EMT EXAM 1 (Chapters 1-8)

You have been called to a private residence where a 16-year-old female patient is reported by her parents to be "acting strangely" and possibly "on something." Upon your arrival, the patient is locked in her bedroom refusing to open the door. The patient refuses to speak to you and will only come out if her best friend is present. Your knowledge of life- span development indicates that the following characteristics are common with a patient of this age.

Answers:

-Self-destructive behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol, and drug use

-Depression and suicide

-Preoccupation with body image

-All of the above

All of the above

An off- duty EMT is driving down the road when she sees a major vehicle accident. There are no Emergency Medical Responders on the scene yet. There are only Good Samaritans. The EMT is late for a doctor's appointment so she decides that she will not stop and help. The driver of the vehicle dies before help arrives. One of the Good Samaritans notices her EMT license plates and writes them down as she passes by. The Good Samaritan is angry that the EMT did not stop and help and tries to get the EMT fired for not helping. Which of the following statements is true?

Answers:

-The EMT is not negligent because she did not have a duty to act.

-The EMT is negligent because the patient died.

-The EMT is not negligent because she had a doctor's appointment.

-The EMT is negligent for not stopping and helping.

The EMT is not negligent because she did not have a duty to act.

Why is it important for EMTs to participate in quality improvement programs?

Answers:

-To ensure adequate personnel are available for emergencies

-To identify problem employees and create a corrective action plan

-To identify problems and develop a plan to prevent their recurrence

-To ensure that individuals making false calls for EMS are prosecuted

To identify problems and develop a plan to prevent their recurrence

The CDC recommends using an alcohol- based hand sanitizer in all except which of the following situation(s)?

Answers:

The provider's hands come into contact with fecal matter.

The provider is not vaccinated against hepatitis B.

The patient has a bloodborne communicable disease.

The patient has a respiratory illness.

The provider's hands come into contact with fecal matter.

Middle adulthood is the stage of life from ________ to ________ years.

Answers:

-35; 65

-35; 55

-31; 60

-41; 60

41; 60

The EMT's obligation to provide care to a patient either as a formal or ethical responsibility is known as which of the following?

Answers:

-Legal responsibility

-Scope of practice

-Duty to act

-Standard of care

Duty to act

The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) was founded to establish which of the following?

Answers:

-Quality oversight of emergency medical services practices

-National standards for emergency medical services personnel

-Quality improvement and quality assurance programs for emergency medical services

-An education curriculum for EMT courses

National standards for emergency medical services personnel

Which of the following requires training, policies, and procedures related to storing, accessing, and sharing patient information?

Answers:

HIPAA

COBRA

EMTALA

HIAPA

HIPAA

What is the name of the federal act that mandates a procedure by which emergency healthcare providers can find out if they have been exposed to potentially life- threatening diseases while on the job?

Answers:

Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Act

Communicable Disease Notification Act

Ryan White CARE Act

EMS Personnel Health Protection Act of 1991

Ryan White CARE Act

The application of oxygen for a patient who is short of breath without having to contact the physician in the emergency department is an example of which of the following?

Answers:

Standing orders

On-line medical direction

Standards of care

Breach of duty

Standing orders

If the EMT is in doubt as to whether a patient in cardiac arrest should be resuscitated, which of the following is the best decision?

Answers:

Consult with the patient's physician.

Have the patient's family put their wishes in writing.

Withhold resuscitative measures.

Begin resuscitative measures.

Begin resuscitative measures.

You are on the scene at an office building where a 32- year- old male is described as having difficulty breathing and chest pain. The patient is allergic to peanuts and thinks he may have accidentally ingested some cookies with peanuts in them this afternoon during his break. He is pale with a pulse rate of 158 and a respiratory rate of 36. You understand that a "fight- or- flight" response may have been activated in this patient, involving which nervous system and which hormone?

Answers:

Sympathetic nervous system and epinephrine

Parasympathetic nervous system and epinephrine

Parasympathetic nervous system and insulin

Sympathetic nervous system and insulin

Sympathetic nervous system and epinephrine

Which of the following parts of the nervous system is responsible for the "fight or flight" response experienced in response to a stressor?

