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September 2022

Can you really learn medical terminology using Quizlet flashcards?

So your big medical terminology test is tomorrow, and you’re using Quizlet flashcards to memorize what the uterine tubes are also called. Quizlet is a very popular resource for career and technical students studying healthcare. Should you need to cram last minute medical terminology, Quizlet flashcards focus on specific topics to help you study, whether it’s needing to learn what medical term means wart, or the name for the innermost portion of a kidney? Quizlet text aids can help you cram a lot of medical terminology into a short amount of study time and ace your next test. Whether you’re a CNA student, medical coder, medical assistant or nursing student we’ll go over Quizlet pros and cons to find out if  you can really learn medical terminology using Quizlet flashcards. 

Quizlet Pros and Cons:

Pros 

Personalized flashcards – You can customize flashcards to specific questions that you want to review. 

Free account – Quizlet offers a free account for all users. While limited, it still offers useful resources for students. 

Collaboration with teachers and students – Through Quizlet Live teachers can create quizzes for students and students can collaborate on team projects. 

Cons 

Accuracy of flashcards – Flashcards can be made by anyone and do not seem to be reviewed for accuracy by Quizlet, so you could potentially be using inaccurate content to learn or review with. 

Ads The free account level on Quizlet uses ads which can be a distraction when you’re trying to study. 

Not a replacement for a full course – Quizlet is a useful support tool for studying, however it’s not intended to be a replacement for a full medical terminology course. 

Can you really learn Anatomy and Physiology from Quizlet flashcards?

Quizlet flashcards are a useful resource to study, such as for your HESI Anatomy and Physiology test. Quizlet has many practice questions and quizzes to prepare for your upcoming test. Need support studying the endocrine system? Quizlet has a bank of over 500 study sets and textbooks on anatomy and physiology to prepare you for your next exam. 

While Quizlet may be useful for a last minute study review it does not offer full courses or learning experience in anatomy and physiology. Using Quizlet after completing a full anatomy and physiology course, such as the Dean Vaughn Basic Human anatomy course is the better option. 

Pros

Assigned topics by teachers – Teachers can assign specific questions and topics they would like students to study. 

Lots of resources Quizlet has a large bank of practice questions and online textbooks covering anatomy and physiology. 

Flashcards quick to learn Quick flashcards to refresh course knowledge before a big test. 

Cons

Flashcards can be created by anyone Content on flashcards may be inaccurate as Quizlet does not screen content for accuracy. 

Content accuracy Unless you’re using content created by your teacher, it can be difficult to know if the content you’re using to study is accurate or even relevant to your test. 

Limited content While there are a lot of Quizlet flashcards, content is often repeated so often you’re not going to get a lot of different content. Plus, it can be difficult to search and find specific anatomy and physiology flashcards among the large number of Quizlet study sets. 

Time consuming – Creating your own flashcards using the Quizlet Flashcard Maker can be time consuming, especially if you only have a limited time to study. 

 

 

Why do so many people use Quizlet flashcards and are they an effective studying tool?

Flashcards are an effective way to quickly study content for an upcoming test or exam. However, Quizlet flashcards are not a replacement for a full medical terminology course such as Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology online course

Quizlet flashcards can be helpful when learning specific medical questions, they have open ended questions such as what is meant by malnutrition? Or fill in the blank questions like proteins are broken down into amino acids by ______, and a spinal nerve contains ______ axons so you can choose different styles of flashcards depending on how you study best.

Quizlet flash card maker allows you to create your own text based flashcards to study with. While this may be a good option for people who like to create their own study content it may not be for everyone. Quizlet flashcards are mostly created using text only. This is a limitation because often the best flashcards are those with pictures like the Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology flashcard app. Using pictures on flashcards can help you remember a lot easier than text alone.

Pros

Time – Flashcards can help you refresh your knowledge in a short amount of time. It’s perfect for last minute studying. 

