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Q:
You are called for a patient who was discovered unconscious in his bed this morning. You immediately complete a primary assessment and determine that he is breathing and has a good pulse. What should you do next?
A) Try to locate all of his medications.
B) Begin transport immediately.
C) Complete a rapid physical exam.
D) Ask the family what happened.
Q:
Where might you find a patient's medical alert identification jewelry?
A) Ankle bracelet
B) Bracelet
C) Necklace
D) All of the above
Q:
When using the memory aid OPQRST, which of the following questions would help you find out about P?
A) What is your primary complaint?
B) Are you having any pain?
C) Do you have any past medical history?
D) Does anything make the pain better or worse?
Q:
You are dispatched for a patient with chest pain. Your patient tells you that she has had shortness of breath and chest pain for about 20 minutes. Which of the following will give you the best information regarding your patient's chest pain symptoms?
A) Is the pain in your chest a sharp pain?
B) Describe how the pain feels.
C) Have you taken your medications correctly?
D) Do you have a history of chest pain?
Q:
Mrs. Butler is a 66-year-old woman who is complaining of chest pain. Which of the following questions would be best in helping you determine if the pain is radiating?
A) Are you having pain anywhere besides your chest?
B) Does anything make the pain better or worse?
C) Are you experiencing any other symptoms?
D) Are you having pain in your arm?
Q:
Mr. Hughes is a 49-year-old man complaining of chest pain. To find out about the quality of his chest pain, which of the following questions is most appropriate?
A) On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, how would you rate your level of pain?
B) Does anything make the pain worse?
C) Can you describe how the pain in your chest feels?
D) Are you having pain anywhere besides your chest?
Q:
In the assessment of a responsive medical patient, which of the following will provide you with the most important information?
A) Focused physical exam
B) Patient's medical history
C) Detailed physical exam
D) Baseline vital signs
Q:
When you begin interviewing your patient, he tells you that he has not felt well for several months, ever since he had his gallbladder removed. He goes on to tell you that he cannot get his wife to schedule a doctor's appointment for him and when she remembers to call, the office is always closed. Which of the following is the best way to proceed?
A) Begin your assessment of his vital signs.
B) Ask him why he decided to call 911 today.
C) Try to call his doctor to schedule an appointment.
D) Ask him for a list of his medications.
Q:
You are performing a rapid trauma assessment on an unresponsive 30-year-old male. As you evaluate his head, which of the following should you check for?
A) Unequal facial muscles
B) Function of the cranial nerves
C) Crepitation
D) Whether the patient can follow your finger with his eyes
Q:
Your patient is a 15-year-old female complaining of shortness of breath. Which of the following is NOT appropriate during the focused exam?
A) Looking at the use of her neck muscles
B) Checking her pupils for reactivity to light
C) Looking at her nail beds
D) Listening to her breath sounds
Q:
Your patient is a 22-year-old college student complaining of abdominal pain. She is alert and oriented, although somewhat uncomfortable. Which of the following should be your first action?
A) Take the patient's roommate aside and ask about the patient's medical history.
B) Palpate the patient's abdomen for tenderness and guarding.
C) Ask the patient to describe the pain and find out if she has other complaints.
D) Perform a rapid head-to-toe physical examination.
Q:
The term priapism means ________ and may be found in injuries of the ________.
A) unequal pupils; brain
B) a painful muscle spasm; spine
C) abnormal pulsation; abdomen
D) a persistent penile erection; spine
Q:
If a patient complains of abdominal pain localized to a specific area of the abdomen, which of the following techniques should be used to assess the abdomen?
A) Palpate the painful area last.
B) Do not palpate the painful area.
C) Palpate the painful area first.
D) Palpate the area at the beginning and end of the exam.
Q:
What is a surgical opening in the wall of the abdomen with a plastic bag in place to collect digestive waste?
A) Thoracotomy
B) Fistula
C) Colostomy
D) Gastric bypass
Q:
What does distention refer to when describing your patient's abdomen?
A) Larger than normal
B) Softer than normal
C) Harder than normal
D) Having a sunken-in appearance
Q:
When checking breath sounds in a trauma patient, what should the EMT assess for first?
A) Wheezing and stridor
B) Rate and tidal volume
C) Presence and equality
D) Amount of dead space air and residual air
Q:
The ambulance is called for an assaulted patient. While transporting the patient to the hospital, the EMT notes the patient's jugular veins are flat (nondistended). Which of these is most likely the cause of this finding?
