Bio 119—Human Anatomy for Medical Office Professionals
Walla Walla Community College Clarkston Center
Fall 2008
MTWThF 12:30-1:20 PM Room 153
Instructor: Lori Loseth
Email: lori.loseth@wwcc.edu
Office: 163A
Phone: (509) 758-1710
Required Text: Memmler’s The Structure and Function of the Human Body, 8th Edition
(Cohen)
Package of Scantrons
Suggested Text: Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (or another Medical Dictionary)
Office Hours: MTWF 9:30AM-10:20AM or by appointment
Actually, the unofficial rule is…If my door is open; I am available to speak with you. If it is closed, I am either in
conference or trying to prepare something and am not available to meet with you. Please try to respect that signal.
OFFICIAL COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide the comprehensive
anatomy knowledge base required for successful job performance as a medical administrative
assistant, medical billing and insurance specialist, medical coder or medical transcriptionist.
This course covers the anatomy of all major body systems.
Prerequisite: Appropriate placement score or grade of C or higher in ENG 099 or BA 136; or permission of the
Science Division Chair or designee. Recommended: OT 280; placement by entrance assessment or grade of C or
higher in READ 088. This course does not fulfill the Natural Science requirement for the AA/AS degrees or
substitute for the Anatomy and Physiology series required for entrance into our nursing program.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, each student should be able to…
1) Describe the general structural organization of the human body.
2) Recognize and describe the relationship between the structure and function of the major
organ systems.
3) Recognize organ and system-specific terminology and interpret the meaning of that
terminology in context.
4) Demonstrate mastery over a core set of medical terminology which applies to all systems.
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
By attaining the course objectives listed above, the student should be able to…
1) Interpret medical reports for use in assigning procedural and diagnostic codes.
2) Determine intended word from unclear dictation or handwriting.
3) Identify body system(s) involved in a medical case/report.
4) Converse with others in the medical or health insurance profession.
5) Analyze/problem solve issues such as medical necessity for approval.
6) Interpret medical insurance policy coverage and requirements.
7) Formulate justifications for appeal of rejections.
The Instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at any time.
LECTURE AND LABORATORY CONTENT:
This course does not have an official (2-hour) laboratory period required as part of the course as
is typical in science courses at WWCC. However, it is often useful to see what the actual
structure looks like rather than rely solely on drawings and diagrams, and so I will from time to
time bring in laboratory materials, or else we will meet in the lab to work with models and use
other laboratory resources. Additionally, you will want to find the Science Learning Center and
determine what hours it will be open this quarter for you to use the models found there. If you
don’t give yourself enough time to “drill” these terms, you will make your job that much more
difficult. Learning anatomy is in many ways like learning a foreign language; the best way is
through repetition and communication.
GRADING:
Your final grade will be calculated based on the percentage of the total points you have earned
out of the total possible points applied to the grading scale below:
100-93% A; 92-90% A-; 89-87 B+; 87-83% B; 82-80% B-; 79-77 C+; 77-73% C; 72-70% C-;
69-67% D+; 66-60% D; Below 59% F.
Percentages will be rounded to the nearest percentage point for assignment of grades. There will
be FOUR unit exams and a comprehensive final. Three of the unit exams and the final will be
worth 100 points. Your lowest unit exam score will count for only 50 points. (That way, one
abnormally poor exam score does not hurt your grade as much). THIS DOES NOT APPLY
TO THE FINAL EXAM! You must take the score you earn on the final regardless of
whether it is the lowest score or not.
There is an application portion of the course. This will consist of group work and lecture or
laboratory assignments. The total amount of points earned by application will be converted to a
percentage and will be worth up to 100 points.
In addition, there will be quizzes throughout the course of the quarter. These will be 10 points
each and will include spelling tests.
Grade Breakdown:
3 highest unit exams (3 @ 100 points each)………..
Lowest unit exam…………………………………..
Final Exam………………………………………….
Application (laboratory, assignments, etc.) ………..
Quizzes …………………………………………….
Points Possible
300 points
50 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
Grading: Your final grade will be calculated based on the percentage of the total points you have
earned out of the total possible points applied to the grading scale below: A 93-100%; A- 9092%; B+ 87-89%; B 83-86%; B- 80-82%; C+ 77-79%; C 73-76%; C- 70-72%; D+ 67-69%; D
60-66%; F 0-59%
The Instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at any time.
POLICY ON MAKE UP EXAMS:
MAKE UP EXAMS ARE GIVEN IN EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES ONLY!
EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES CAN ONLY BE CITED ONE TIME PER QUARTER!
In order to try to be consistent, it will be a rare occurrence for you to be able to take an exam
late. If you know you have to miss a day in which an exam is scheduled, I may be able to make
the exam available to you at an earlier date, depending upon the reason. If an emergency arises
which makes you unable to take an exam—You MUST talk to me PRIOR to the DAY OF THE
TEST in order to schedule a make up date. If you miss a test without informing me at least one
full day in advance, you will be given a “0” for that test; unless you can show me some proof of
an emergency that prevented you from contacting me. I reserve the right to give you a make up
exam that is different in form than the regularly scheduled exam. You must complete this makeup exam the day you return, or you will not be given credit for the exam.
ATTENDANCE:
I expect you to attend every class period for the entire time that it is scheduled. Please do not
schedule appointments (doctor’s, advising, etc.) during the scheduled class time. Attendance
will be monitored and excessive absenteeism will have a deleterious effect upon your grade.
