CMLA EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2026 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
◉ Standard Precautions. Answer: A set of recommendations from
the CDC that replaced Universal precautions as an approach to
infection control.
◉ Airborne Transmission. Answer: Inhaling an aerosolized sample.
◉ Safety Lancets. Answer: Devices used for dermal puncture that
must be designed to retract and lock after deployment.
◉ Butterfly Needle. Answer: A type of needle that allows for a much
lower insertion angle.
◉ Timed urine collection. Answer: An example is a 24-hour urine
collection.
◉ Sample preparation for frozen plasma. Answer: Centrifuge a blue
top tube, place the plasma in a labeled secondary tube, and freeze it.
,◉ Urine sample requiring preservative. Answer: A 24-hour urine
sample may require a preservative added to the container before
giving it to the patient.
◉ Elevated serum potassium levels. Answer: Hemolysis is the
rupture of red blood cells and red blood cells contain potassium.
◉ 2-hour postprandial urine sample collection. Answer: A 2-hour
postprandial urine sample should be collected two hours after a
meal.
◉ Post-venipuncture procedure. Answer: The bleeding must stop
before the bandage can be applied.
◉ Consequences of prolonged tourniquet application. Answer:
Clotting in the tube can occur if a tourniquet is left on a patient's arm
for too long after blood flow is established.
◉ Hemolysis. Answer: Leaving the tourniquet on too long can
restrict blood flow and cause red blood cells to burst within the vein,
leading to hemolysis.
◉ Pulse. Answer: When selecting a site for venipuncture, the CMLA
feels a pulse very close to a vein and avoids that area for fear of
puncturing an artery.
,◉ Frozen heparinized plasma preparation. Answer: Centrifuge a
green top tube, pipette 1ml plasma into a plastic aliquot tube, and
freeze.
◉ Median cubital vein. Answer: The median cubital vein is large and
tends to not move when venipuncture is performed making it the
vein of choice.
◉ Safety needles. Answer: Safety needles have a shield attached to
them and are used with many straight needles.
◉ Warming the fingertip. Answer: Warming the site can increase the
blood flow sevenfold and should be considered when the fingers or
heels of infants are cold.
◉ Mixing blood in lavender top tube. Answer: To mix the
anticoagulant with the blood drawn in a lavender top tube, the tube
should be gently inverted 6 to 8 times.
◉ Lavender top tubes. Answer: Should be gently inverted 6 to 8
times to mix the EDTA with the blood to prevent clotting and
hemolysis.
, ◉ Prothrombin Time (PT) testing. Answer: Evaluates a patient's
ability to stop bleeding; an improper sample-to-anticoagulant ratio
will alter the PT results.
◉ CLSI guidelines. Answer: Blood must be centrifuged to separate
the serum/plasma from the cells within two hours to prevent some
analyte values from being affected.
◉ Indicator of syncope. Answer: Pale cool clammy skin around the
venipuncture site may alert CMLAs to the possibility of syncope as
an adverse reaction to venipuncture.
◉ Tourniquet. Answer: Used to restrict the venous flow of blood;
applying it 3-4 inches above the site of venipuncture will engorge
the veins with blood.
◉ EDTA. Answer: An anticoagulant in lavender tubes that prevents
coagulation by chelating calcium.
◉ Preanalytical error. Answer: Missing test type information on a
urine sample container label represents a specimen labeling error.
◉ Centrifugation time limit. Answer: According to CLSI Standard
GP44-A4, two hours is the maximum time limit for serum to be
exposed to cells.
AND ANSWERS
◉ Standard Precautions. Answer: A set of recommendations from
the CDC that replaced Universal precautions as an approach to
infection control.
◉ Airborne Transmission. Answer: Inhaling an aerosolized sample.
◉ Safety Lancets. Answer: Devices used for dermal puncture that
must be designed to retract and lock after deployment.
◉ Butterfly Needle. Answer: A type of needle that allows for a much
lower insertion angle.
◉ Timed urine collection. Answer: An example is a 24-hour urine
collection.
◉ Sample preparation for frozen plasma. Answer: Centrifuge a blue
top tube, place the plasma in a labeled secondary tube, and freeze it.
,◉ Urine sample requiring preservative. Answer: A 24-hour urine
sample may require a preservative added to the container before
giving it to the patient.
◉ Elevated serum potassium levels. Answer: Hemolysis is the
rupture of red blood cells and red blood cells contain potassium.
◉ 2-hour postprandial urine sample collection. Answer: A 2-hour
postprandial urine sample should be collected two hours after a
meal.
◉ Post-venipuncture procedure. Answer: The bleeding must stop
before the bandage can be applied.
◉ Consequences of prolonged tourniquet application. Answer:
Clotting in the tube can occur if a tourniquet is left on a patient's arm
for too long after blood flow is established.
◉ Hemolysis. Answer: Leaving the tourniquet on too long can
restrict blood flow and cause red blood cells to burst within the vein,
leading to hemolysis.
◉ Pulse. Answer: When selecting a site for venipuncture, the CMLA
feels a pulse very close to a vein and avoids that area for fear of
puncturing an artery.
,◉ Frozen heparinized plasma preparation. Answer: Centrifuge a
green top tube, pipette 1ml plasma into a plastic aliquot tube, and
freeze.
◉ Median cubital vein. Answer: The median cubital vein is large and
tends to not move when venipuncture is performed making it the
vein of choice.
◉ Safety needles. Answer: Safety needles have a shield attached to
them and are used with many straight needles.
◉ Warming the fingertip. Answer: Warming the site can increase the
blood flow sevenfold and should be considered when the fingers or
heels of infants are cold.
◉ Mixing blood in lavender top tube. Answer: To mix the
anticoagulant with the blood drawn in a lavender top tube, the tube
should be gently inverted 6 to 8 times.
◉ Lavender top tubes. Answer: Should be gently inverted 6 to 8
times to mix the EDTA with the blood to prevent clotting and
hemolysis.
, ◉ Prothrombin Time (PT) testing. Answer: Evaluates a patient's
ability to stop bleeding; an improper sample-to-anticoagulant ratio
will alter the PT results.
◉ CLSI guidelines. Answer: Blood must be centrifuged to separate
the serum/plasma from the cells within two hours to prevent some
analyte values from being affected.
◉ Indicator of syncope. Answer: Pale cool clammy skin around the
venipuncture site may alert CMLAs to the possibility of syncope as
an adverse reaction to venipuncture.
◉ Tourniquet. Answer: Used to restrict the venous flow of blood;
applying it 3-4 inches above the site of venipuncture will engorge
the veins with blood.
◉ EDTA. Answer: An anticoagulant in lavender tubes that prevents
coagulation by chelating calcium.
◉ Preanalytical error. Answer: Missing test type information on a
urine sample container label represents a specimen labeling error.
◉ Centrifugation time limit. Answer: According to CLSI Standard
GP44-A4, two hours is the maximum time limit for serum to be
exposed to cells.
