Medical Language: Immerse Yourself

Finally, a medical terminology text that truly immerses readers within the language of medicine, so that students can apply their vocabulary within a real-world context.  As opposed to fostering rote memorization, this book engages students in an interactive learning experience that will give them a vital tool and inspire them to become true consumers of medical language. The goal is to connect with readers, to engage their visual auditory and kinesthetic senses, to stimulate them, and fuel their complete understanding of the topic. As students engage in this multi-sensory experience within these pages, they should remember that we are not encouraging them to merely discover, learn, know, or even understand, the information. Instead we want readers to live it! We want them to dig in, dive in, and become immersed!

Susan M. Turley, MA (Educ), BSN, RN, RHIT, CMT, is an adjunct professor in the School of Health Professions, Wellness, and Physical Education at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland, where she teaches medical terminology and medical transcription courses. In the past, she was instrumental in gaining accreditation for the college’s medical assisting program and has also taught courses in pharmacology, pathophysiology, and medical office procedures. She is also a medical editor and author for Health Professions Institute in Modesto, California, and a curriculum consultant for The Andrews School for Medical Transcription and Medical Coding in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

As a healthcare professional, Susan has worked in a variety of healthcare settings over the past 30 years: acute care, long-term care, physicians’ offices, and managed care. She has held positions as an intensive care nurse, plasmapheresis nurse, infection control officer, medical transcriptionist, medical grant writer, manager of the Medic Alert national difficult airway database, medical record coder, director of education, and director of quality management and corporate compliance.

Susan is the author of the Understanding Pharmacology for Health Professionals, (Prentice Hall) and of more than 40 articles published in medical transcription and health information management journals. She is a co-developer of The SUM Medical Transcription Training Program and reference books for Health Professions Institute. With a physician co-author, she has written two nationally funded grants and a chapter in a physician’s anesthesiology textbook.

She has been a guest speaker at national seminars for accreditation of utilization management programs, medical transcription teacher training, and health information management certification exam review.

Susan holds a Master of Arts degree in adult education from Norwich University in Vermont, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Pennsylvania State University, state licensure as an RN, as well as national certification in medical transcription from the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) and national certification in health information management from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).