cma certification packet

Which action by a medical assistant demonstrates appropriate nonverbal communication when greeting a patient?

Making direct eye contact and offering a genuine smile

Which of the following concepts typically defines ethics?

Principles of right and wrong

A medical assistant realizes they double-booked a procedure appointment. To demonstrate professionalism and take responsibility, which action should the assistant take?

Notify the provider and reschedule the patient

Which professional characteristic ensures a clinical medical assistant treats all patients with dignity, regardless of their cultural or socioeconomic background?

Tolerance

Which of the following best describes empathy?

To care and respect for the health and welfare of your patients

A clinical medical assistant witnesses a heated conflict between two colleagues involving a threat of physical safety. According to standard HR protocols, which action must the assistant take immediately?

Document the incident and report it to the immediate supervisor

Which non-verbal behavior demonstrates active listening when a medical assistant is interviewing a seated patient?

Sitting at eye level and leaning slightly toward the patient

Which of the following is the foundation for developing good listening skills?

Paraphrasing

A medical assistant is providing discharge instructions to a patient following a minor procedure. Which approach best demonstrates clear and concise communication?

Stating key care steps briefly and referring to the written handout

As you are taking vitals of an elderly patient, he begins to question you about his medication and possible side effects. What is the best action to take?

Listen and explain that the doctor is the best person to have this discussion with.

In order to have the best therapeutic communication, the clinical medical assistant should do which of the following?

Accept each patient's particular attributes

Initiating and responding in a calm professional manner when communicating with others is known as which of the following?

Diplomacy

Which of the following actions is a roadblock to therapeutic communication?

Giving advice

If you want to convey an open posture while communicating with a patient, what should you do?

Lean forward in your chair facing the patient

Which of the following terms is NOT one of the five Cs, or components, of communication?

Consistent

During a busy clinic surge, a Clinical Medical Assistant notices that the nursing staff is overwhelmed and exam rooms are low on supplies. Which action demonstrates appropriate professional support?

Restock the exam rooms to assist the healthcare team

What is the term for an employee who is considered to be acting on the doctor's behalf while performing professional tasks?

Respondeat superior

A clinical medical assistant suspects a young patient is the victim of child abuse. Signs of abuse are also the finding of the examining physician. The clinical medical assistant and the physician should do which of the following?

Document findings in the medical record and report it to the proper authorities

A very busy phlebotomist misidentifies the patient when collecting a specimen for transfusion preparation. The possible misdiagnosis of blood type could cause the patient's death. If the phlebotomist's action results in injury, which of the following could the phlebotomist be charged with?

Negligence

Any breached federal or state narcotics laws are considered which type of offense?

Criminal acts

In which of the following situations is it permissible to release information from a patient's records?

When a court requests it by means of a subpoena

A breach of confidentiality is considered unethical and illegal and is prohibited by which of the following?

HIPAA

Which of the following is the principal purpose of a living will?

Let caregivers know the patient's wants with regard to lifesaving measures

What is the abbreviation for the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)?

HIV

Which of the following is the most important step in achieving medical asepsis?

Washing hands

Which term refers to protection from infectious disease?

Immunity

Which of the following is one example of PPE?

Face shield

While preparing a patient for an examination, the patient states that she is nauseous. She begins to vomit bright, red blood. Which PPE would be the most appropriate to wear in this situation?

Gloves, face shield, and gown

A medical assistant notices a patient coughing repeatedly in the waiting area. To comply with CDC respiratory hygiene guidelines, which action should be taken immediately?

Provide a face mask and maintain spatial separation

A patient arrives at the reception desk coughing frequently and appearing visibly ill. Which of the following actions should the clinical medical assistant take first?

Offer the patient a face mask immediately

A medical assistant has just administered an intramuscular injection. Which of the following actions should the assistant take to ensure safety?

Engage the safety mechanism and place it in a sharps container

What is the term for, "the scrubbing of instruments with special brushes and detergents to remove blood, mucous, etc .? "

Sanitization

Which of the following involves a soaking or wiping process that inhibits the activity of disease-causing organisms?

Disinfection

What is the process used for supplies that will come in contact with internal body tissue or an open wound involving the use of heat (steam) and an autoclave?

Sterilization

Which statement is TRUE about the border of a sterile field?

The one inch border is considered nonsterile.

When a strong antigen invades the body, which type of immunity will develop?

Natural active immunity

Which type of contact infection transmission involves transfer of an infective microbe to the mucous membranes of a susceptible individual by means of a cough or sneeze?

Droplet

Which action should the medical assistant take daily to ensure the ECG machine is ready for patient testing?

Check the paper supply and battery charge

A Clinical Medical Assistant is preparing a patient for a standard resting 12-lead ECG. To reduce artifacts and ensure accurate lead placement, in which position should the patient be placed?

Supine

When applying chest leads, where is V2 placed?

At the fourth ICS, left sternal border

Each large square (five small squares in length) on an ECG reading represents how many seconds?

0.2 seconds

Normal QRS complexes are those that are most closely aligned with which description below?

Are upright and narrow

The graphic representation of ventricular depolarization on an ECG reading is represented by which of the following?

QRS complex

What are the marks on the ECG tracing caused by another source of activity called?

Artifacts

You are obtaining an ECG using a 10-lead ECG machine. The patient accidently burps while the strip is running, causing an artifact on the strip. What can this be identified as?