After the 4th absence, I will deduct 5 points per day absent from your total points. Five tardies,
past the 15-minute mark, will equal one absence. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of the
class period, if you are not present, you cannot make up the quiz. You will be held responsible
for all of the material covered in the course, regardless if you were in attendance when it was
presented. Additionally, you will be held to the same due date for an assignment. If you have to
miss a class, ask one of your classmates to pick up an extra copy of any handouts and
assignments for you. Make sure you get the notes they took in class, too. NOT KNOWING
THAT I ASSIGNED SOMETHING IS NOT A VALID EXCUSE FOR IT BEING LATE.
LATE WORK POLICY:
Late assignments will be penalized 20% of the total points for the assignment. Assignments
turned in more than 2 class days after the designated due date WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR
CREDIT.
GROUP WORK POLICY:
The intention of group work is to promote communication with your classmates that will mimic
what you will be doing professionally. It is often valuable to talk to your fellow classmates
about difficult concepts, or to work with them to solve complex problems. But, if you are not
present, you can not contribute. For this reason, YOU CANNOT EARN POINTS FOR GROUP
WORK IF YOU WERE NOT IN CLASS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTIVITY. If you miss
a class session in which group work is collected for grading, you will be given a “0” for that
activity. These points cannot be made up.
The Instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at any time.
WITHDRAWL:
Pay special attention to the dates printed in the course catalog for dropping/adding classes. It is
your responsibility to get the paper work to initiate a drop. Failure to officially drop a class may
disqualify you from receiving a refund of tuition and fees and may jeopardize your financial aid.
In order to receive an incomplete, the majority of work must be completed prior to the end of the
quarter, and you have to have a passing grade. There is a form to complete to finalize
arrangements for an incomplete. The requirements must be made up within the first two weeks of
the subsequent quarter. Generally, a “Z” grade is not an option. If you are having difficulty,
please speak with me.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Cheating and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form in this course. If you are caught
cheating or plagiarizing, my options range from giving you an F for the assignment or exam in
question to recommending expulsion from WWCC. The following excerpt is from the “Code of
Conduct” in the Student Handbook:
PLAGIARISM/CHEATING
(1) Plagiarism is defined as the buying, borrowing, or stealing of written material for the purpose of fulfilling or
partially fulfilling any assignment or task required as part of the student’s program of instruction at the College.
Any student who plagiarizes shall be subject to disciplinary action.
(2) Any student who aids or abets the accomplishment of such activity as defined in subsection (1) above shall also
be subject to disciplinary action.
(3) An instructor may take reasonable action against any student who is deemed to have been guilty of plagiarism or
cheating. Course of action might include but not be limited to:
(a) Student receives warning and lowered grade;
(b) Student receives failing grade for the course;
(c) Student dropped from course;
(d) Student is recommended for suspension or dismissal from the College;
(e) Case referred to civil action.
An instructor taking action against any student for an act of academic misconduct shall report such action to the
Vice President of Instruction and the Vice President of Student Services, as soon as possible, but no later then
five working days after the incident. Any student subject to action of an instructor for a violation of this section
may seek review of that action by the Vice President of Student Services, if such request is submitted in writing
within five working days from the date of the complained-of action.
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL:
1) Do NOT allow your cell phone to ring in class.
2) AVOID side conversations while I am trying to lecture (I may think you are talking about
me).
3) Do NOT show up for class late or unprepared; or pack up before I am through for the day
4) Show Respect for your fellow students and to me.
5) Frequently review course material.
6) Read all of the assignments.
7) Keep track of your progress and come and see me before it is too late.
8) Have a good, positive attitude…I am happy you are here and we are all in this together.
The Instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at any time.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF LECTURE TOPICS
You will notice that I have not attached exact dates to the topics below so we are free to adjust as
necessary. Notice the word “tentative”—this word allows us the freedom to make adjustments
as we go. You will also notice that the textbook will contain many more topics than we have
time to cover in class. I will not routinely test you on subjects I have not presented in class; but I
may ask you to research some subjects on your own and then test you over that material. This
schedule is meant to give you an idea of the topics in the order they will come at you. You
should rely heavily on your textbook for studying. Since time limits the amount of detail I can
present in class, you should always attempt to fill in the gaps with your reading. THAT IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT HINT I CAN GIVE YOU IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL—KEEP
UP WITH YOUR READING.
Topic
Text Chapters
Organization of the Human Body
Histology (study of tissues)
Integumentary System (skin and derivatives)
Bones and Joints
Muscular System
Nervous System
Special Senses
Endocrine System
Cardiovascular System
Lymphatic System
Respiratory System
Digestive System
Urinary System
Reproductive System
1
parts of 3, 4
5
6
7
8, 9
10
11
12, 13, 14
15
16
17
19
20
Exam Schedule
I will try to give you the dates of exams, quizzes, spelling tests, etc. well in advance of when
they happen. Exams will fall roughly every two weeks. The dates of exams are: Fridays:
October 10, October 31, November 14 and November 28
Note for students regarding disabilities: If you have a disability for which you are or may be
requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact the Carol Bennett (the Disability
Coordinator for the Clarkston Center) as early as possible in the quarter. I can not give you
accommodations until you do so.
The Instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at any time.