Q&A Hero

Q: You are transporting a 20-year-old soccer player who injured his ankle during a match. His injury appears to be isolated and he has no significant past medical history. How frequently should you perform a reassessment on this patient? A) 30 minutes B) 15 minutes C) 5 minutes D) 10 minutes

Q: You are treating a 15-year-old boy who apparently broke his right arm when he fell while skateboarding with his friends. You have completed your primary and secondary assessment including splinting his arm, but you found no other injuries or problems. Which of the following is the most important step to do during the reassessment? A) Place the patient on oxygen via nasal cannula. B) Check distal circulation on his right arm. C) Recheck his pupils. D) Visualize his chest for bruising.

Q: ________ is reassessing and recording findings of the reassessment so they can be compared to earlier findings. A) CQI B) Trending C) Averaging D) Analysis

Q: Your patient's initial vital signs were a pulse of 120 per minute and weak, a blood pressure of 90/50 mmHg, and a respiratory rate of 24 per minute. Upon reassessment, you note that the patient now has a weak pulse of 100 per minute, a blood pressure of 110/60 mmHg, and a respiratory rate of 20 per minute. Which of the following can you conclude from this information? A) The patient will survive. B) You can transport the patient to a lower level trauma center. C) The baseline vital signs were inaccurate. D) The patient's condition may be improving.

Q: You are called for an alert patient with respiratory distress. As part of your primary assessment, you place the patient on oxygen via nasal cannula at 2 liters per minute. You continue with the rest of your assessment including taking a set of vital signs. During your reassessment, you notice that the patient's respiratory rate has increased to 24 times per minute and he is having increasing trouble breathing. You should: A) call medical direction for orders to administer his inhaler. B) increase the flow rate of the nasal cannula to 4 liters per minute. C) assist the patient's breathing with a bag-valve mask. D) switch your patient to a nonrebreather mask at 15 liters per minute.

Q: Your patient called 911 because he was having chest pain. He states that his pain is a 7 on a 10-point scale. As part of your care, you assist him with taking his nitroglycerin per medical direction. After waiting a few minutes for the medication to take effect, you should: A) ask him what his pain is like now. B) administer another dose of nitroglycerin. C) lay the head of the stretcher down. D) call medical direction to administer another dose.

Q: You are called for a 58-year-old male who is concerned that his blood pressure is too high. He tells you that he has had a headache and is feeling a little dizzy. You notice that his skin is flushed and feels warm to the touch. As you finish taking his vital signs, you should: A) begin your reassessment. B) write down the patient's vital signs. C) move the patient to the ambulance for transport. D) assist the patient to take his blood pressure medication.

Q: You are treating a 57-year-old male for chest pain. You have gathered all pertinent history of present illness, completed two sets of vital signs, talked with medical direction, and assisted the patient with two doses of his nitroglycerin. Determination of whether or not the nitroglycerin was effective is assessed during the: A) primary assessment. B) secondary assessment. C) reassessment. D) primary and secondary assessment.

Q: During reassessment you notice that your patient is making gurgling sounds. Which of the following should you do immediately? A) Assist ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device. B) Place the patient in the recovery position. C) Suction the airway. D) Increase the amount of oxygen being delivered to the patient.

Q: What is the first step in the reassessment process? A) Secondary assessment B) Primary assessment C) Vital signs D) Focused history and physical exam

Q: When using the memory aid SAMPLE, which of the following would you do to determine L? A) Look at the patient's pupils. B) Ask, "When was the last time you took your medicine?" C) Listen to the patient's lung sounds. D) Ask, "When was the last time you had anything to eat or drink?"

Q: You are called for a patient who reports a headache for several days. He tells you that he has started a new blood pressure medication and is finishing an antibiotic for a skin infection. During your history taking, you should: A) write down the pertinent facts. B) get your patient to repeat his chief complaint. C) suggest that he take some aspirin. D) suspect an allergic reaction.

Q: While assessing the past medical history of a 68-year-old male patient involved in a fall from a 4-foot stepladder, you use the acronym SAMPLE. What does the A refer to? A) Assessment B) Acuity C) Allergies D) Amputations

Q: You have performed a rapid trauma assessment on a patient with multiple long-bone injuries. Your next assessment step should be which of the following? A) Perform a detailed physical exam. B) Transport the patient to the hospital and perform a detailed physical exam. C) Call the ALS unit to determine their ETA before deciding your next step. D) Obtain baseline vital signs and past medical history.