Somatic tremor

After you have washed your hands, put on PPE, and assembled the equipment and supplies, what is your next step in obtaining a capillary blood sample?

Identify the patient

A lipemic specimen is a clue that the patient was probably which of the following?

Not fasting

What is the purpose of the plastic collection tube holder?

Aid insertion and withdrawal of blood vacuum tubes

Which of the following should an ordered blood culture be drawn in?

Yellow top tube

Urine needs to be collected in which type of container if it is collected for bacterial culture?

Sterile

Which question pertains to patient safety regarding blood collections?

"Are you allergic to anything that you know of?"

What must the clinical medical assistant do in preparation for a venipuncture or capillary stick?

Allow the alcohol to air-dry

Which test requires strict skin antisepsis procedures before specimen collection?

Blood culture

Blood would be used for what kind of testing if it was collected in a vacuum tube containing no additive?

Blood chemistries

How does heparin prevent blood from clotting?

Inhibiting thrombin

Vacuum tubes used in venipuncture have different color tops. What is the reason for this differentiation among the colored tops?

Additives that may be within

What is the purpose of an antiglycolytic agent?

It preserves glucose

A clinical medical assistant should never leave a tourniquet on the arm for longer than which of the following?

60 seconds

What is the primary purpose for anchoring a vein in performing a venipuncture?

To prevent it from rolling

Which of the following sites is most commonly used in venipuncture to withdraw blood?

Median cubital vein

Which of the following combining word forms means "internal organs?"

Viscer/o

Which of the following would appear in the past history (PH) section of a patient's medical history?

Hospitalizations

Which of the following best describes anthropometric measurements?

Include height and weight

A clinical medical assistant is selecting a growth chart for a pediatric patient. At what age is it appropriate to transition from WHO growth standards to CDC growth charts?

24 months

Where does a tympanic thermometer measure temperature?

In the ear

Which of the following information does not need to be on the specimen label?

Diagnosis

A Clinical Medical Assistant records an adult patient's vital signs as BP 110/70 mm Hg, respirations 16/min, temperature 98.4°F, and pulse 124/min. Which of the following actions should the assistant take immediately?

Verbally notify the provider of the tachycardia

A medical assistant is preparing to measure blood pressure on a patient who has a left arm amputation. Which of the following sites should the assistant use?

Right upper arm

When a physician is going to perform a sigmoidoscopy, the clinical medical assistant would most commonly place the patient in which position?

Sims

A patient's arm is swollen. What is the term used to describe this condition?

Edematous

A stethoscope is usually used in which method of examination?

Auscultation

How many chambers are there in the human heart?

4

Red bone marrow produces which of the following?

Platelets

The thoracic cavity contains which of the following anatomical structures?

Lungs

What body cavity is located near the back of the body and is a continuous internal opening that includes the cranial and spinal cavities?

Posterior (dorsal) cavity

Which of the following uses high-frequency sound waves to penetrate deep tissue layers?

Ultrasound

Which term best describes "destruction by burning"?

Electrocaurization

Which degree of burn is usually painless at first?

3rd degree

Which type of shock is the result of extracellular fluid loss, as seen in extensive contusions or loss of plasma from large burned areas?

Hypovolemic

What is a jagged, open wound of the skin called?

Laceration

Which of the following is the type of wound in which a tissue is hanging as a flap or is torn loose?

Avulsion

Codeine is an example of what kind of drug?

Narcotic analgesic

What is lidocaine a type of?

Anesthetic

Which of the following is a sedative?

Barbiturate

A medical assistant is updating the controlled substance log after administering medication. Which information is legally required to maintain the running inventory?

Amount of medication administered

What is a prefilled syringe also known as?

Cartridge

A provider orders a medication dose based on body weight for a patient who weighs 176 lb. What is the patient's weight converted to kilograms?

80 kg (Divide pounds by 2.2 to convert to kilograms. 176 lb divided by 2.2 equals 80 kg.)

A clinical medical assistant administers an oral medication. Which information must be documented in the medical record immediately following administration?

The medication name, dose, route, time, and patient response

A clinical medical assistant is preparing to administer a subcutaneous injection to a patient's upper arm. Which needle size and angle of insertion are appropriate for this procedure?

5/8 inch needle at a 45-degree angle

Which of the following is NOT a common route for the administration of parenteral medications?

Oral

Which of the following containers must be used to dispose of a needle and syringe immediately after an injection?

Puncture-resistant sharps container

Which of the following job responsibilities has the highest risk exposure?

Drawing blood for a lab analysis

Which of the following is the primary purpose of disposing of items saturated with blood in a designated biohazard container?

To prevent exposure to potentially infectious bloodborne pathogens

What is the third step of analyzing an ECG rhythm?

Evaluate the P-wave

Which term refers to the control of bleeding?

Hemostasis

What can you do to lower the risk of bruising after venipuncture?

Apply pressure to the puncture site.

What are whorls, as related to capillary puncture?

Spiral patterns of fingerprints

Which of the following is NOT an example of properly disposed venipuncture equipment and supplies?

Placing the plastic venipuncture needle cover in a biohazard container

Of the following list, which urine specimen would contain the highest solute concentration?

1st morning

Which type of urine specimen, collected in a sterile container, is best for bacterial culture testing?

Clean-catch midstream