PCT Module 4 Review Questions

A PCT is performing a capillary blood specimen collection for an 11-month-old infant. Which of the following devices should the technician use?

Disposable lancet

When collecting a capillary blood specimen for an 11-month-old infant, the technician should select a disposable lancet. The lancet should be of the appropriate size and gauge to avoid penetrating deeper than 2 mm to avoid causing injury to underlying bones and nerves.

Which of the following actions should the PCT take to help prevent hemolysis?

Use a small-volume tube with a small-diameter butterfly needle.

The technician should use a small-volume tube with a small-diameter butterfly needle to help prevent hemolysis.

A PCT is transporting a blood specimen to the laboratory. For which of the following reasons should the technician keep the specimen container in a vertical position with the stopper up during transport?

To prevent hemolysis

The specimen must be transported with the stopper up to help develop necessary clotting in the blood and prevent hemolysis.

A PCT should identify that a delay in transferring a specimen from a syringe to a vacuum tube might cause which of the following to occur?

Hemolysis

The technician should identify that hemolysis of a specimen occurs due to a syringe transfer delay.

A PCT is providing teaching to a patient about a sputum test. Which of the following statements should the technician make?

"We will collect the specimen in the morning."

The technician should inform the patient that sputum samples are best provided in the morning.

A PCT is collecting specimens for multiple tests via capillary puncture. Which of the following tubes should the technician collect first?

Lavender

The technician should collect the lavender tube first because this is a hematology test and it is affected the most by the clotting process.

A PCT is preparing to perform a drug test for a patient. Which of the following actions should the technician plan to take?

Include the location where the test was performed on the chain of custody form.

To adhere to chain of custody, the technician should include the location or facility where the test was performed on the chain of custody form. The chain of custody form should also include the time and date the specimen was obtained, and the signatures of all personnel involved.

A PCT missed the 0900 specimen collection for a patient's glucose tolerance test (GTT). Which of the following actions should the technician take next?

Perform the collections and record the time that they were collected.

The technician should perform the blood and urine collections as soon as possible and document the reason for delay.

A PCT is collecting a blood specimen from a patient who states, "I am feeling lightheaded." Which of the following actions should the technician take?

Protect the patient from falling.

The technician should immediately provide support to the patient to protect them from injury.

A PCT has collected a venipuncture specimen. Which of the following patient information should the technician include on the specimen label?

Identification number

When completing a venipuncture, the technician should fill out the necessary information on the tube label. This includes the patient's first and last name, identification number, date and time of collection, phlebotomy technician's initials, and other pertinent information, such as the patient's fasting status.

A PCT is preparing to perform a venipuncture for a patient who is NPO. The patient states, "I feel nauseous." Which of the following actions should the technician take?

Encourage the patient to take deep, slow breaths.

The technician should encourage the patient to take deep, slow breaths and alert the nurse if the patient is experiencing nausea. The technician should also offer the patient an emesis basin in case vomiting occurs.

A PCT is performing a blood collection with a winged infusion set through a dorsal hand vein. At which of the following angels should the technician insert the needle?

10°

When performing a blood collection through the dorsal hand vein, the technician should insert the needle of the winged infusion set at a shallow angle of 10° or less. This will help reduce the risk of damage to the major structures in the hand.

A PCT is collecting specimens for a chemistry, coagulation, and blood culture study using a butterfly needle. The technician should identify that which of the following are in the proper order of draw?

Blood culture bottles, light blue, red, gray

The correct order of draw is sterile tubes, coagulation tubes, and then chemistry tubes. Blood culture bottles should be drawn first to help prevent contamination and keep the test as accurate as possible.

Which of the following actions should a PCT take when processing a 24-hr urine specimen?

Note the time and date that the specimen collection began.

The technician should note the time and date that the specimen collection began on the specimen label and attach it to the container.

A PCT should identify that which of the following indicates proper use of an evacuated tube system (ETS) for blood collections?

Used once per patient

To maintain sterility, an ETS should be used once and discarded in a sharps container.

A PCT is placing a label on an evacuated tube. Which of the following actions should the technician take?

Apply the label immediately following the venipuncture.

The technician should apply the label and fill in all necessary information directly following the venipuncture procedure. This ensures that documentation is only completed if the procedure takes place. The label should be applied in front of the patient and before leaving the patient's room.

A PCT is performing a quality control check on a glucometer. Which of the following actions should the technician take?

Check the calibration of the glucometer.

The technician should check that the glucometer is calibrated when performing a quality control check. If a glucometer is not calibrated correctly, it will not produce accurate results.

A PCT collects a specimen in an EDTA tube, but the specimen clots. The technician should identify that this could have been caused by which of the following?

The collection tube was past its expiration date.

The technician should identify that the manufacturer guarantees reliability of additives until the expiration date. EDTA tubes contain an anticoagulant to prevent clotting of specimens.

A PCT has just collected a specimen to determine a patient's blood ammonia level. Which of the following actions should the technician take?

Submerge the specimen in an ice slurry.

The technician should immediately place the specimen in an ice slurry because blood ammonia levels rapidly increase at room temperature.

A PCT is speaking with a client who is performing a 24-hr urine collection. The patient states, "I accidentally urinated into the toilet once today and did not collect the urine." Which of the following responses should the technician make?

"You should discard all of the previous specimens and begin the collection again."

The technician should instruct the patient to discard all previous specimens and begin the 24-hr collection again from the beginning.