A) Closed head injury
B) Blood loss
C) Blood collecting around the heart in the pericardial sac
D) High blood pressure
Q:
Your 76-year-old female patient is having trouble breathing. When you auscultate her lungs, you hear crackles (rales) and you are concerned that she may have pulmonary edema. Her oxygen saturation is 92%, so you place her on 100% oxygen via a nonrebreather mask. Her breathing gets a little easier with the oxygen. You decide to expedite transport since she is anxious about her condition. Later, as you are completing your reassessment, you see that her respirations have slowed to 8 times per minute and she is barely staying awake. What should you do next?
A) Ask your partner to pull over and wait for ALS backup.
B) Assist her with using her metered-dose inhaler.
C) Shake her to keep her awake.
D) Begin ventilating her with a bag-valve mask.
Q:
Your patient is a 24-year-old female who swallowed a handful of pills of unknown type. Although she was initially alert and oriented with no complaints, you note that she is now beginning to slur her words and is becoming progressively lethargic. What is the highest priority in dealing with this patient?
A) Checking the patient's pupil size and reactivity to light
B) Finding out exactly what she took
C) Maintaining an open airway
D) Notifying the receiving facility of the change in mental status
Q:
For which of the following patients is a focused physical examination appropriate?
A) A 30-year-old male with a history of diabetes and who is found unresponsive by his son
B) A 25-year-old female with a history of asthma and who is complaining of difficulty breathing
C) A 19-year-old female with a history of epilepsy and who is found only responsive to painful stimuli by her roommate
D) A 70-year-old male with dementia whose caretaker called because he "didn't seem like himself today"
Q:
In which of the following patients should you check for the possibility of spinal injury?
A) A responsive patient with no history of injury who is complaining of a headache and neck pain
B) An unresponsive patient found in her bed with no obvious injury
C) An unresponsive diabetic who appears to have fallen down
D) All of the above
Q:
In which of the following circumstances is manual stabilization of the cervical spine ALWAYS necessary?
A) Trauma above the level of the clavicles
B) Blunt trauma
C) Trauma to the lower extremities
D) Penetrating trauma
Q:
When assessing a patient who has been stabbed. Which of the following information should the EMT gain first?
A) Angle at which the knife entered the patient
B) Size and type of the knife
C) Owner of the knife
D) Make and model of the knife
Q:
You are called for a patient who is complaining of being weak and dizzy. He reports that he does not have enough money to pay for his medications so he has not gotten them refilled. Your service has an automatic blood pressure machine and you use it to measure the patient's blood pressure while you count his respirations. The blood pressure machine reports a blood pressure of 280/140. What should you do next?
A) Call immediately for ALS response.
B) Begin transport immediately.
C) Continue with vital sign assessment.
D) Take a manual blood pressure.
Q:
Your patient is a 16-year-old female who is reporting abdominal pain and nausea. She says it came on when she woke up this morning. Her mother says that her daughter has been tired and cranky lately and has not been eating well for a couple of weeks. In fact, every time you ask a question, the patient's mother answers. What should you do next?
A) Ask the mother to please be quiet.
B) Have your partner interview the mother in the next room.
C) Tell the mother to leave the room.
D) Ignore the mother and continue to try to talk to the patient.
Q:
Which of the following is false regarding the purpose of immediately documenting vital signs once they are obtained?
A) It may be difficult to recall the vital signs accurately later on.
B) You will be able to compare each set of vital signs with the previous ones to detect trends in the patient's condition.
C) Failure to record the vital signs immediately is considered falsifying the medical record.
D) You will be able to report the vital signs accurately when contacting the receiving facility.
Q:
Your patient has been hit in the arm with a baseball during practice. He is alert and oriented, complaining of pain to his left arm with obvious black discoloration of the skin. What type of assessment is called for in this situation?
A) Rapid trauma exam
B) Detailed physical exam
C) Area exam
D) Focused exam
Q:
You are responding to an unresponsive 65-year-old male patient. The patient has snoring respirations, a scalp laceration, and an obvious fracture of the left ankle. What is the best initial course of action?
A) Bandage the scalp wound.
B) Perform a complete primary and secondary assessment to make sure you know exactly what is wrong before treating the patient.
C) Place an oral airway in the patient.
