Clinical Education
Spelling Resources for Students: Medical Spelling
Some physical therapist students are challenged to produce documentation that includes
consistently accurate medical terminology. The following list includes suggestions and
resources to assist students:

Create a list of words that you consistently misspell with your usual spelling and correct
spelling on an index card that you keep in your pocket or on your clipboard for use
during patient documentation.

Review edits that your CI consistently makes regarding your spelling and/or grammar.
Create a method that will allow you to apply these edits in subsequent documentation (a
list, a drawing, a diagram, etc.).

Use online resources to spell check when appropriate.
o http://www.medical-spell-checker.com/
o http://spellex.com/speller.htm

Purchase and use one of the following at your internship site:
o The Medical Dictionary for Bad Spellers by Joseph Krevisky and Jordan Linfield,
John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1995. ISBN-13: 978-0471310693.
o Dorland's Pocket Medical Dictionary (25th ed) by Norman W. Dorland and
Patricia D. Novak, 1995. This is also available for a PDA.
o MED-SPELL Plus Databank - Medical Spellers
11/23/2009
o Franklin Electronic Publishers available at http://www.ramex.com/title.asp
is=1211. Enter a word phonetically and instantly see the correct spelling. Spell
corrects over 150,000 words from Stedman’s Medical Dictionary.

Create your own medical word list using resources available online.

Medical Spelling Word Lists: http://www.spellingzone.com/medicalspelling.html. You can
fully edit word lists—add new terms, delete outdated terms and alter the spelling of any
word in the list to suit your own spelling conventions.
11/23/2009