“I am Myrna LaFleur Brooks, nurse, educator, author and blogger.”

Let me share a little bit about myself with you.

Early Life, Education, and Work

I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada (I still love open spaces), and graduated from the Grey Nuns’ School of Nursing in Regina, the city closest to my home.

After a few years of bedside nursing and travel in Canada and the United States, I settled in Phoenix, Arizona. There, I pursued a degree in education from Northern Arizona University, worked as a bedside nurse, directed a hospital staff development program, and spent 27 years as faculty and Chair of the Health Science Division, Maricopa County Community College District.

For the past 35 years, I have authored medical terminology textbooks that are used for teaching students entering the field of healthcare around the world.

Medical Terminology

I first taught medical terminology in 1970, a two-credit course at GateWay Community College. Using the textbook titled, The Elements of Scientific and Specialized Terminology by Brunner and Berkowitz, I learned to teach medical terminology using the word-part method. Since the book only dealt with terms built from word parts, I was interested in a book that would broaden the offering to medical terms not built from word parts.

Unable to find such a text, my teaching partner, Winnie Starr, and I sent a textbook proposal to The C.V Mosby Company. Our proposal was accepted, and we began writing the text titled Exploring Medical Language, A Student-Directed Approach . The first edition was published in 1985 and is now is in the 10th edition. I have the privilege of co-authoring the textbook with my daughter, Danielle LaFleur Brooks.

In 1996, a second medical terminology text, Basic Medical Language, was published, co-authored by Danielle, and is now in its 6th edition. Basic Medical Language differs from Exploring Medical Language in that is designed for use in a shorter course and is often used in Health Occupation Programs.

I am also the original coauthor of LaFleur Brooks’ Health Unit Coordinating. The national exposure from the publishing of this textbook led me to become the founding president of the National Association of Health Unit Coordinators.

Now

Through social media (MedicalTerminologyBlog.com, @MLaFleurBrooks, LinkedIn), I connect daily with healthcare professionals, patients, students, faculty, and anyone interested in discussing, learning, and sharing the fascinating world of medical language. This year I founded the Medical Terminology Academy to offer online medical terminology classes. Visit us at medicalterminologyacdemey.com