Customized flashcards – Using customized flashcards should help you focus on specific course knowledge. 

Flashcard style – Flashcards use different formats such as fill in the blank questions and multiple choice quizzes. 

Cons

No visuals Quizlet flashcards mostly use text only which can get repetitive, The Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology Flashcard App (link) uses pictures that help you remember more easily. 

Repetition and difficulty to search Specific course content may be difficult to search for and repeated in multiple Quizlet study sets. 

Limited content –  While there are many flashcards on Quizlet they may not have what you’re looking for and therefore a specific course may be better to study with. 

Pros and Cons of Quizlet Live

Quizlet Live is an in classroom game based learning platform that Quizlet offers for teachers and students to participate in team based projects and quizzes. Students are matched up into small teams and have quizzes and questions set by teachers. They will answer rapid flashcard questions and the team that answers all of the answers correctly first wins. 

Popular anatomy flashcard questions on Quizlet Live include; 

  • the uterine tubes are also called ______ or 
  • the innermost portion of a kidney is called the ______. 

You can also study physiology with quiz questions like  

  • a spinal nerve contains ______ axons, proteins are broken down into amino acids by ______, or
  •  The urethra and ureters are components of the ______, what is meant by malnutrition quizlet, and many more. 

Pros 

Interactive Quizlet Live can be a way for students and teachers to interact and study together. 

Teams assigned at random Being assigned teams at random gives a great opportunity to work with classmates who you may not have worked with before. 

Accuracy over speed In Quizlet Live if a team gets an answer wrong they have to start over again, so the winning team has the most accurate answers not just the fastest team to finish. 

Cons 

Technical issues In order to use Quizlet Live students must have their own phone or laptop to participate as well as strong wifi. Many schools have poor wifi so students may become frustrated if they can’t play along. 

No ready made study sets Teachers have to create their own content in Quizlet Live. There are no pre-made study sets to select from, so this can be time consuming for teachers. 

Limited features Unless you pay for a Quizlet plus account the features on Quizlet Live can be limited and display ads which can be distracting. 

 

Is Quizlet a useful learning tool for the healthcare community and allied health students? 

Quizlet offers a wide range of study topics and content for all subjects so while Quizlet does not directly cater to the healthcare community it still provides useful medical study content. Nursing students and nurses in the healthcare field also create communities in Quizlet to share medical terminology flashcards and study sets. 

So whether you need practice questions for your upcoming HESI Anatomy and Physiology exam or want Quizlet flashcards on the endocrine system, Quizlet has a variety of question styles to study with. Quizlet can also help you learn specific medical terms like how urethra and ureters are components of the urinary system or how a spinal nerve contains sensory and motor axons. Quizlet Live can be useful  learning tool for most healthcare student including CNA students, medical assistants, nursing student and most allied health students.

So while Quizlet text aids can offer the healthcare community some useful resources, a dedicated course like the Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology course or the Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology flashcard app may be a better choice for many in the ​​healthcare community.

Pros 

Lots of study content Quizlet has a large amount of medical and healthcare related study sets and quizzes to help study. 

Content created by medical professionals Some study content of Quizlet has been created by nurses, doctors and teachers already working in the medical field. 

Community You can follow accounts who create medical specific content that helps promote the healthcare community. 

Cons 

Not directly created for the healthcare community While Quizlet has medical study content on the platform it is not a dedicated platform built for the medical community. 

Fewer  visuals Quizlet content is mostly text based so if you’re a visual learner this content may not be the best way to study for a test. 

Missing topics While there are a lot of  topics on the site, there may be missing topics or study content.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, while Quizlet has some useful features, such as large amounts of study sets, we also found that Quizlet may not be screened for accurate study content. Quizlet flashcards can be time consuming to create, especially for students who are trying to study flashcards at the last minute, therefore a pre-made flashcard set or course may be more appropriate for most students. That’s why we recommend the Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology online course or the Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology flashcard app