EMS 131 Actual Questions and Correct Answers
Q1
When you give patients nitroglycerin, they sometimes develop a headache. This would be
called an:
Answer: Side effect
Q2
What medication is given when a patient suffers from a medical or traumatic condition called
hypoxia?
Answer: Oxygen
Q3
Why would an EMT give aspirin to a patient?
Answer: Aspirin reduces the blood's ability to clot and works to prevent further clot
formation in patients suffering chest pain.
Q4
Nitroglycerin is indicated for which of the following chief complaints?
Answer: chest pain
Q5
What is the reason for giving an epinephrine auto-injector in a life-threatening allergic reaction?
Answer: It will help constrict the patient's blood vessels and relax the airway
passages.
Q6
Which of the following is a desired action of epinephrine delivered by auto-injector?
Answer: constriction of blood vessels
Q7
What is the first medication that should be administered to a patient experiencing chest pain
with difficulty breathing?
Answer: Oxygen
,Q8
You are on the scene of a 68-year-old patient with a history of COPD who is breathing 44 times
per minute and has a diminished level of consciousness. His wife states he has an Albuterol
inhaler and nitroglycerin tablets for angina. What is the most important drug you can
administer to the patient?
Answer: Oxygen by bag-valve mask
Q9
How does nitroglycerin decrease the level of chest pain that a patient experiences?
Answer: It dilates the blood vessels, allowing more blood to enter the heart muscle.
Q10
You are on the scene of a 48-year-old male patient complaining of chest pain. He has
nitroglycerin prescribed and available. After performing your physical examination, you contact
medical control and are ordered to assist the patient in taking his nitroglycerin. Five minutes
after taking his nitroglycerin, the patient complains of being dizzy and having a headache. You
lie the patient down on the stretcher and reassess his vital signs. He is now hypotensive. The
patient is suffering from:
Answer: side effects of nitroglycerin
Q11
Which of the following BEST describes the five rights?
Answer: Right patient, right medication, right time, right dose, right route
Q12
Name the type of medical direction consisting of standing orders and protocols.
Answer: off-line
Q13
Your paramedic partner says the patient's IV is infiltrated and she needs to discontinue it. What
does she mean by "Infiltrated"?
Answer: The needle has either punctured the vein and excited out the other side or
has pulled out of the vein.
, Q14
You have received an order from medical direction that you feel would be detrimental to your
patient. Which of the following should you do?
Answer: Politely question the physician.
Q15
You are attempting to place a nonrebreather mask on a patient who is experiencing difficulty
breathing. The patient is anxious and does not want the mask on his face. Which of the
following is the BEST course of action?
Answer: Explain the importance of oxygen and ask the patient to at least try to leave
the mask on, but that if he can't tolerate it you can try another method.
Q16
Which of the following patients does NOT necessarily have inadequate breathing?
Answer: A patient with an irregular respiratory rhythm
Q17
Your patient is a 15-year-old male with a history of multiple prior hospitalizations for asthma.
Upon your arrival the patient responds only to painful stimuli and is making very weak
respiratory effort. Which of the following should you do next?
Answer: Assist the patient's ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device and
supplemental oxygen.
Q18
You are ventilating a 6-year-old child and note that his heart rate has decreased from 70 to 54.
Which of the following is NOT appropriate?
Answer: Notify medical control that the patient's condition has improved.
Q19
You are called to the scene of a 45-year-old nonsmoker male with a history of asthma in
respiratory distress. You find him lying supine on the couch. The patient is lethargic but can
answer all your questions appropriately. He is diaphoretic, and complains of being cold,
coughing, and having difficulty breathing for the past 3 days. His vital signs are blood pressure
of 110/70, heart rate of 116, respiratory rate of 24, oxygen saturation of 93%, and temperature
of 100.6°F. You hear rhonchi in the left lobes and he is coughing up yellow-tinged sputum. What
condition do you suspect?