Q: You have responded for a patient with shortness of breath. He reports that his breathing problems began this morning and have gotten worse over the last few hours. You ask if he has taken anything to help his symptoms and he tells you that he has used his inhaler several times in the last hour. The information you have just gathered can be classified as: A) the history of present illness. B) relevant past medical history. C) results of a rapid physical exam. D) part of the SAMPLE history.

Q: When assessing a patient's pertinent past history, you should ask which of the following questions? A) Are you currently taking any medications? B) Have you been having any medical problems? C) Have you ever had a reaction to a medication? D) Could you describe what happened?

Q: Mr. Green is complaining of severe difficulty breathing after being stung by a bee. His wife states he has had reactions to bee stings before, but not quite this severe. Which medications should you specifically ask him about? A) Antihistamines B) Inhaler C) Nitroglycerine tablets D) Epinephrine auto-injector

Q: You are on the scene of a patient who is the victim of an assault. The scene is safe. You find a 22-year-old male patient responsive to painful stimuli only. His blood pressure is 180/80, pulse is 60, respirations are 12, and his oxygen saturation is 95% on room air. How would you classify this patient? A) Stable. The patient does not have hypotension. B) Unstable. The patient is hypertensive. C) Stable. The patient's pulse, respirations, and oxygen saturation are within normal limits. D) Unstable. The patient is responsive to painful stimuli only.

Q: Your patient is a 14-year-old male who was run over by a tractor and is now unresponsive. During the rapid assessment, you should look for clear drainage coming from the patient's ________ indicating a serious injury. A) eyes B) ears C) rectum D) mouth

Q: An unconscious trauma patient should always be assumed to have which of the following types of injury? A) Cardiac B) Spine C) Skull D) Abdominal

Q: Your patient is the 18-year-old male driver of a vehicle that struck a tree. He is conscious and complaining of neck pain. The passenger is obviously dead. You have performed your primary assessment. Which of the following is the next step? A) Immobilize the patient on a long backboard and perform a detailed examination in the ambulance. B) Rule out the possibility of cervical spine injury before moving the patient. C) Perform a tertiary assessment. D) Perform a rapid trauma assessment.

Q: You are assessing a 21-year-old female who was assaulted by an unknown person. She is complaining of abdominal pain. As you perform a rapid assessment of her abdomen, you should check for all of the following except: A) bowel sounds. B) firmness. C) distention. D) contusions.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a purpose of a rapid trauma assessment? A) To detect injuries that may become life threatening B) To provide a basis for care during transport C) To assess the extent of injuries D) To focus care on specific injuries

Q: Which of the following is another term for trauma? A) Suffering B) Injury C) Medical problem D) Illness

Q: Your patient was struck in the chest with a baseball bat during a bar fight. A crackling or crunching sensation that is felt when air escapes from its normal passageways and is trapped under the skin is called: A) friction rub. B) crepitus. C) infiltration. D) subcutaneous emphysema.

Q: In medical terms, bruises are known as which of the following? A) Abrasion B) Discoloration C) Blemish D) Contusion

Q: Your patient is a 45-year-old female who complains of "twisting her ankle" when she slipped on a patch of ice. Which of the following is NOT appropriate? A) Questioning about any other complaints or areas of pain B) Secondary assessment C) Providing emotional support, if necessary D) Detailed physical exam

Q: You respond to the scene of a motor vehicle crash to find a middle-aged man on a long spine board being cared for by first responding firefighters. He appears to be bleeding from his head and he is unconscious. You should check the car for: A) a bent steering wheel or starred windshield. B) insurance information or identification. C) personal items too valuable to leave on-scene. D) a deployed passenger-side air bag.

Q: Immediately following a rapid physical exam on an unresponsive medical patient, which of the following should you do next? A) Obtain baseline vital signs. B) Check the scene for medications. C) Find out who the patient's doctor is. D) Perform a focused physical exam.

Q: Your patient is an unresponsive 40-year-old woman. Which of the following should you do first? A) Immediately request advanced life support. B) Perform a rapid physical exam. C) Ask her husband if she has any known allergies. D) Take her blood pressure.

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