D) Splint the ankle to avoid lacerating any nerves or arteries.
Q:
You are assessing a patient that has been involved in a motor vehicle crash. Which of the following questions would be the most important to ask him?
A) Why were you in such a hurry?
B) How much fuel is in your car?
C) Have you been in a crash before?
D) How fast was the vehicle going?
Q:
While performing a detailed physical exam on a patient involved in a fall from 30 feet, the patient (who had previously been responding to your questions) stops responding. What should you do next?
A) Start CPR.
B) Continue the detailed physical assessment.
C) Call medical control for orders.
D) Repeat the primary assessment.
Q:
You are caring for a teenager who is having a severe allergic reaction. He has hives all over his stomach, is having respiratory distress, and is wheezing. After you administer oxygen, you get a set of vital signs. Medical direction has ordered you to assist with administration of his Epi-Pen. You will monitor the success of your interventions during the:
A) primary assessment.
B) secondary assessment.
C) reassessment.
D) focused exam.
Q:
Which of the following methods should be used to have a patient rate the amount of pain he is having?
A) Have the patient rate the pain on a scale of 1 (least) to 10 (worst).
B) Ask the patient to state whether the pain is mild, moderate, severe, or unbearable.
C) Use the memory aid AVPU.
D) Use the memory aid DCAP.
Q:
Which of the following techniques of physical examination must an EMT master?
A) Percussion, inspection, and palpation
B) Auscultation, observation, and percussion
C) Visualization, percussion, and auscultation
D) Observation, palpation, and auscultation
Q:
You have a patient who is unresponsive on the floor. What is the best way to rule in or rule out trauma as a cause of the patient's unresponsiveness?
A) Examine the patient for signs of trauma.
B) Look for a Glasgow Coma Scale score that is less than 8.
C) Check the patient's blood sugar to rule out hypoglycemia.
D) Look for bystanders and ask them if they witnessed the incident.
Q:
You are assessing a 76-year-old male patient that has been involved in a fall from a standing position. You have completed the scene size-up and primary assessment. What should you do next?
A) Focused history assessment
B) Ongoing assessment
C) Secondary assessment
D) Reassessment
Q:
When a patient describes how he feels, he is telling you which of the following?
A) His syndrome
B) His diagnosis
C) His signs
D) His symptoms
Q:
What term describes a surgical incision in the neck that is held open by a metal or plastic tube through which a patient can breathe or be placed on a ventilator?
A) Cricothyrotomy
B) Stoma
C) Tracheostomy
D) Tracheopharyngeal fistula
Q:
What term describes a permanent surgical opening in the neck through which a patient breathes?
A) Cricothyrotomy
B) Tracheostomy
C) Laryngectomy
D) Stoma
Q:
What is the sound or feel of broken bones rubbing against each other called?
A) Emesis
B) Decapitation
C) Osteomyelitis
D) Crepitation
Q:
When assessing a 14-year-old male patient that has been involved in a bicycle accident, you notice that he has a small amount of blood coming from his left forearm. This observation is known as which of the following?
A) Sign
B) Symptom
C) Clue
D) Indication
Q:
The patient was a driver in a lateral impact motor vehicle collision. During the assessment of his chest, the EMT notes a segment of the chest wall moving in the opposite direction from the rest of the chest. Which of the following BEST describes this finding?
A) Flutter segment
B) Tension pneumothorax
C) Paradoxical movement
D) Intercostal retractions
Q:
You are unable to find a radial pulse on a patient from a motor vehicle crash. You should:
A) listen for heart sounds
B) begin chest compressions.
C) attempt to find the carotid pulse.
D) apply the pulse oximeter.
Q:
You are assessing a 48-year-old male who is unconscious. The scene is safe and you hear the patient gurgling. What is your next action?
A) Suction the airway.
B) Insert an airway adjunct.
C) Open the airway with a head tilt.
D) Quickly check the pulse.
Q:
A(n) ________ set of vital signs is important for critical decision making for the EMT.
A) unbiased
B) accurate
C) complete
D) repeated
Q:
Breathing sounds that should concern the EMT are:
A) snoring, gurgling, wheezing, crowing, and crowning.
B) retractions, and diaphragmatic breathing.
C) tachycardia, retractions, and diaphragmatic breathing.
D) snoring, gurgling, wheezing, and crowing.
Q:
Which of the following are the vital signs that need to be recorded?
A) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition
B) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition, pupils, blood pressure, and bowel sounds
C) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition, pupils, and blood pressure
D) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature, pupils, and blood pressure
Q:
In a blood pressure reading of 120/80, the 120 is measuring what body process?
A) Diastolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the arteries
B) Systolic blood pressure; when the right ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the veins
C) Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the arteries
D) Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the veins
Q:
An oxygen saturation of 97% is considered which of the following?
A) Severe hypoxia
B) Normal
C) Hypoxia
D) Significant hypoxia
Q:
The first set of vital sign measurements obtained are often referred to as which of the following?
A) Baseline vital signs
B) Normal vital signs
C) Standard vital signs
D) None of the above
Q:
The abbreviation mmHg indicates that the blood pressure is measured by which of the following comparisons?
A) Minimum heart rate
B) Millimeters of mercury
C) Millimeters of water
D) Atmospheric pressure
Q:
Upon assessment of your patient, you notice that he has cool, sweaty skin. This finding is best described as which of the following?
A) Diagnosis
B) Sign
C) Complaint
D) Symptom
Q:
The method of taking blood pressure by using a stethoscope to listen to the characteristic sounds produced is called:
A) auscultation.
B) articulation.
C) palpation.
D) pulsation.
Q:
A patient with a pulse rate of 120 beats per minute is considered which of the following?
A) Dyscardic
B) Normocardic
C) Tachycardic
D) Bradycardic
Q:
What is the pressure remaining in the arteries after the pulse wave has passed through?
A) Venous pressure
B) Systolic blood pressure
C) Diastolic blood pressure
D) Resting blood pressure
Q:
When the heart contracts and forces blood into the arteries, the pressure created is known as the:
A) pulse pressure.
B) systolic blood pressure.
C) diastolic blood pressure.
D) central venous pressure.
Q:
You respond to a childcare center for a report of an injured 4-year-old. Her pulse is 130 beats per minute. Which of the following BEST describes this finding?
A) Bradycardic
B) Normal for the child's age
C) Tachycardic
D) Unable to determine without knowing the family history
Q:
What category would include a patient with a blood pressure of 134/84 mmHg?
A) Hypotension
B) Normotension
C) Hypertension
D) Prehypertension
Q:
If capillary refill is assessed in a child patient, how long should it take the normal pink color to return to the nail bed?
A) 2 seconds
B) 4 seconds
C) 3 seconds
D) 5 seconds
Q:
An approximate normal systolic blood pressure can be calculated for infants and children by using which of the following formulas?
A) 80 plus 2 times the age in years
B) 120 plus 2 times the age in years
C) 120 minus 2 times the age in years
D) 80 times 2 plus the age in years
Q:
You respond to a 30-month-old patient who has passed out. Is the patient's blood pressure important to your treatment and why?
A) Yes, blood pressure must be taken on everyone because without it we cannot impact the patient's field management.
B) No, blood pressure taken on children younger than age 3 can cause damage to the tender tissues of the arm that could lead to hypertension in later life.
C) Yes, blood pressure can be taken on children because it is the only way we can understand the patient's condition.
D) No, blood pressure taken on children younger than age 3 is difficult and has little impact on the patient's field management.
Q:
An inaccurate oxygen saturation reading can result in all of the following except:
A) carbon monoxide inhalation.
B) a patient that smokes cigarettes.
C) a patient wearing fingernail polish.
D) Any of the above
Q:
Slight movement of the chest during respiration is usually indicative of which of the following?
A) Labored breathing
B) Normal breathing
C) Noisy breathing
D) Shallow breathing
Q:
When pupils are dilated they are:
A) elliptical or elongated in shape.
B) smaller than normal.
C) larger than normal.
D) irregularly shaped.
Q:
You have a 38-year-old patient who has fainted. Following your local protocol you use a light wave device to determine the SpO2. As the EMT, you attach the device on the patient's finger, which gives you a reading of 91. What does that reading indicate?
A) Significant hypoxia
B) Severe hypoxia
C) Normal results
D) Mild hypoxia
Q:
Which of the following is a normal respiratory rate for an adult at rest?
A) 12 breaths per minute
B) 10 breaths per minute
C) 24 breaths per minute
D) 22 breaths per minute
Q:
Your patient has a heart rate of 82, a respiratory rate of 16, and a blood pressure of 120/80 and does not appear to be in any distress. You should repeat vital sign measurements at least every:
A) 5 minutes.
