Section 1 - Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science

Medical assistant

Common responsibilities of a _______:

- Patient intake and rooming

- Measuring vital signs

- Preparing exam rooms

- Collecting specimens

- Performing authorized clinical procedures

- Scheduling appointments

- Communicating w patients and healthcare professionals

Physician

Diagnoses and treats disease

Physician assistant

Evaluates and treats patients within their scope

Nurse Practitioner

Advanced nursing assessment and treatment

Registered nurse

Nursing care and patient assessment

LPN/LVN

practical nursing care

Medical assistant

Clinical and administrative support

Phlebotomist

Blood collection

Medical laboratory technician

Performs laboratory testing

Scope of practice

refers to the duties a healthcare professional is legally permitted and qualified to perform

Medical assistant scope of practice

A medical assistant

generally:

- Cannot independently diagnose diseases

- Cannot independently prescribe medications

- Cannot interpret diagnostic results or establish treatment plans

- Must follow state laws, employer policies and appropriate supervision requirements

Prefix

beginning of a word

Root

Main meaning of a word

Suffix

ending of a word that often indicates a condition or a procedure

Hyper-

excessive/high

(prefix)

Hypo-

below/low

(prefix)

Brady-

Slow

(prefix)

Tachy-

Fast

(prefix)

Poly-

Many/much

(prefix)

Dys-

Difficult/abnormal

(prefix)

A-/An-

Without

(prefix)

Hemi-

Half

(prefix)

Peri-

Around

(prefix)

Endo-

Within

(prefix)

-itis

inflammation

(suffix)

-ectomy

surgical removal

(suffix)

-ology

study of

(suffix)

-scopy

visual examination

(suffix)

-plasty

surgical repair

(suffix)

-megaly

enlargement

(suffix)

-pathy

disease

(suffix)

Respiratory rate

RR

Shortness of breath

SOB

Nothing by mouth

NPO

Intramuscular

IM

Intravenous

IV

subcutaneous

SubQ

Diagnosis

Dx

Treatment

Tx

Generic name

Official non-brand medication name

Brand name

Manufacturer's marketed name

Indication

Why a medication is prescribed

Contraindication

a condition or factor that makes a medication inappropriate

Side effect

An unintended effect of medication

Adverse reaction

A harmful or unintended response to a medication

Therapeutic effect

the desired effect of a medication

Drug interaction

when medications affect one another

Oral

by mouth

(common medication routes)

Sublingual

under the tongue

(common medication routes)

Buccal

Between the cheek and gum

(common medication routes)

Topical

applied to the skin

(common medication routes)

Intradermal

Into the dermis

(common medication routes)

Subcutaneous

into the fatty tissue

(common medication routes)

Intramuscular

into the muscle

(common medication routes)

Intravenous

Into a vein

(common medication routes)

Medication administration rights

Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time, right documentation

right reason, right response, right education, right to refuse