ANSWERS
The medical assistant should refer to which of the following agencies to access
updated immunization schedules?
A. CDC
B. FEMA
C. FDA
D. OSHA
Correct response:
CDC
Rationale: Centers for Disease Control (CDC) maintains the most current and up to date
immunization schedule recommendations online. The Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human
Services and is tasked with providing accurate, science-based health information to the
public. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency of
the United States that regulates workplace safety and health. Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA): a US government body intended to coordinate
responses to a disaster in the US itself.
Forced Vital Capacity is measured by instructing the patient to
A. exhale as fast and hard as possible and document the reading.
B. move the one way valve to a minimum of 4000 ml capacity.
C. forcefully breath air out and continue to exhale for at least 6 seconds.
D. complete a minimum of eight acceptable efforts to validate the test.
Correct response:
forcefully breath air out and continue to exhale for at least 6 seconds.
Rationale: Respiratory tests are performed to assess and/or monitor lung function. A
spirometer measures how fast and how much air is pushed/forced out of the lungs.
Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) is measured by instructing the patient to forcefully breath
air out and continue to exhale for at least 6 seconds. When doing spirometry testing, the
total attempts should be limited to 8, not a minimum of 8. The one way valve should not
be moved to 4000 mL capacity. A patient should blow out as hard and fast for as long
, as possible, and 3 acceptable attempts are documented to ensure test validity (not just
the highest reading).
An older adult patient arrives to have blood drawn. While assessing the arms for
venipuncture, the medical assistant notices scar tissue in the anticubital areas
and is unable to palpate a vein. Which of the following is an appropriate
alternative course of action?
A. Draw blood from the hand using an evacuated tube system.
B. Use a larger gauge needle to penetrate through the scar tissue.
C. Draw blood from the hand using a winged infusion set.
D. Perform a capillary puncture on the lateral thumb.
Correct response:
Draw blood from the hand using a winged infusion set.
Rationale: Areas with visible scar tissue should be avoided when selecting a site for
venipuncture. Scarring can cause the area to be difficult to puncture and may obstruct
blood flow. So, the best approach is to draw blood from the hand using a winged
infusion set (a.k.a. butterfly). Use of an evacuated tube could collapse the vein due to
the vacuum pressure. A capillary puncture would not be the best approach because a
venous draw on the hand would give a superior specimen.
When managing multiple incoming calls, the medical assistant should handle
which of the following calls first?
A. A patient calling to schedule a follow-up visit for uncontrolled pain after hip
surgery.
B. A neurologist seeing a patient on consult.
C. A patient calling to cancel today's appointment for a needle biopsy of a breast
mass.
D. A lawyer with a subpoena asking for patient information.
Correct response:
A neurologist seeing a patient on consult.
Rationale: The medical assistant's main priority is to handle the most urgent call
promptly. A neurologist calling to report on a referred patient would take priority over
anyone scheduling or cancelling an appointment. The other calls can be put on hold or