B) 10 minutes.
C) 15 minutes.
D) 20 minutes.
Q:
You are about to apply a blood pressure cuff to an unconscious patient when you notice that she appears to have a tube underneath the skin of her arm. The tube feels like it has fluid going through it. You should:
A) move the cuff down to the forearm and inflate.
B) continue to take her blood pressure in the arm.
C) find another site to measure her blood pressure.
D) use an automatic blood pressure cuff instead.
Q:
The range of normal blood glucose level is from a low of 60 to 80 mg/dL to a high of:
A) 110 to 130.
B) 100 to 120.
C) 90 to 100.
D) 120 to 140.
Q:
Your patient is warm, dry, pink, and denies shortness of breath. Which of the following should the EMT expect to find when evaluating the patient's oxygen saturation?
A) 91%
B) 98%
C) 102%
D) 95%
Q:
You are assessing an 82-year-old female that has been lost in the woods behind her nursing home for several hours on a crisp fall evening. Your pulse oximeter shows her oxygen saturation to be 82% even though she appears to be breathing adequately. In order to ensure an accurate reading you should:
A) try a different pulse oximeter.
B) place the probe on the patient's toe.
C) place the probe on the patient's earlobe.
D) warm the patient's hands and try again.
Q:
The device that some EMS services use as a light wave device to measure oxygen saturation (SpO2) is called a(n):
A) capnography.
B) sphygmomanometer.
C) end tidal CO2 meter.
D) pulse oximeter.
Q:
You are transporting a patient to the hospital from a motor vehicle crash. Your patient's initial blood pressure was 88/52. You should reassess blood pressure:
A) at least every 5 minutes.
B) at least every 15 minutes.
C) only if the pulse rate changes.
D) only if the patient gets worse.
Q:
When taking blood pressure, the cuff should be inflated to what point?
A) 30 mmHg beyond the point where the pulse disappears
B) Until the patient says it hurts
C) Until the Velcro starts to crackle
D) Until the gauge reads 200 mmHg
Q:
You are transporting a patient down a bumpy road. Your patient's blood pressure has just been measured by the monitor to be 190/110. The patient's blood pressure on scene was 130/80. You should:
A) ignore the blood pressure reading.
B) have the driver increase truck speed.
C) apply the automatic cuff to the other arm.
D) re-measure the blood pressure manually.
Q:
You are attempting to assess the blood pressure of a 35-year-old male at the scene of a multiple vehicle collision. The scene is very noisy and you are unable to clearly hear the patient's heartbeat. You should:
A) use an automatic blood pressure machine.
B) obtain the blood pressure by palpation.
C) try using the patient's other arm.
D) have your partner try auscultating the blood pressure.
Q:
To determine blood pressure, the EMT should position the cuff over the upper arm and place the stethoscope over the brachial artery. Next, she should inflate the cuff, then slowly deflate the cuff, listening for clicks or tapping sounds while remembering the number at the first sound. What is the next step in taking a blood pressure?
A) Dump all the pressure and record the number as the diastolic pressure.
B) Re-inflate the cuff on the patient's arm and repeat the process to verify the reading.
C) Continue releasing pressure until the clicks or tapping stop, and record both numbers. These are the blood pressure.
D) Remove the cuff from the patient's arm, place it on the opposite arm, and repeat the process to verify the reading.
Q:
All of the following are common techniques for measuring blood pressure, except:
A) Palpation
B) Rhythm method
C) Blood pressure monitor
D) Auscultation
Q:
What are the three ways to take blood pressure?
A) Sphygmomanometer, blood pressure monitor, and heart monitor
B) Palpation, auscultation, and blood pressure monitor
C) Sphygmomanometer, auscultation, and blood pressure monitor
D) Auscultation, palpation, and osculation
Q:
You are called to a 72-year-old patient with weakness and headache with an initial blood pressure of 140/92. Her repeat blood pressure at 5 minutes is unchanged. Her condition is called:
A) stroke.
B) prehypertension.
C) hypertension.
D) hypotension.
Q:
Which of the following BEST describes the proper placement of the blood pressure cuff?
A) Covering two-thirds of the upper arm
B) Midway between the elbow and shoulder
C) One inch below the armpit
D) Covering the patient's elbow