Published 16 Jul 2023

Free vs. Paid Medical Terminology Courses | The Difference Explained

Kristen Michaelides

Medical Terminology Courses

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to medical terminology. The language that doctors and other medical professionals speak encompasses everything from the components and processes of the human body, the conditions affecting it (diseases and disorders), and medical procedures performed on it.

Which course will teach you everything you need to know?

Free Medical Terminology Course

A free course will help you learn about word roots, abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, common prefixes and suffixes, including how to use them in appropriate contexts.

Many of them offer several methods to help you consolidate this information, including:

Access to a medical dictionary
Quizzes for self-assessment
Video lectures
Access to an online community

These online courses serve as an excellent refresher.

So, for example, if you’ve already been to medical school, and you want to brush up on your skills, a free medical terminology course might help you consolidate that information. If you haven’t had any experience with medical terminology at all, it still acts as an acceptable introduction.

As you might expect, free medical terminology courses do have their limitations. Most of the time, you will need to pay a fee in order to get a certificate as proof that you have completed the course.

Also, keep in mind that many of these courses only consist of a medical dictionary without any sort of assessment to help you remember these terms.

Paid Medical Terminology Course

Generally paid medical terminology courses are much broader in scope, teaching its students all the relevant terms across many different body systems, such as the respiratory, digestive and nervous system.

While medical terminology is the primary focus for most of these courses, there will be other relevant areas which you will learn if you complete one of these paid courses. This includes:

An understanding of the human body
Knowledge of medical procedures and equipment
Common health issues

You will also have more resources and people to support you throughout your course. Tutors, in particular, are a great help, providing students with constructive feedback.

Payment is usually done upfront with a credit card, though some also provide the option of a monthly or weekly payment.

Because of how comprehensive it is, a potential employer may favour you having a certificate from a paid medical terminology course over one that’s for free. Though of course, that doesn’t mean that a free medical terminology course is useless. You’ll have to weigh up the pros and cons and figure out which one is better suited to your situation.

Why Study a Medical Terminology Course?

Medical terminology is a standardised language for all medical professionals, that ensures communication is efficient and clear, and nothing is lost in translation in documentation. There are massive benefits of undertaking a medical terminology course if you’re pursuing a career anywhere in healthcare. But are free courses okay? Well, it depends on whether you have existing knowledge of medical terminology, as there are some differences between free vs paid courses.

Before we explore the differences, let’s get started with some similarities.

First, most of these courses, both free and paid, are completed online. They are also self-paced, meaning you can complete assessments in your own time, as long as you do it before the course ends. Speaking of, the durations are also about the same, with some courses taking as little as two days to complete. Though it also can take months depending on how expansive the course is.

Key Insights

Most courses — free or paid — are completed online and are self-paced.
Free courses are better suited to people looking for a “refresh” of medical terminology.
For free courses, you’ll likely still need to pay for your certificate.
Paid courses offer a broader scope of knowledge, including an understanding of the human body, medical procedures and equipment, and common health issues.
A certificate from a paid course may be favoured by employers.

At tafecourses.com.au, we offer a vast range of courses in health administration and assistance, many of which have a segment dedicated to teaching you these terms. If you’re just starting your journey into healthcare, you might like a well-rounded introduction to the field.

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