Answers:

Peripheral nervous system

Parasympathetic nervous system

Central nervous system

Sympathetic nervous system

Sympathetic nervous system

A 26-month-old toddler is reported to have fallen and lacerated his chin. His mother did not witness the fall. As you proceed through your assessment, your partner reports that she's concerned about his heart rate, which she measures as 64. She's checked it twice. Your knowledge of normal vital signs for a patient this age suggests that his pulse rate is:

Answers:

-too fast

-too slow

-within normal range

-not reliable

too slow

Which of the following is the EMT's primary responsibility at a secured crime scene?

Answers:

Identifying any potential suspects encountered at the scene

Providing patient care

Taking notes that may be needed during court testimony

Preserving evidence

Providing patient care

Which of the following best describes training that supplements the EMT's original training and that is usually taken in regular intervals?

Answers:

EMT training program

Continuing education

Distance education

Recertification

Continuing education

You respond to a call at a park where you find a 550- pound patient who has fallen down a slope near a creek. As you and your partner discuss the situation, you decide to call a second unit for lifting assistance. Once the patient is on a stretcher, how would the additional two personnel help in this lift?

Answers:

You place one person on each corner of the stretcher to balance the weight and share in the lifting.

You will place two persons at the foot, one at the head, and the other to act as a safety anchor with a rope.

You will place two persons at the head of the stretcher, one at the foot, and one to act as a spotter.

They would position themselves half way up the slope to take over when you and your partner get fatigued.

You place one person on each corner of the stretcher to balance the weight and share in the lifting.

When you place your finger in an infant's palm, she grasps it with her fingers. This is an example of which reflex?

Answers:

Palmar

Moro

Sucking

Rooting

Palmar

Which of the following respiratory processes requires the active use of muscles?

Answers:

Bifurcation

Inhalation

Gas exchange

Exhalation

Inhalation

What condition of immediate concern results from a loss of red blood cells due to hemorrhage?

Answers:

Decreased oxygen delivery to the tissues

Decreased ability to fight infection

Decrease in pulse rate

Decreased production of carbon dioxide

Decreased oxygen delivery to the tissues

Shock occurs as a result of which of the following?

Answers:

C/Q match

V/Q match

Adequate perfusion

Inadequate perfusion

Inadequate perfusion

Which of the following incidents is the EMT legally required to report to law enforcement?

Answers:

Your patient has facial and head injuries and states that her husband beat her with a telephone receiver.

You suspect the wife of the patient you are treating for chest pain has been smoking marijuana.

Your patient is an 18-year-old college student who has been consuming large amounts of alcohol at a fraternity party.

Your patient is a 12-year-old male who fell from his bicycle, breaking his left arm, and tells you his parents are at work.

Your patient has facial and head injuries and states that her husband beat her with a telephone receiver.

You are treating a patient who has been coughing up blood and who reports weight loss, loss of appetite, weakness, night sweats, and fever. Which of the following diseases is most likely the cause of these signs and symptoms?

Answers:

AIDS

Hepatitis B

Pneumonia

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

You and your new EMT partner arrive first on the scene of a single car rollover on the shoulder of a busy highway. You pull off in a safe location and just as you stop the ambulance, your partner throws the passenger door open, steps out of the truck, and begins jogging through the scattered debris toward the overturned car. You shout for him to stop and he looks back at you, but then continues to the vehicle and begins assessing the driver. Later, as you are restocking in the ambulance bay of the local trauma center your partner tells you that he thinks you acted unprofessionally by shouting at him. What is the best way to respond?

Answers:

The On-Duty Supervisor should be called.

Shouting was an attempt to protect the EMT from a potentially unsafe scene.

An EMT should never hurry to assist a patient.

New EMTs should expect partners to yell at them occasionally.

Shouting was an attempt to protect the EMT from a potentially unsafe scene.

Which of the following structures closes over the trachea to protect it during swallowing?

Answers:

Cricoid cartilage

Pharynx

Epiglottis

Diaphragm

Epiglottis

With regard to anatomical locations, which of the following is NOT true?

