Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers

The human body contains ten systems that work together so that the body can function. When their body systems are functioning normally, people can sleep, work, enjoy eating, and engage in activities with their families and friends. When people become older or when they are ill, their body systems do not work as well. As people age, their human body systems naturally slow down. Aging patients and injured patients will experience trouble with one or more of the body systems.

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The integumentary system uses the skin and hair to protect the body. The skeletal system provides structure to the body through bones. The muscular system helps the body to move. The respiratory system allows breathing in of oxygen and breathing out of carbon dioxide through the lungs. The cardiovascular system uses blood to distribute nutrients to the cells throughout the body. The heart and blood vessels are the main organs in this system.

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The digestive system takes food in and processes it for the body’s use. The stomach, liver, small intestine, and large intestine are all organs of the digestive system. The urinary system uses the kidneys, bladder, and urethra to help the body get rid of unnecessary waste. The endocrine system uses glands to regulate many body functions through hormones and other chemicals. The reproductive systems of men and women enable the body to procreate, or form another human. Women’s reproductive systems have organs that can support a baby inside her womb (uterus). Finally, the nervous system controls the other systems’ functions and enables the body and mind to interact with the world. The brain, nerves, and spinal cord are vital organs of the nervous system.

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Healthcare workers need to know basic information about all of the body systems and how those systems work together in order to help the body to function.