Veterinary Medical Terminology and Anatomical Concepts

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from veterinary lecture notes covering SOAP documentation, medical term components, anatomical directions, cellular organization, rules of medical terminology, medical prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms.

SOAP

Standardized format used to document patient visits and medical histories, .

Subjective (S)

Information reported by the pet owner

Objective (O)

Measurable and observable facts in SOAP documentation.

Assessment (A)

The clinic evaluation or list of problems

Plan (P)

The decided course of action

BAR

Bright, alert, responsive

TPR

Temperature, pulse, respiration

ISO

Isolation unit

WNL

Within normal limits

ICU

Intensive care unit

DOA

Dead on arrival

Tissue

Groups of similar cells working together for a specific function.

Organ

Different tissues working together for a specific function.

System

A group of different organs working together for a complex function.

Metabolism (in the cell)

The sum of all biological reactions that happen within an animal's cells to maintain life.

Palmar

Pertaining to the caudal surface of the front paw and carpus.

Plantar

Pertaining to the caudal surface of the rear paw and tarsus.

Lateral

Pertaining to the side; further from the median plane, further from the midline.

Root

The component of a medical term that holds the word's meaning.

Combining Vowel

The component used to link the root to the suffix in medical terminology.

Combining Form

The root plus the combining vowel in medical terminology.

Prefix

The component that precedes the root (comes before the root) and changes the meaning of a medical term.

Suffix

The component that follows the root and modifies the meaning of the medical term.

Rule 1 of Medical Terminology

If the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the combining vowel.

Rule 2 of Medical Terminology

Read the parts to define the term from back, then to the beginning and follow through.

Rule 3 of Medical Terminology

Keep the combining vowel between roots.

Rule 4 of Medical Terminology

List the roots in anatomical order.

Rule 5 of Medical Terminology

Not all terms break down equally or easily.

Cardi/o

Heart

Gastr/o

Stomach

Hem/o

Blood

Hepat/o

Liver

Oste/o

Bone

Path/o

Disease

trans-

Across, through

hypo-

Deficient, below; under, less than normal

epi-

Above, upon; on

dolichol-

Long

-tomy

Incision, process of cutting into

-ectomy

Removal; excision, resection

-centesis

Surgical puncture to remove fluid or gas

-graphy

Process of recording

-pathy

Disease condition; emotion

-algia

Pain