PCT Exam Practice Questions

Patient care technicians/assistants

can give basic nursing care under the supervision of a licensed nurse.

Ethics and Patient Rights

Ethics are based on integrity, responsibility to service and community, respect, self-discipline and intent to further your career.

Patient Rights

The Patient Care Partnership serves as a guide for both patients and their physicians involved in their care.

Ethics

is the knowledge of what is right conduct versus what is wrong conduct

Laws

are rules of conduct made by a government body

Tort

is a wrong committed against a person or the person's property. Torts may be intentional or unintentional.

Negligence

is an unintentional wrong.

Malpractice

is negligence by a professional person (unintentional)

Intentional torts

are acts that are meant to be harmful.

Defamation

is injuring a person's name and reputation by making false statements to a third person

Liable

is making false statements in print, writing or through pictures

Slander

is making false statements orally

Invasion of privacy

is violating a person's right not to have his or her private affairs exposed

Fraud

is saying or doing something to trick, fool or deceive a person.

Assault

is intentionally attempting to touch or threaten a person's body without their consent

Battery

is touching a person's body without their consent

Informed Consent

is when the person clearly understands what is going to be done.

Abandonment

is when a provider withdraws from the care of a patient without reasonable notice of discharge

Two types of civil actions

lack of informed consent and violation of standard of care

Good listeners apply the following skills:

Face the person, Have good eye contact, Lean toward the person, Respod to the person

Paraphrasing

restate the person's message in your own words. An excellent way to show you are listening.

Clarifying

lets you make sure that you understand the message

Silence

sometimes nothing needs to be said. Silence is a powerful message.

Kinesics

the study of nonverbal communication

Kinesics slip

where verbal and nonverbal messages do not match

Zones of comfort -

intimate space (18 inches or closer)

personal space

(18 in. to 4 ft)

social space

(4 ft to 12 ft)

public space

(12 ft or more)

Narrative

written description of patient's visits in chronological order. No Shows are documented in a patient's chart

SOAP Note Charting

method that tracks subjective, objective, assessment and plan for a patient's visit.

Subjective

patient's statements (chief complaint)

Objective

observations made by the medical assistant, examination findings and vital signs

Assessment

doctor's diagnosis

Plan

health care providers prescribed plan of action

POMR - Problem-Oriented Medical Record Charting

tracks a patient's problems throughout medical care.

Flow Charts

visual tools that help track certain information in patient's medical records like an infant's/child's growth

Progress Notes

daily chart notes made during patient's visits to document patient progress with certain conditions.

Patient Information Sheet

contains personal and insurance information

Objective Data

is information that is heard, felt or smelled. Subjective data are things a person tells you about that you cannot observe through your senses.

Chief complaint

what the patient is there for. This could be a situation where a signature may be required.

Prefix

comes before the root word

Root word

relating to specific body parts

Suffix

comes after the root word

Combining vowel

makes the word easier to say

Ventral

front part of body

Dorsal

back part of body

Anterior

in front of

Posterior

toward the back part of body

Medial

towards the midline of the body

Lateral

towards the side of the body

Proximal

closest to the point of origin

Distal

away from the point of origin

Frontal plane

divides the body into front and back portions

Transverse plane

divides the body into upper and lower portions

Normal anatomic position

standing with arms lank and palms forward

Supine position

lying on back

Prone position

lying on stomach

Lateral recumbent position

lying on the side

Fowler's Position

In this position the patient is lying, on his/back, on the bed.

Prone position

Patient lies on abdomen with head turned to one side for comfort. Arms may be above head or alongside body.

Sims Position

is when the patient is on his/her back with knees flexed and soles of the feet flat on the bed

Integumentary system, or skin

is the largest system

Bones and bone tissue

there are two types of bone tissue, compact and spongy bone.

Bones are also classified into four types

long, short, flat and irregular.

Long bones

Femur, radius, and humerus

Short bones

Carpals and tarsals

Flat bones

Ribs, scapula, skull, sternum

Irregular

Vertebrae, sacrum, and mandible

Articulation or joint

a place of junction between two or more bones. There are three types of articulation - immovable, slightly movable, and freely movable.

Synovial joints

Ball-and-socket joint, Condyloid joint, Gliding Joint, Hinge joint, Pivot joint, Saddle joint

Nervous system controls, directs, and coordinates body functions

Its two main divisions are the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system

Circulatory/Cardiovascular System

is made up of the blood, heart, and blood vessels

The Respiratory System

is responsible for bringing oxygen to the lungs and removing carbon dioxide from them.

The Digestive System

breaks down food physically and chemically so it can be absorbed for use by the cells

Serosa

the outermost layer of the digestive tract composed of connective tissue

Saliva

a fluid that breaks down food and begins the chemical breakdown of carbohydrates.

Uvula

soft tissue hanging down from the soft palate in the mouth

Small intestine

the longest part of the digestive tract

The Urinary System

rids the body of solid waste.

The Reproductive System

allows for the reproduction.

The Endocrine System

is made up of glands called the endocrine glands. The endocrine glands secrete chemical substances called hormones into the bloodstream.

The Immune System

gives the body immunity. Immunity means that person has protection against a disease or condition.

The following incidents require written reports:

Accidents, Thefts from person on hospital property, errors of omission of patient treatment or errors in administration of patient treatment, including medication

The following incidents require written reports:

Exposure to blood and body fluids, as may be caused by a needle stick

In the event of a fire - R

Rescue individuals in danger

In the event of a fire - A

Sound the alarm

In the event of a fire - C

Confine the fire by closing all doors and windows

In the event of a fire - E

Extinguish the fire with the nearest suitable fire extinguisher

Using Electrical Equipment

avoid using damaged power chords, avoid extension chords, avoid electrical equipment while collecting blood, when available, try to use three pronged plugs

Amount of radiation is determined by:

Time; exposed to source; shielding; if anything is between you and the source of radiation, Distance; how far person of object is away from source

External Hemorrhage

apply direct pressure to wound until bleeding stops or EMS arrives, if bleeding continues, keep applying cloth or gauze over the ones already on the wound

Shock, Common symptoms:

clammy, pale, cold skin, rapid weak pulse, shallow or increased breathing rate, staring eyes and expressionless face

First aid for shock:

maintain open airway, call for assistance, keep patient lying down with head lower than the rest of the body

First aid for shock:

attempt to control bleeding or other cause of shock if known, keep patient warm until help arrives

AIDS

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and is caused by a virus called human immunodeficiency virus.

Hepatitis B

This disease is caused by an inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis b virus, also known as HBV.

Tuberculosis

This disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an airborne pathogen.

Nosocomial infections

Any infection that first occurs during a patient's stay at a health-care facility, regardless of whether it is detected during the stay or after, is known as a nosocomial infection

Handwashing

Hand washing is the most important means of preventing the spread of infection, Washing hands for 1 to 2 minutes