Glossary 361
P
paragraph part of a written composition, which
consists of a collection of sentences related to
one topic
parasite organisms that live in or on another
organism
parts of speech collective term for eight classifi -
cations of words that denote each word’s func-
tion; in English these include noun, pronoun,
verb, adjective, adverb, conjunction, preposi-
tion, and interjection
pathogens disease-producing microorganisms
patience a soft skill that will help you interact
with coworkers and patients
Patients’ Bill of Rights summary of a patient’s
rights regarding fair treatment and appropriate
information
Patient Self-Determination Act a law passed
by the US Congress in 1990 that requires most
healthcare institutions to inform a patient
about their rights at the time of admission
percentage a number divided into 100 parts;
expressed with the percent sign (%)
peripheral nervous system (PNS) collective
term for nerves that lie outside the central ner-
vous system; transmits information from the
CNS to all parts of the body
personal protective equipment (PPE) equip-
ment worn by workers to protect them from
serious workplace injuries or illnesses
pH scale system for measuring a substance’s
acidity or alkalinity; ranges from 0 to 14
phagocytosis process in which white blood
cells surround, ingest, and destroy a foreign
invader
physiology the study of the function of the
body
podcasts multimedia fi les that are downloaded
and played on a computer, a tablet, or a
smartphone
potentially infectious materials (PIM) materi-
als designated by OSHA that require healthcare
workers to proceed as if they are infectious
preferred provider organizations (PPO) health
insurance organizations that contract with a
network of preferred providers from which
the policyholder can choose; often involves
an annual deductible payment for service, but
patients do not have a designated primary care
physician and may self-refer to specialists
prefi x the part of a word that comes before the
word root; changes the meaning of the word
root
preposition a word that connects or relates its
object to the rest of the sentence
prime number a number that is only divisible
by itself and 1
prioritizing to make decisions about the best
order in which to perform multiple tasks so
that the most important tasks are completed
fi rst
professionalism the conduct or attitude that is
required to be the best employee that you can
be; contributing positively to an organization
pronoun a substitute word for a noun
proportion a statement of the equality of two
ratios
protozoa microorganisms that depend on a
host cell to survive and replicate; can cause
serious illness
proxemics the study of humans’ use of space;
includes physical territory and personal territory
psychoanalysis a method of analyzing and
treating mental and emotional disorders
through sessions in which the patient is
encouraged to talk about personal experience
and dreams
puberty a stage of life beginning between the
ages of 8 and 14; indicates sexual reproduction
is possible