Introduction
This textbook is a derivative of Medical Terminology 2e Copyright © 2024 by WisTech Open, which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Authored by Ernstmeyer & Christman – Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN), Wisconsin Technical College System. Edited by Kimberly Ernstmeyer, MSN, RN, CNE, CHSE, APNP-BC and Elizabeth Christman, DNP, RN, CNE.
- Portions of this text were derived from Anatomy and Physiology 2e © Apr 23, 2026 OpenStax by J. Gordon Betts, Kelly A. Young, James A. Wise, Eddie Johnson, Brandon Poe, Dean H. Kruse, Oksana Korol, Jody E. Johnson, Mark Womble, Peter DeSaix and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, access for free at OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e.
- The linked interactive activities and Adaptive Mastery Review are from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2E and Beyond Copyright © 2024 by Kimberlee Carter; Marie Rutherford; Connie Stevens; and Paula Croonquist, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
This derivative was created for Paradise Valley Community College, a campus of the Maricopa Community Colleges, and is available through Maricopa Open Digital Press. This textbook version was edited by Antoinette Deshaies and Jenai Trefny. In the spirit of open education and to honor the resources used, we have licensed this OER resource under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Additional chapters added to this text include:
- Chapter 18 Oncology
- Portions of this chapter are derived from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2e Copyright © 2024 by Kimberlee Carter; Marie Rutherford; and Connie Stevens is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Special thanks to the National Cancer Institute for the invaluable information available on cancer, diagnostic tests, treatments, and vocabulary.
- Chapter 19 Mental Health
- Portions of this chapter are derived from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2e Copyright © 2024 by Kimberlee Carter; Marie Rutherford; and Connie Stevens is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Chapter 20 Pediatrics
- Portions of this chapter were derived with information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), The Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Center for Disease Control (CDC), and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
- Understanding the Whole Child: Growth and Development Conception through Adolescence Copyright © 2019 by Saddleback College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Fundamentals of Nursing by Christy Bowen, Lindsay Draper, Heather Moore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, access for free on OpenStax.
- Chapter 21 Surgical
- Portions of this chapter are derived from 31.1: Surgical Concepts is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax via source content.
- Chapter 22 Medical Imaging
- Portions of this chapter are derived from Sturdy, L., & Erickson, S. (2022).Chapters 8.3 Diagnostic Imaging: Radiology, 8.4 Diagnostic imaging: Nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and MRI from The language of medical terminology available for free from Open Education Alberta and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
If you have any feedback or suggestions for the book, please click the link to complete the Feedback Form for Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professionals.
The original textbook Medical Terminology 2e Copyright © 2024 by WisTech Open is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted, is an open educational resource (OER) with CC-BY 4.0 licensing. It is aligned with the course competencies of Wisconsin Technical College System’s Medical Terminology course (10-501-101). This book was written by subject matter experts and is based on reliable scholarly research and evidence. It has been carefully peer-reviewed to ensure its accuracy and quality. The content was developed without relying on large language models or AI tools, ensuring that the information is grounded in expert analysis and trusted sources. The Medical Terminology course focuses on learning the components of medical terms, including prefixes, suffixes, and word roots. It introduces students to diagnostic, therapeutic, surgical, and symptomatic terminology of all body systems.
A workgroup of WTCS faculty, led by Chippewa Valley Technical College, created this second edition based on peer-reviewer feedback received for the first edition of the WTCS Medical Terminology OER textbook. Here is a summary of revisions and additions made in the second edition.
This online book is free and can also be downloaded in multiple formats for offline use and for printing. The online version is required to complete the interactive learning activities included in each chapter. The following video provides a quick overview of how to navigate the online version.
