Medical assistants work alongside doctors, physicians, and nurses. To provide the best support, knowledge of medical assistant terminology is crucial. The Medical Assistant program at Prism Career Institute offers training in the clinical and administrative skills students need to succeed. Here, we introduce 27 terms that should be part of every medical assistant’s vocabulary.
The Importance of Learning Medical Assistant Terminology
Healthcare is a profession that requires intense precision. Because patients rely on their caretakers to maintain their health and well-being, it’s important to get the details right. This necessity extends to both the services you provide and the way you communicate about them. If you work in a healthcare setting, you must be familiar with the vocabulary used at your workplace. A good understanding will help you succeed in a variety of areas:
- Accurately and efficiently fulfilling physician requests
- Communicating effectively with other team members
- Requesting funding from insurance companies
- Educating patients and their families
Medical terminology can sound like another language at times. Though there’s a lot to learn, these basics will provide a strong foundation. Your vocabulary will continue to expand through your medical assistant training and beyond.
12 Anatomical Terms
Medical assistants often help doctors with physical examinations. You may also measure vital signs, monitor a patient’s condition, or administer injections. For all of these tasks, you’ll need to describe the positioning and parts of your patient’s body. These basic anatomical terms will be essential:
- Lateral: This term means to the side. It can refer to any part away from the midline. It may also be used relative to another part; for example, the ears are lateral to the nose.
- Anterior: Also called the ventral region, a patient’s anterior is the front of their body.
- Posterior: Also called the dorsal region, a patient’s posterior is the back of their body.
- Midline: The midline is an imaginary line that runs from the top of the patient’s head down to the crotch. It divides the body into symmetrical right and left halves.
- Distal: When describing a limb, distal refers to any location further away from its attachment point to the torso – for example, the shoulder or hip.
- Proximal: When describing a limb, proximal refers to locations closer to the attachment point.
- Supine: A patient is in a supine position when lying on their back.
- Prone: A patient is in a prone position when lying on their front.
- Superior: Locations on a patient’s body are superior when they are closer to the head.
- Inferior: Locations on a patient’s body are inferior when they are closer to the feet.
- Deep: Something is deep when it is located further inside the patient’s body.
- Superficial: Something is superficial when it is located closer to the surface or skin.
6 Laboratory Terms
As a medical assistant, you’ll also be performing tasks in the laboratory. This can include collecting samples or performing basic tests. You may also need to communicate test results to patients. This vocabulary will enhance your effectiveness in the lab:
- Cultures: These are controlled bacterial or fungal growths used to identify an infection.
- Urinalysis: This test evaluates a urine sample’s appearance, concentration, and content to check for disease.
- Complete blood count: Also called a CBC, this test is used to measure the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample.
- Metabolic panel: This measures levels of glucose, potassium, carbon dioxide, and other elements. It is useful to monitor medications and diagnose deficiencies.
- Lipid panel: This indicates cholesterol levels and can be used to determine or monitor cardiac risks.
- Thyroid function: This test measures hormone levels to evaluate thyroid function.
9 Record and Reporting Terms
The final category of medical assistant responsibilities is administration. By evaluating records, inputting patient information, and managing billing, you’ll ensure that your workplace runs efficiently. To be most effective, you’ll need to know these terms:
- Chief complaint: This refers to the main reason the patient has sought medical help.
- History of present illness: This is a record of the chief complaint, including its first appearance and all developments leading up to the patient’s hospital visit.
- Review of symptoms: A thorough symptom analysis provides an overall picture of their complaint and condition.
- Past history: This is a record of the patient’s past illnesses, procedures, and allergies.
- Family history: This is a record of illnesses in family members, especially substance abuse and genetic or hereditary disorders.
- Pathology: This is a collected record of biopsies, bodily materials, and lab test results.
- Radiology: Images taken from X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used to visualize structures inside the body.
- Psychiatric: This refers to a record outlining the patient’s mental state as evaluated by a psychiatrist.
- Surgical: These detailed records outline an operation, including who was present, what procedures and medications were used, the patient’s vital signs, and the surgery’s outcome.
Learn Medical Terminology at Prism Career Institute
If you are ready for your new career as a medical assistant, apply online today to Prism Career Institute. Our program covers medical assistant terminology and provides hands-on clinical training. Courses are available at our three campuses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Hill and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Contact us to learn more about admissions and financial aid for those who qualify.