FIS Primary Survey Exam Questions with
Verified Correct Answers
During your primary assessment you palpate the chest and note crepitus to the left lateral
ribs. What should you do?
a. listen to lung sounds
b. immediately splint the area
c. obtain baseline vitals
d. continue with your assessment
listen to lung sounds
Crepitus (creaky noises of bones rubbing against eachother) on the chest can indicate a life
threatening injury. You should listen to lung sounds and assess the severity of the injury.
collapsed lung, lungs sound absent, fracture, etc.
A car is flipped over on to its roof, and 2 people are trapped inside the car. They are
suspended upside down because they were strapped in with seat belts. Several different
fluids are leaking front the vehicle. What should you do?
a. Call for additional resources
b. Stabilize the vehicle
c. Ensure scene safety
d. Extricate the patients
ensure scene safety
Scene safety is essential. You do not want to become a patient. Before treating any patient make
sure it is safe to approach.
Which mental status is the most life-threatening?
a. responsive to painful stimulus
b. unresponsive
c. disoriented
d. responsive to verbal stimulus
, unresponsive
An unresponsive 43 year old male was hit by a car and is lying supine in the street. You can
hear loud, snoring respirations. What should you suspect?
a. internal bleeding
b. pneumothorax
c. airway obstruction
d. traumatic brain injury
airway obstruction
Snoring respirations describe an upper airway obstruction, most commonly a tongue. Relieving
this obstruction can be done by performing a modified jaw thrust maneuver.
A 38 year old female was in a car crash and is unresponsive. Her head is slumped forward
against the steering wheel and she has snoring respirations. What should you do?
a. apply cervical collar
b. check for pulse
c. open her airway
d. administer oxygen
open her airway
The airway must be open before you can assess the breathing. If there is any possibility of injury
to the spinal cord, you should open the airway using the jaw thrust chin lift maneuver.
What should you ask to find out a patient's chief complaint?
a. why did you call ems today?
b. what is your problem?
c. how are you feeling today?
d. could you tell me what your chief complaint is?
why did you call ems today.
How should a properly sized cervical collar fit?
a. the collar supports the chin
b. the collar constricts the back
Verified Correct Answers
During your primary assessment you palpate the chest and note crepitus to the left lateral
ribs. What should you do?
a. listen to lung sounds
b. immediately splint the area
c. obtain baseline vitals
d. continue with your assessment
listen to lung sounds
Crepitus (creaky noises of bones rubbing against eachother) on the chest can indicate a life
threatening injury. You should listen to lung sounds and assess the severity of the injury.
collapsed lung, lungs sound absent, fracture, etc.
A car is flipped over on to its roof, and 2 people are trapped inside the car. They are
suspended upside down because they were strapped in with seat belts. Several different
fluids are leaking front the vehicle. What should you do?
a. Call for additional resources
b. Stabilize the vehicle
c. Ensure scene safety
d. Extricate the patients
ensure scene safety
Scene safety is essential. You do not want to become a patient. Before treating any patient make
sure it is safe to approach.
Which mental status is the most life-threatening?
a. responsive to painful stimulus
b. unresponsive
c. disoriented
d. responsive to verbal stimulus
, unresponsive
An unresponsive 43 year old male was hit by a car and is lying supine in the street. You can
hear loud, snoring respirations. What should you suspect?
a. internal bleeding
b. pneumothorax
c. airway obstruction
d. traumatic brain injury
airway obstruction
Snoring respirations describe an upper airway obstruction, most commonly a tongue. Relieving
this obstruction can be done by performing a modified jaw thrust maneuver.
A 38 year old female was in a car crash and is unresponsive. Her head is slumped forward
against the steering wheel and she has snoring respirations. What should you do?
a. apply cervical collar
b. check for pulse
c. open her airway
d. administer oxygen
open her airway
The airway must be open before you can assess the breathing. If there is any possibility of injury
to the spinal cord, you should open the airway using the jaw thrust chin lift maneuver.
What should you ask to find out a patient's chief complaint?
a. why did you call ems today?
b. what is your problem?
c. how are you feeling today?
d. could you tell me what your chief complaint is?
why did you call ems today.
How should a properly sized cervical collar fit?
a. the collar supports the chin
b. the collar constricts the back