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Why do I need to know medical terms?

Medical words can be long, complex and confusing. Many terms come from old Latin or Greek words, so they are not spelled or pronounced the same as English words.

You don't need to memorise every medical term, but it's good to learn some common words you might hear in hospitals and medical settings. This will help you make informed decisions about your health.

Common abbreviations

• BP = Blood pressure: The force of blood against your artery (blood vessel) walls as it’s pumped by your heart. Your blood pressure tells health workers how well your heart is working. To measure your blood pressure, a health worker will put a cuff on your upper arm, which inflates and squeezes your arm to stop blood flow. When the cuff deflates, the machine measures your blood as it starts flowing again.
• HR = Heart rate: The number of times your heart beats every minute. To measure your heart rate, a health worker will find an artery to check your pulse – usually on your wrists or sides of your neck – lightly press two fingers against it and count the number of beats in 60 seconds.
• IV = Intravenous (in-truh-veen-uhs): A Latin word meaning ‘into or within a vein.’ Sometimes, health workers give fluids or medicines through a vein so they go straight into the bloodstream and work faster.

Glossary of key medical words

• Acute: A medical condition that starts suddenly and usually only lasts a short time. Some acute conditions need medical care, but many get better on their own. People might use the word acute to mean a condition is severe, but this is not correct.
• Allied health care: A broad term that covers all kinds of health care from trained health workers. These workers are not usually doctors or nurses, but most have done special training at a university. Physiotherapists and psychologists are examples of allied health workers.
• Bulk-billing: When the Medicare program covers all or some costs of health services for people with a Medicare card. Some health services only bulk-bill people under a certain age.
• Chronic: A medical condition that lasts for a long time – usually more than six months. Most chronic conditions are not life-threatening, but they can get more serious over time.
• Doctor: A medical expert who has completed a medical degree at a university. They are sometimes called physicians.
• Elective (planned) surgery: A procedure for a condition that is not a medical emergency. Planned surgeries are usually booked in advance.
• General practitioner (GP): A local medical doctor who has done extra training to look after a range of health problems for people of all ages. Unless you are seriously ill or injured, your GP should be the doctor you see when you need health care.
• Health: A state of total physical, mental and social wellbeing. It’s more than just not being sick or injured (adapted from WHO 1946).
• Health worker: A person with the qualifications to provide a certain type of health care. Some health workers need specific education, training or even licenses before they are allowed to work. They are also called health professionals.
• Immunisation: The process of becoming immune to a disease through vaccination.
• Inpatient: Someone who stays in a hospital to get medical care. This is called being ‘admitted’ to hospital. You can be an inpatient even if you only stay in a hospital bed for a few hours.
• Medicare: An Australian program that makes health care free or lower cost for all Medicare cardholders.
• Nurse: A health worker who helps prevent illness and cares for sick or injured people. There are different types of nurses, but the most common are ‘registered nurses’ (RNs) and ‘enrolled nurses’ (ENs).
• Outpatient: Someone who gets medical care without staying in a hospital. If you go to hospital to get an x-ray or have a doctor's appointment, but then go home, you are an outpatient.
• Over-the-counter medicines: Medicines you can buy in a supermarket or pharmacy without a written letter (prescription) from a doctor. Paracetamol is an example of an over-the-counter medicine.
• Paediatrician: A doctor who has done extra training to look after children and teens. As a teen, most health problems can be treated by your GP. But you might need to see a paediatrician if you have any longer-term or complicated problems.
• Prescription (or ‘script’): An official document where a doctor writes their signature, what medicine you need, how much to take and how long you need to take it for. You need a prescription to buy medicines that are not available over the counter. In Australia, prescriptions can be paper or electronic (called ‘e-scripts’).
• Preventative health care: Any health treatments done before you are sick or injured, or to stop you from getting sick or injured. Vaccines are a type of preventative health care. You might also hear the word 'prophylactic' – this means the same thing.
• Primary carer: The main adult who looks after you. For most teens, this will be one or both parents, but for some, this might be another family member, guardian or carer.
• Psychologist: An allied health worker who specialises in mental health. They can help you explore thoughts, emotions and behaviours. Most psychologists need a referral from your doctor. But you can also speak to a psychologist through a youth support service like headspace.
• Referral: A letter from your doctor to another health worker requesting their care for a specific condition. It could be to a specialist doctor, like a paediatrician, or an allied health worker, like a psychologist. You usually need a referral if you want Medicare to pay for some or all of these services.
• Specialist: In a health context, a specialist is a medical doctor who has done extra training in a specific type of medicine. For example, a paediatrician is a specialist.
• Stethoscope: A medical tool used to listen to bodily sounds like your heartbeat or breathing.
• Subsidised medicine: Medicine that is cheaper for you to buy because the government pays for some of it. In Australia, medicine is subsidised by a program called the ‘Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme’ (PBS).
• Surgery: An action to diagnose, monitor or treat a medical condition. Another word for ‘operation’ or ‘procedure.’
• Ultrasound: Technology that uses sound waves to see inside the body. To do an ultrasound, a health worker puts gel on the part of your skin they need to scan before gently moving a probe around to create images. Ultrasounds should not hurt.
• Vaccine: A medical treatment that trains your immune system to fight a disease. Vaccines are given in three main ways: orally (in the mouth), nasally (in the nose) or through injection – the most common.
• X-ray: Technology that uses a type of radiation to take pictures of things inside the body, like bones, teeth and organs. To do an x-ray, a health worker will position the part of your body that needs scanning near the x-ray machine. You might need to take off clothes or jewellery if it's in the way. The health worker might give you a lead apron to wear; this protects other parts of your body from excess radiation. X-rays don’t hurt.

Helpful links

• Continue reading the other Teen Health Info fact sheets
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Aging: The Australian health system
• Health Direct: Australia’s healthcare system
• Health Direct: What is Medicare?
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Glossary

Developed by The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH); medical review by the Adolescent Medicine department. Created with advice from the RCH Health Literacy Youth Advisory Committee.

Reviewed August 2025

Speak with a doctor for up-to-date and personalised medical advice.