Week 2: To Err in Latin is Divine...

I am currently unemployed.  Have been since the middle of August when I quit the restaurant that I had been working at for two years in order to pursue employment with the Canadian Coast Guard.  The only real experience aboard ships I have (aside from the training I received last month in for my Marine Emergency Duties) is from a week-long stint on a fishing boat 5 years back when I was hitchhiking Northern British Columbia.  But I have always had a love affair with the water and I like to help people. I think it may also have something to do with the tales of my grandfather working for Pacific Towing as a tug boat engineer, or maybe my father always talking about buying a sailboat when he wins the lottery.  But regardless, the thought of being out in the middle of the ocean on a ship buffeted by stormy weather gets me a little excited.

So what does all this have to do with the title of today's post?  Well, long story short.  I have completed the courses I needed to apply for the Coast Guard and I have submitted my resume. I was initially offered a 2 month position, starting the next day, which I had to turn down as I wouldn't have been able to get all my affairs in order in that time (and I had personal obligations that I couldn't duck out on).  Since then I have waited by my phone for a call with another offer of employment.  It has been a month.  No calls.  It is unfortunately the slow time of year for the Coast Guard in regards for hiring(I kinda lucked out being in the right place, at the right time, when I handed in my resume).  So my intent is to get a casual position with Vancouver Island Health Agency as a receptionist, but in order to do that I need my medical terminology certificate.  It is a 3 month course.  I intend to challenge the course.  To get my certification I must score above 72% on a 50 question multiple choice exam.  The full course costs 400 dollars.  To just write the exam?  25 dollars.  I figure it is worth my time, energy and rapidly dwindling back account to teach myself all I need to know.  That and it dovetails quite nicely into an entry for this blog.  

So.  I need to learn medical terminology.  I need to know my osteos from my laryngeals, my itis' from my opathy, my infarcts from my ..... something else.  See?  There is definitely stuff to learn here. 

So to start.  What have I learned thus far?

Well, to understand medical terminology I need to understand the roots of the words being used.  This gets me a wee bit excited, as something that I have always wanted to study is etymology.  And that is basicly what I have to do there.  

Some organ basics:  

• Osteo = bones
• Myo   = skin
• Neur  = nerves
• Card  = heart
• Derm = skin
• Vas or Vasc = veins & arteries
• Ven or Phleb = veins
• Arteri = arteries
• Angi  = blood vessels
• Hem(o) or Sang = Blood
• Encheph = brain
• Tympan or Myringo = eardrum
• Rhino = nose
• Oto = ear
• Ophthalm = Eye
• Crani = Skull
• Odont or Dento = tooth
• Lingu = tongue
• Esopha = Esophagus
• Hepato = Liver
• Chelocyst = gall bladder
• Gastro = stomach
• Colo = large intestine
• Ileo   = small intestine
• Thorac = chest
• Pneumo or Pleuro = lungs
• Mamm = breast
• Thromb = blood clot
• Neph   = kidney
• Scapul = sholder
• Brachi(o)= arm
• Carp(o) = wrist
• Costo = ribs
• Dorsa = back
• Pod or Ped = Foot

So that is just a few of the roots.  Oh, who am I kidding, that was all of the roots that I learned today.  {grin} Unfortunately, this is it for the evening.  Sorry it isn't all prettied up.  I'm tired.  It's late.  I'm going to bed.  But I have full intention of coming back here tomorrow and sprucing it up.  Full intention.  But you know what they say about intention?  Yeah.  Me neither.

Tomorrow: Basic Medical Terminology prefixes and suffixes.  I can't wait.  Oh, and I will post the second part of my HTML experiences.  Hope you are all having a great day!