To evaluate how well medical terms and abbreviations are known by nursing school students

The present study aims "To Evaluate How Well Medical Terms and Abbreviations are Known by Nursing School Students". The study, which is descriptive in nature, was conducted with 120 senior students in the Nursing School of Istanbul Bilim University, who volunteered to participate in the study. The data were collected by using a "Question Form" prepared according to the information in the literature, opinions of experts and clinical experiences, and which evaluates knowledge level related to medical terms and abbreviations classified under the headings of "personal characteristics" of students, "their views and considerations on the use of medical terminology", "medical terms", "medical abbreviations" and "medical reports, orders-visits". SPSS 21.0 software was used for the statistical analysis of the data. It was found about the participants that the average age was 22.3±1.5; 88.3% of them were female; 64.2% of them graduated from a regular (non-vocational) high school; and grade-point-average for the last three years was 2.54±0.37. Students indicated that the education provided by the nursing school was "sufficient" while they found their own capabilities "insufficient", and they emphasized the importance of medical terminology for their careers. The average of correct answers by the students on "medical terms and abbreviations" was found to be in good level, specifically 75±10%. 41.6% of the students were found to have a high knowledge score, ranging between 80 and 89. There was a correlation between academic success of the students and their "knowledge of medical terms and abbreviations" (p < 0.05). The knowledge of "medical abbreviations" was found to be higher vis-à-vis other two fields (p < 0.05). The knowledge of "terms related to neurological and psychiatric disorders" was found to be lower compared to other fields (p < 0,05). As a result of the study, it was proposed that students ought to be motivated to acquire medical terminology, the acquired medical terminology needs to be repeated frequently in practical and theoretical lessons order to improve memorability, and various learning methods should be employed to elevate the knowledge level of medical terms. Key Words: Nursing, Medical Terminology, Medical Language