Answers:

The foot is distal to the knee.

The mouth is proximal to the nose.

The ears are located on the lateral aspect of the head.

The umbilicus is located on the ventral aspect of the body.

The mouth is proximal to the nose.

For a patient without a possibility of spinal injury, which of the following carries should be used to move him from a bed to a stretcher?

Answers:

Draw-sheet method

Direct-ground lift

Extremity lift

Firefighter's carry

Draw-sheet method

You have responded to a nursing home and find an elderly patient in his bed in cardiac arrest. Which type of move would you perform to get the patient to a hard surface so you can perform chest compressions?

Answers:

Emergency move

Clothing drag

Urgent move

Non-urgent move

Emergency move

You are called to an assault on a homeless male. Dried blood from the trauma is visible around the patient's mouth and nose. During assessment, you note the patient has a productive cough. The patient says, "Don't worry, I'm not contagious. I've had this cough for a year." Describe the best approach regarding respiratory isolation.

Answers:

Mask yourself and the patient.

Mask yourself only.

Isolate the patient with a nonrebreather mask.

Use gloves for PPE, as that's all that's needed.

Mask yourself and the patient.

What is a patent airway?

Answers:

A rigid suction device used to remove fluid and foreign objects from the pharynx to secure the airway

A term used by EMS practitioners to indicate that the patient has a secured and opened airway necessary for life

An airway that is in need of securing via an oral or nasal pharyngeal airway

The condition of the patient's airway at the start of a lifesaving intervention

A term used by EMS practitioners to indicate that the patient has a secured and opened airway necessary for life

What reference provides important information regarding hazardous materials, emergency care, and procedures in case of accidental fire or release; supplies definitions of placard colors and identification numbers; and should be standard issue on- board all ambulances and rescue units?

Answers:

Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan

Emergency Response Guidebook

Safety Data Sheets

Accidental Exposure and Contamination Guide

Emergency Response Guidebook

The disruption of lung tissue by mechanical forces or medical problems can upset diffusion, which is defined as:

Answers:

the exchange of gases in the bronchi.

maintaining enough positive pressure in the pleural space to keep the lungs from collapsing.

the ability of the lungs to expand equally during inspiration.

the process of gas exchange between the alveoli and the capillaries.

the process of gas exchange between the alveoli and the capillaries.

Which of the following is the correct position of an EMT's feet when lifting?

Answers:

Shoulder-width apart

As wide apart as possible

As close together as possible

Two feet apart

Shoulder- width apart

The term burnout is also known as a(n) ________ stress reaction.

Answers:

cumulative

delayed

acute

post-traumatic

cumulative

You arrive on the scene of a 55- year- old male patient. The patient's wife called 911 because he is having chest pains. The patient is very angry with his wife for calling 911 because he states he only has heartburn and adamantly refuses any treatment or transport. After signing the patient refusal form, the patient collapses and goes into sudden cardiac arrest. The wife is crying uncontrollably and begging you to do something. What should you do?

Answers:

Provide emergency care under implied consent.

Provide emergency care for the patient only if his wife signs a document stating they will not sue the EMS service.

Respect his legal right to not have any treatment, regardless of how much the wife begs you to help.

Explain to the wife that her husband signed a legal document refusing care, and if you intervened to help him now, you would be breaking the law.

Provide emergency care under implied consent.

Which of the following is the only movable bone of the face?

Answers:

Zygoma

Maxillae

Manubrium

Mandible

Mandible

What level of emergency medical training provides the most advanced pre-hospital care?

Answers:

Advanced EMT

Paramedic

Emergency Medical Responder

Emergency Medical Technician

Paramedic

Which of the following is a function of the skin?

Answers:

Protection from the environment

Regulation of body temperature

Balancing water in the body

All of the above

All of the above

Which of the following agencies is responsible for establishing EMS system assessment programs?

Answers:

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

United States Health Services Agency (HSA)

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Which of the following behaviors would demonstrate that an EMT understands reactions to death and dying?

