refers to
cells, so cytology would be the study of (ology) cells, cytotoxic
would
be toxic to cells, etc. Once you gain a basic knowledge it
will
probably encourage you to delve further into the 'magic' language
of
science and medicine.
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A: FROM MENTOR SUZAN SONG
IN MA
Hi Ayushi - that's excellent that you want to be a cardiac
surgeon! A medical
terminology course would be fun, but to be honest, you'll
learn all of this in
the future. You'll spend a huge chunk of your life dedicated
to only medicine.
In the future, you won't have difficulty with the terminology,
or with finidng
opportunities to learn. What you *may* have problems with
are having a
balanced life, with the ability to de-stress. Especially in
a field like
cardic/thoracic surgery, you need to be able to do something
on your time off
-it's best to develop an outside interest (art, literature,
hiking,
stamp-collecting, whatever!) and this is what will help you
the most in the
long term. It's probably difficult to think of things as beneficial
in the
long run, but -- in the short run, doing something for yourself
will help you
get into medical school.
I used to help with admissions when I was in medical school,
and definitely, I
would have been more impressed with someone who organized
an environmental
campaign versus someone who took a medical course. You'll
get *tons* of
medicine (all aspects) for a very large part of your life.
What you *won't*
get is what to do after you've chased medicine and are burnt
out :)
Your question is pertinent - as I mentor pre-meds, both at
the University of
Chicago, and at Harvard University, many share your similar
interests - you
want to be a doctor, so you're excited to hurry up and take
"medical-type"
courses. It's fine to do it once or so if you really want
to learn medical
terminology. But I'll always strongly advise to use high school
and college to
learn as much about yourself and how to relate with others
as possible - in
the end, that's what makes you a good physician. Please feel
free to contact
me anytime and best of luck!
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A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON
IN IL
Ayushi,
I think it is awesome that you are taking the medical terminology
course.
I know friends who are my age (in their 40s) who are changing
careers from
IT to something in the medical field and this is one of the
courses they
take. So, YES, I believe this will help you in the future.
You will
understand what teachers are talking about when you take more
class is the
field of medicine. Plus, it will help you to know whether
you really want
to go into medicine. If you take this class and it bores you,
you may
realize it is not for you. Enjoy taking the class!! It will
make you
excited about your future!!
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A: FROM MENTOR LESLIE WAITE
IN CA
Hi Ayushi!
Wow- that's really cool that you have a medical terminology
class at
your High School! At least I assume you are talking about
a course at
your High School- more on that later...
I can't give you a definite answer on this- I'm not sure one
exists.
But I can give you my opinion.
My view is that this class can't hurt, and might help. Much
like the
fact that the French and Spanish that I have taken has helped
me
figure out Latin roots of words, and therefore the meanings
of some
English words that are derived from Latin, it seems to me
that a
medical terminology class might give you some basic terms
that will
come up not only in medical school, but in biology and other
science
courses as you continue your studies. Knowing these terms
ahead of
time could give you a slight "leg up" in some anatomy
and physiology
courses, since you would already have been exposed to the
terms, and
might be a bit more intuitive about their meaning, which can
be
helpful. A course such as this might also be helpful for someone
if
English is their second language, since there may be terms
taught in
this course that you wouldn't hear or be exposed to in a
non-English-speaking home environment.
However- I don't know that I would go out of my way to take
a course
such as this. The biology courses and medical school classes
that you
may take in your future will certainly introduce you to them
and
their meanings, and if you are stuck it is not hard to look
things
up. So if this is a course at a community college, for example,
I
don't know that it would be worth the effort.
SO- if you have the time and inclination, I say go for it!
But if it
is a struggle to get into or get to this course, I say wait
and learn
as you go.
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