| Course | NURS 105 Medical Terminology (NURS105) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 1 |
| Assignment | Discussion Board Forum 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion thread with two replies |
| Length | about 545 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of at least 150 words demonstrating course-related knowledge, with replies to two classmates of at least 100 words each |
| Format | APA 7 citations and reference list |
| Points | 20 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BSN |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 1 in Liberty's published NURS 105 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NURS 105 Week 1
Discussion Board Forum 1: Why Medical Terminology Matters
NURS 105 Medical Terminology, Discussion Board Forum 1
Thread by [Student Name]
The classmates are composites; the textbook and the sources cited are real.
When my grandmother was in the hospital last year, her chart listed "hepatomegaly," and none of us knew what it meant. After this week's reading, I can take it apart: the combining form hepat/o means liver, and the suffix -megaly means enlargement, so hepatomegaly is an enlarged liver. Jones and Cavanagh (2016) teach this method from the first chapter: a modest set of prefixes, roots and suffixes accounts for a great many medical words, so learning the parts lets you read words you have never seen.
The same method shows why precision matters. Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia differ by one letter in the prefix, but one means too much sugar in the blood and the other too little, and the treatments are opposite. Suffixes can be just as close: -ectomy means surgical removal, while -ostomy means creating an opening. A nurse who confuses them could prepare a patient for the wrong procedure. Abbreviations add another layer of risk, which is why safety organizations keep lists of abbreviations that should never be used because they are so often misread (Institute for Safe Medication Practices, 2021).
Learning the language is only half the job; nurses also translate it back. Gotlieb et al. (2022) surveyed 215 adults at the Minnesota State Fair and found that while 96% knew a negative cancer screening meant they did not have cancer, just one in five (21%) realized that an "impressive" X-ray is usually unwelcome news, and plain phrases were understood significantly better than jargon in every pair tested. In this course, I want to learn the terms well enough to use them precisely with the health care team and to explain them simply to patients and families like mine. A nurse needs medical language twice: once to understand the chart and again to explain it to the person in the bed.
Reply to Kayla
Kayla, you mentioned that you plan to memorize each term as a whole word using a list. I tried that in an anatomy class and found that the words blurred together by the exam. Learning the parts may save you time, because one combining form like cardi/o unlocks cardiology, cardiomegaly, tachycardia and electrocardiogram all at once. It also helps to spread your review out. Dunlosky et al. (2013) weighed ten popular ways of studying and gave their highest marks to self-testing and to spacing practice across days, while rereading and highlighting came out near the bottom. Quizzing yourself on a few word parts each day may work better than one long session with a list. Which chapter's terms do you expect to find hardest?
Reply to Brandon
Brandon, your story about your father hearing that his biopsy was "positive" and thinking it was good news fits the study I found exactly. In everyday English, positive is a good word, but in a test result it usually means the condition was found. Gotlieb et al. (2022) reported that in every pair of phrases they tested, the plain-language version was understood significantly better than the jargon version. It makes me think nurses should get in the habit of following any result with what it means in plain words, such as "the test found cancer cells." Did anyone on the team explain the result to your father afterward, or did your family have to look it up?
References
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
Gotlieb, R., Praska, C., Hendrickson, M. A., Marmet, J., Charpentier, V., Hause, E., Allen, K. A., Lunos, S., & Pitt, M. B. (2022). Accuracy in patient understanding of common medical phrases. JAMA Network Open, 5(11), e2242972. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.42972
Institute for Safe Medication Practices. (2021). ISMP list of error-prone abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations. https://www.ismp.org/recommendations/error-prone-abbreviations-list
Jones, S. L., & Cavanagh, A. R. (2016). Acquiring medical language. McGraw-Hill Education.
What the NURS 105 Week 1 instructions ask
The first NURS 105 forum is due in Module/Week 1, along with the opening chapters and appendices of Jones and Cavanagh's Acquiring Medical Language, three short presentations, the Course Requirements Checklist, class introductions and the first quiz. The course guide sets the length rules: a thread of no fewer than 150 words that demonstrates what the course has taught, followed by two peer responses that run 100 words or more apiece. The specific prompt appears in the course. Because the first week teaches how medical words are built, threads that apply word-part analysis to real terms show course knowledge more clearly than threads that only describe why terminology is useful.
How this NURS 105 Week 1 example is built
The thread opens with a term the writer saw on a relative's hospital chart and breaks it into its parts to show how word-part analysis works. It then explains why precision matters for safety, using two prefixes with opposite meanings and a sound-alike pair of suffixes. A third paragraph turns to patients, citing a study of how the public understands common medical phrases. The thread closes with the writer's plan for the course. One reply answers a classmate who plans to memorize whole words by suggesting a word-part approach and spaced review; the other responds to a classmate's story about a parent who misunderstood a test result.
NURS 105 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
Forums in NURS 105 are typically graded on meeting the length requirements, showing knowledge from the week's readings, accurate use of medical terms, thoughtful replies that add to the classmate's post and clear writing. Faculty reward threads that use correct terminology and show how terms are built, since that is the skill the first chapters teach. Replies that do more than agree, by adding an example, a correction or a useful question, earn more credit. Spelling matters in a terminology course, so a misspelled term in a forum is noticed. Meeting the minimum word counts is required, but faculty rarely reward length for its own sake; a focused thread with correct examples usually scores better than a longer one that wanders.
NURS 105 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points
Pick two or three real terms and break each into its word parts, naming the prefix, root or combining form and suffix and what each means. Then explain what could go wrong if one part were misread. Keep the thread above 150 words but focused; a few well-chosen examples show more knowledge than a long general essay. In replies, respond to what the classmate actually said and add something new, such as another example or a study tip. Check the spelling of every medical term against the textbook before posting, since the glossary is the standard faculty use, and use the textbook's pronunciation guide when you are unsure how a word sounds.
Related NURS 105 sample papers
Other NURS 105 weeks
- NURS 105 Week 3: Terminology Flashcards 1
- NURS 105 Week 6: Professional Development Plan
- NURS 105 Week 7: Terminology Flashcards 2
NURS 105 Week 1 questions, answered
What is NURS 105 Discussion Board Forum 1?
The opening forum of Liberty's online medical terminology course, worth 20 points in Module/Week 1, where a 150-word-plus thread is followed by two replies that each pass 100 words.
Where can I find a free NURS 105 Week 1 sample paper?
Read a whole NURS 105 Week 1 forum thread on why medical terminology matters for patient safety on this page, with both replies, at no charge.
What are word parts in medical terminology?
The building blocks of medical terms: prefixes at the start, word roots or combining forms carrying the core meaning and suffixes at the end, which together let you decode unfamiliar words.
Why is medical terminology important for nurses?
Nurses read and write terms in orders, notes and medication records every shift; a misread word part can reverse a meaning, and patients also depend on nurses to translate terms into plain language.
How long are NURS 105 forum posts?
A thread needs 150 words or more that draw on the week's readings, and both classmate replies need 100 words or more; quality of content still counts more than length.
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