How to learn field-related terms without losing your mind?

Introduction

Hello. My name is Anaïs and I'm a student at Ahuntsic College in Montreal. I'm currently doing the Springboard to a DCS program, but I will start a Nursing program in September. It's a three-year program that is going to allow me to be a nurse. There are a lot of career possibilities with this degree. I could work in hospitals, in private clinics or in a nursing home. What I really want to do is to work in a children's hospital in pediatrics.

My first language is French, so I'm still learning English. In my field of study there are A LOT of terms. I will need to learn them and be able to pronounce them properly in English to make sure doctors and patients understand me well. It is very important to be and to look professional and that is why it is very important. Nobody wants a nurse who doesn't know the medical terms properly, right? I would not feel safe if that was the case for me.

So, today, I will show you a great website that I use and that I find very helpful.

This tutorial only last 3 minutes, please stay right there.

I promise you, it is worth it!

The Problem

So, my program will be in French. We will learn everything we need to know in French. But since I live in a bilingual city, I will need to learn everything in English as well. It can get really confusing.

If I can't explain well to my patients or co-workers, I will lose all credibility.

But I have found a solution for my problem and I will show you what it is.

The Quest

So, let's open the browser. Then, at the top of the screen, into the address bar, type the URL which is, "virtualwritingtutor.com." Then, hit "Enter". So here's the website. You will see the logo right here in the top left corner of the screen. Under it, there's the navigation menu. On the right-hand side there's a button to log-in. Membership is free. Right in the middle of the screen is the text area. This is where you can write your texts or just some words you need to check up. There's also some icons in the top right corner of the screen if you want to share the website on social media.

The Solution

Now I will show you my favorite tool, this is what helps me with the problem I mentioned before. We will go on the navigation menu, at the top of the screen in the middle. Then, click on " Writing Tools" and then click on " Glossary creator". This is helping me a lot with all the terms I need to learn. For example, I created a glossary for medical terms that I really need to know. It's pretty easy and fun to use. Right in the middle of the screen there are 2 buttons. The first one is a video tutorial and the other one is some examples. Right under it, on the right-hand side of the screen, type in the name of your glossary. Then, click on "new glossary." Click on the edit icon for each section to fill it up. First you have to type in the term you would like to add to your glossary. You can check the grammar if you need to. You can also add an audio file, which is very easy and convenient to learn the pronunciation. All you need to do is to click on the speaker logo, and it will automatically generate an audio file of your word or phrase. You can also add a definition from internet or a dictionary. If you click on the "go" button, it will find a definition on Google for you. You can add a translation from your first language, in case you need to remember it. Once again, it's very convenient. You can add an example on how to use the word. You can add a picture of the term. You can get a free picture on Wikimedia by clicking on the "Go" button. Find an icon that you can use and click on it. Then, in the bottom right corner of the screen click on "more details." Select " use this file on the web." Copy the "file URL" and paste it. On the right, you will have a preview. You can always click on the "help" button if you need help with anything. You can also create a quiz by clicking on the quiz button. You will have the terms on the left and the definitions on the right. It's a fun way to learn your terms. So, there is a lot you can do on that website. Whenever I need to remind myself about a specific term that I forgot, I just go back to the glossary I created, and I can look at the definition or the pronunciation. I can also add more terms as I go.