Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Terminology
What the exam expects
You need enough anatomy to reason about what you observe, and enough terminology to read an order or a care plan correctly. Learn directional terms in pairs: anterior/posterior, superior/inferior, medial/lateral, proximal/distal (proximal is closer to the point of attachment), superficial/deep. Know the major cavities - cranial, spinal, thoracic, abdominal, pelvic - and where the heart, lungs, stomach, liver, kidneys, and bladder sit. Know one core function for each system: integumentary (protection, temperature regulation), musculoskeletal (support, movement, mineral storage), cardiovascular (circulation and oxygen delivery), respiratory (gas exchange), gastrointestinal (digestion and absorption), urinary (filtration and fluid balance), nervous (sensation, coordination), endocrine (hormones), and lymphatic/immune (defense).
Word building
Most medical terms are a root plus prefix and suffix. Common suffixes: -itis (inflammation), -ectomy (surgical removal), -ostomy (artificial opening), -algia (pain), -emia (blood condition), -pnea (breathing). Common prefixes: tachy- (fast), brady- (slow), hyper- (high/over), hypo- (low/under), dys- (difficult or painful), a-/an- (without). Frequent abbreviations: NPO (nothing by mouth), ac/pc (before/after meals), HS (hour of sleep), PRN (as needed), BID/TID/QID, q2h (every two hours), ROM, ADL, I&O, VS, SOB, BRP, DNR, NG tube, G-tube.
Traps
Distinguish dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) from dysphasia (difficulty speaking), abduction (away from midline) from adduction, and ileum (small intestine) from ilium (pelvis bone). Remember tachy- is fast and brady- is slow - examiners swap them.
Rule of thumb
Decode the word before choosing an answer. Break it into prefix, root, and suffix; if the pieces do not match the situation, the choice is wrong regardless of how familiar it sounds.