Answers:

Being firm with grieving family members and telling them they need to accept what has happened

Being tolerant of angry reactions by patients and family members

Giving a dying patient hope that a cure can be found before the patient dies

Providing spiritual guidance to patients who express anger at God

Being tolerant of angry reactions by patients and family members

Which of the following describes the midline of the body?

Answers:

An imaginary line dividing the body into equal right and left halves

The intersection of two imaginary lines crossing at the umbilicus

An imaginary line dividing the body into a top and bottom portion

An imaginary line dividing the body into a front and a back portion

An imaginary line dividing the body into equal right and left halves

What is the primary reason for an EMT to use specific and proper medical terminology?

Answers:

It will make patients and family members trust in the EMT's abilities more.

EMS providers can't bill for services unless the correct terminology is used in all documentation.

People may think that an EMT is not intelligent or professional unless she uses medical terms.

Medical communication needs to be exact and consistent.

Medical communication needs to be exact and consistent.

Which of the following should you do when reaching for something?

Answers:

Avoid reaching more than 15 to 20 inches in front of your body.

Keep your back in a locked-in position.

Avoid twisting.

All of the above

All of the above

Which of the following factors should be considered before lifting any patient?

Answers:

Communications

Your physical limitations

The weight of the patient

All of the above

All of the above

Your patient is a 40- year- old known diabetic who was found unconscious at work by a coworker. What type of consent allows you to treat this patient?

Answers:

Expressed consent

Consent for treatment of minor emergencies

Implied consent

Consent for mentally incompetent adults

Implied consent

You are assessing a female patient with depression. She tells you that her psychologist said that she is dealing with "empty- nest syndrome." What age group is this associated with?

Answers:

Early adulthood

Middle-aged adulthood

Late adulthood

Middle adulthood

Middle adulthood

Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISDs):

Answers:

have been replaced with "defusings."

are always recommended.

must be held from 2 to 4 hours following an incident to be effective.

are now less common than they once were.

are now less common than they once were.

Which of the following is the primary responsibility- or first priority- of the EMT?

Answers:

Protect and stabilize the patient

Communicate with other responders on the scene

Maintain personal health and safety

Provide emergency care

Maintain personal health and safety

When the potential exists for exposure to exhaled air of a person with suspected or confirmed TB, a(n) ________ mask should be worn by the EMT.

Answers:

B-50

N-95

surgical

nonrebreather

N- 95

Which of the following is another name for the squat- lift position?

Answers:

Power lift

Power grip

Weight-lifter technique

Direct carry

Power lift

You respond to a 35- year- old male patient who fell 50 feet from a bluff. Your authority to provide emergency care is an extension of the Medical Director's license to practice medicine. You are acting as a(n) ________ of the Medical Director.

Answers:

employee

extension

subordinate

designated agent

designated agent

What should you NOT do when using a stair chair?

Answers:

Lean forward from the hips.

Flex your knees.

Keep your back straight.

Lean forward from the waist.

Lean forward from the waist.

What two components are directly related to aerobic metabolism?

Answers:

Exercise and water

Oxygen and glucose

Electrolytes and carbohydrates

Carbolic acid and air

Oxygen and glucose

A child's ________ takes up proportionally more space in the pharynx than does an adult's.

Answers:

trachea

epiglottis

cricoid cartilage

tongue

tongue

Which of the following are the abdominal regions created by drawing two imaginary lines intersecting at the navel?

Answers:

Abdominal planes

Abdominal regions

Abdominal quadrants

Abdominal sextants

Abdominal quadrants

You respond to a large concert venue where a number of spectators are reported to be severely intoxicated. You are directed to an area where several patients appear to be unconscious, lying face down on the ground. The position of these patients is described as:

Answers:

prone.

posterior.

supine.

anterior.

prone.

What is a common term used to describe the items needed for Standard Precautions or body substance isolation precautions?

Answers:

Infection-control plan

Exposure-control plan

Personal protective equipment

Harm-reduction strategy

Personal protective equipment

Which of the following types of blood vessels allow the exchange of substances directly between the blood and the cells of the body?

Answers:

Arterioles

Alveoli

Capillaries

Veins

Capillaries