Medical and Technical Terminology
What the exam tests
Court reporters encounter medical and technical testimony in personal-injury, workers' compensation, and malpractice cases. Candidates should know basic anatomy and body systems (musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiovascular), common injury terms (contusion, sprain, strain, fracture, herniation, radiculopathy), diagnostic procedures (MRI, CT, EMG, X-ray, ultrasound), treatment categories (conservative care, physical therapy, surgery, injection), and pharmacology basics (generic versus brand names, dosage, frequency). Technical vocabulary may include engineering, accident reconstruction, and finance terms. Spelling and pronunciation matter, because a misspelled diagnosis in a certified transcript is a serious error.
Traps to expect
- Near-miss spellings: "ilium" (hip bone) versus "ileum" (intestine); "peroneal" versus "perineal."
- Brand versus generic names used interchangeably without clarification.
- Confusing similar procedures: MRI versus MRA, CT versus PET.
- Directional confusion: proximal versus distal, medial versus lateral, superior versus inferior.
- Numbers and units: milligrams versus micrograms, dosage frequency.
Rule of thumb
When unsure of a medical term, mark it for verification rather than guessing. A verified spelling is always better than a confident error, and a certified transcript cannot be silently corrected later.
Worked example
A witness says the patient had "a herniated disc at L4-L5 with radiculopathy." The reporter should confirm the spelling of "radiculopathy" and the vertebral levels, since transposed numbers in a level designation change the medical meaning.