Fuller: Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice, 7th Edition
Mock Certification Exam
1. A patient is having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Which of the following
structures are the tendons of the rotator cuff attached to?
a. Ulna
b. Symphysis
c. Humerus
d. Clavicle
2. “Any unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological
injury or the risk there of”
a. Perjury
b. Sentinel event
c. Incident
d. Practice act
3. Who is authorized to sign the informed surgical consent for a patient who is not
mentally competent or is incapacitated??
a. Patient
b. Anesthesiologist
c. Agency representative
d. Patient’s friend
4. Which stage of grief is a patient in when he or she begins to state: “Just let me live to
see my daughter finish school?”
a. Bargaining
b. Depression
c. Denial
d. Anger
5. A 10-year-old patient is scheduled for surgery in an operating room (OR) with a low
temperature. What can be done to keep this patient from becoming hypothermic?
a. Keep the OR temperature low.
b. Warm the patient before he or she enters the OR.
c. Use an overhead radiant heater.
d. Warm the OR prior to the patient’s arrival.
,6. The first priority in treating a trauma patient is .
a. placing an IV catheter
b. opening the airway
c. placing a chest tube
d. controlling blood loss
7. A pregnant patient has been diagnosed as having appendicitis and needs surgery.
When should the surgery be performed?
a. Third trimester
b. Second trimester
c. Immediately
d. After delivery
8. How should the surgical technologist (ST) handle a bullet that has been removed from
a surgical patient?
a. With sterile gauze
b. With a clamp
c. Throw into the kick bucket
d. Throw away into sharps container
9. To keep airborne contamination in the OR to a minimum, how many maximum air
changes should take place?
a. 40 per hour
b. 20 per hour
c. 10 per hour
d. 30 per hour
10. When using a laser, which precaution is best to use?
a. Have sterile saline available
b. Have a fire team available
c. Place dry towels around the operative site
d. Place wet towels around the operative site
11. Escherichia coli resides on humans in the lumen of the .
a. intestines
b. esophagus
c. ureters
d. urethra
, 12. The most commonly transmitted pathogen in the OR is .
a. Candida albicans
b. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
c. Staphylococcus aureus
d. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
13. A patient has just been found to have a postsurgical infection. Which source is most
likely the primary means of infecting this patient?
a. Contamination during the case
b. SSI from the patient’s own skin
c. The patient is a cigarette smoker
d. The surgical team did not wear a hair cover
14. The ST has just passed a new #10 blade to the surgeon to make the first incision on
the skin. The surgeon has requested a #10 blade again. What should the ST do?
a. Pass the same #10 blade.
b. Change the blade to a new blade and pass.
c. Give the surgeon a new #15 blade.
d. Tell the surgeon that you are unsure of what to do.
15. When an ST must move to the head of the OR table to retrieve a sponge, he or she
must move:
a. back to back.
b. front to back.
c. side to back.
d. not at all.
16. A circulator is preparing to pour medication into a sterile container. What should the
ST do?
a. Allow the circulator to reach over and pour.
b. Hold the container away from the back table.
c. Set the container somewhere off the field.
d. Tell the circulator not to pour the medication.
17. An ST needs a step stool during a surgical procedure. When is the best time to
position the step stool?
a. At the moment it is requested
b. After the last case in the room
c. Before the case begins
d. Before the ST approaches the OR table
Mock Certification Exam
1. A patient is having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Which of the following
structures are the tendons of the rotator cuff attached to?
a. Ulna
b. Symphysis
c. Humerus
d. Clavicle
2. “Any unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological
injury or the risk there of”
a. Perjury
b. Sentinel event
c. Incident
d. Practice act
3. Who is authorized to sign the informed surgical consent for a patient who is not
mentally competent or is incapacitated??
a. Patient
b. Anesthesiologist
c. Agency representative
d. Patient’s friend
4. Which stage of grief is a patient in when he or she begins to state: “Just let me live to
see my daughter finish school?”
a. Bargaining
b. Depression
c. Denial
d. Anger
5. A 10-year-old patient is scheduled for surgery in an operating room (OR) with a low
temperature. What can be done to keep this patient from becoming hypothermic?
a. Keep the OR temperature low.
b. Warm the patient before he or she enters the OR.
c. Use an overhead radiant heater.
d. Warm the OR prior to the patient’s arrival.
,6. The first priority in treating a trauma patient is .
a. placing an IV catheter
b. opening the airway
c. placing a chest tube
d. controlling blood loss
7. A pregnant patient has been diagnosed as having appendicitis and needs surgery.
When should the surgery be performed?
a. Third trimester
b. Second trimester
c. Immediately
d. After delivery
8. How should the surgical technologist (ST) handle a bullet that has been removed from
a surgical patient?
a. With sterile gauze
b. With a clamp
c. Throw into the kick bucket
d. Throw away into sharps container
9. To keep airborne contamination in the OR to a minimum, how many maximum air
changes should take place?
a. 40 per hour
b. 20 per hour
c. 10 per hour
d. 30 per hour
10. When using a laser, which precaution is best to use?
a. Have sterile saline available
b. Have a fire team available
c. Place dry towels around the operative site
d. Place wet towels around the operative site
11. Escherichia coli resides on humans in the lumen of the .
a. intestines
b. esophagus
c. ureters
d. urethra
, 12. The most commonly transmitted pathogen in the OR is .
a. Candida albicans
b. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
c. Staphylococcus aureus
d. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
13. A patient has just been found to have a postsurgical infection. Which source is most
likely the primary means of infecting this patient?
a. Contamination during the case
b. SSI from the patient’s own skin
c. The patient is a cigarette smoker
d. The surgical team did not wear a hair cover
14. The ST has just passed a new #10 blade to the surgeon to make the first incision on
the skin. The surgeon has requested a #10 blade again. What should the ST do?
a. Pass the same #10 blade.
b. Change the blade to a new blade and pass.
c. Give the surgeon a new #15 blade.
d. Tell the surgeon that you are unsure of what to do.
15. When an ST must move to the head of the OR table to retrieve a sponge, he or she
must move:
a. back to back.
b. front to back.
c. side to back.
d. not at all.
16. A circulator is preparing to pour medication into a sterile container. What should the
ST do?
a. Allow the circulator to reach over and pour.
b. Hold the container away from the back table.
c. Set the container somewhere off the field.
d. Tell the circulator not to pour the medication.
17. An ST needs a step stool during a surgical procedure. When is the best time to
position the step stool?
a. At the moment it is requested
b. After the last case in the room
c. Before the case begins
d. Before the ST approaches the OR table