Answer: pneumonia
Q1
When you give patients nitroglycerin, they sometimes develop a headache. This would be
called an:
Answer: Side effect
Q2
What medication is given when a patient suffers from a medical or traumatic condition called
hypoxia?
Answer: Oxygen
Q3
Why would an EMT give aspirin to a patient?
Answer: Aspirin reduces the blood's ability to clot and works to prevent further clot
formation in patients suffering chest pain.
Q4
Nitroglycerin is indicated for which of the following chief complaints?
Answer: chest pain
Q5
What is the reason for giving an epinephrine auto-injector in a life-threatening allergic reaction?
Answer: It will help constrict the patient's blood vessels and relax the airway
passages.
Q6
Which of the following is a desired action of epinephrine delivered by auto-injector?
Answer: constriction of blood vessels
Q7
What is the first medication that should be administered to a patient experiencing chest pain
with difficulty breathing?
Answer: Oxygen
,Q8
You are on the scene of a 68-year-old patient with a history of COPD who is breathing 44 times
per minute and has a diminished level of consciousness. His wife states he has an Albuterol
inhaler and nitroglycerin tablets for angina. What is the most important drug you can
administer to the patient?
Answer: Oxygen by bag-valve mask
Q9
How does nitroglycerin decrease the level of chest pain that a patient experiences?
Answer: It dilates the blood vessels, allowing more blood to enter the heart muscle.
Q10
You are on the scene of a 48-year-old male patient complaining of chest pain. He has
nitroglycerin prescribed and available. After performing your physical examination, you contact
medical control and are ordered to assist the patient in taking his nitroglycerin. Five minutes
after taking his nitroglycerin, the patient complains of being dizzy and having a headache. You
lie the patient down on the stretcher and reassess his vital signs. He is now hypotensive. The
patient is suffering from:
Answer: side effects of nitroglycerin
Q11
Which of the following BEST describes the five rights?
Answer: Right patient, right medication, right time, right dose, right route
Q12
Name the type of medical direction consisting of standing orders and protocols.
Answer: off-line
Q13
Your paramedic partner says the patient's IV is infiltrated and she needs to discontinue it. What
does she mean by "Infiltrated"?
Answer: The needle has either punctured the vein and excited out the other side or
has pulled out of the vein.
, Q14
You have received an order from medical direction that you feel would be detrimental to your
patient. Which of the following should you do?
Answer: Politely question the physician.
Q15
You are attempting to place a nonrebreather mask on a patient who is experiencing difficulty
breathing. The patient is anxious and does not want the mask on his face. Which of the
following is the BEST course of action?
Answer: Explain the importance of oxygen and ask the patient to at least try to leave
the mask on, but that if he can't tolerate it you can try another method.
Q16
Which of the following patients does NOT necessarily have inadequate breathing?
Answer: A patient with an irregular respiratory rhythm
Q17
Your patient is a 15-year-old male with a history of multiple prior hospitalizations for asthma.
Upon your arrival the patient responds only to painful stimuli and is making very weak
respiratory effort. Which of the following should you do next?
Answer: Assist the patient's ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device and
supplemental oxygen.
Q18
You are ventilating a 6-year-old child and note that his heart rate has decreased from 70 to 54.
Which of the following is NOT appropriate?
Answer: Notify medical control that the patient's condition has improved.
Q19
You are called to the scene of a 45-year-old nonsmoker male with a history of asthma in
respiratory distress. You find him lying supine on the couch. The patient is lethargic but can
answer all your questions appropriately. He is diaphoretic, and complains of being cold,
coughing, and having difficulty breathing for the past 3 days. His vital signs are blood pressure
of 110/70, heart rate of 116, respiratory rate of 24, oxygen saturation of 93%, and temperature
of 100.6°F. You hear rhonchi in the left lobes and he is coughing up yellow-tinged sputum. What
condition do you suspect?
Answer: pneumonia
