“Pairing our F.A. Davis book with Medical Language Lab reinforces the content which has been very helpful for students.” Andrea Ruff, MSN, RN Coordinator of Healthcare Occupations Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES Auburn, NY
Andrea Ruff has worked as Healthcare Occupations Coordinator at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES for 11 years. Medical Terminology is a self-study course that incoming LPN students complete prior to entering the program. Students receive an acceptance packet that includes a memo outlining step by step how to purchase the materials and join the class. This unique approach required Andrea to find the right materials so her students could successfully complete their course. The F.A. Davis solution at work Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES had been using a medical terminology book that Andrea felt was too high level for students coming into an LPN program. “It was very difficult for the students, and they struggled with it.” In addition, the book did not have an online component, which Andrea felt was important for their course moving forward. “When we were just using a textbook, we had no knowledge of how the students were doing. Students were expected to read the book and show up to class having memorized the material. Some students would start the program and hadn’t even opened the book. But we had no way of knowing that because they weren’t engaging in anything.” Andrea reached out to her F.A. Davis Educational Consultant for suggestions on a new book. “My rep sent me a number of medical terminology books to review, but he suggested Medical Terminology Simplified with Medical Language Lab (MLL) because it works so well in a self-study program.” Andrea says that the online component of the course has been a game-changer for the students. “It’s so helpful to have the ‘Read, Watch, Learn and Participate’ exercises as well as the ‘Pronunciation’ exercises where students have to record themselves saying the word parts back. Students do less book reading and more online learning now.” The book plus MLL has allowed Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES to successfully deliver the medical terminology course prior to the program’s start. “It allows us to see what the students are doing; we can tell who has created an account; and who is doing the work. If we see students who haven’t engaged with the program, we can proactively reach out and see what kind of help they need before they get to class.” Students receive their medical terminology course materials and syllabus about 4 weeks prior to the start of the course. The syllabus provides them with step-by-step instructions on readings, online activities, quizzes and due dates. The program encourages students to complete all of the medical terminology work before class starts. “I tell my students that we will start class on day one speaking and teaching using medical language. If you don’t get through the content, you will come to class and hear a foreign language.” Andrea believes it’s a benefit to students to complete the medical terminology course prior to the start of the program. “It makes students more engaged by getting them hooked in early. This helps with retention and grades” The students take 10 proctored quizzes throughout the program. Quizzes are graded and results are shared with the students. “I want to make sure students know how they do on a quiz before they sit for the next quiz. We can go into the MLL program and see what they’ve been doing and provide remediation.” Students who complete the work are more successful. “My data shows that students who are more proactive in getting through all of the medical terminology prior to the start of class are the best prepared students. They will do better, and we will retain them longer in the program.”
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