Medical Assistant Certification Exam.
Questions And Answers, 2023 Update
What are the 4 parts to a patient's medical history? - chief complaint (CC),
... [Show More] history of
present illness (HPI), Past, Family and Social History (PFSH), and review of systems
(ROS)
Vital signs reflect the functions of what three body processes necessary for life? - body
temperature, respiration and heart function
what are the 4 vital signs of body function? - temperature, pulse, respiration and blood
pressure
Give the normal temp ranges for the following sites: rectal, oral, axillary and tympanic
membrane? - rectal 98.6-100
oral 97.6-99.6
axillary 96.6-98.6
tympanic 9.8.6
febrile v afebrile - febrile is the presence of fever, afebrile is absence of fever
3 types of fever? - intermittent, remittent and continuous
oral temperature is not taken from which patients? - infants and children less than 6 yo,
patients who had face, neck nose or mouth surgery, those receiving oxygen, patients w
altered mental status and others
how long should you wait for patients who just finished eating drinking or smoking to
take temp? - 30 minutes
What method of taking temp is the least accurate? - axillary (underarm)
normal adult pulse range - 60-100 BPM
what is the site most commonly used for taking pulse? - radial artery in wrist
normal range for adults respiration? - 12-20 per minute
what are 3 respiration rate abnormalities? - apnea- temporary complete absence of
breathing
tachypnea- rate > 40.min
bradypnea- decease in number of respirations
What are to abnormalities in respiratory rhythm? - Cheyne-Stokes- regular pattern of
irregular breathing rate
Orthopnea- difficult to breathe unless in upwright position
what does depth of respiration refer to? - amount of air that is inspired and expired
during respiration
what are three abnormalities in depth of respirations? - hypoventilation-reduced amt of
air enters lungs
hypernea- abnormal inc in depth and rate of breathing
hyperventilation- increased amt of air entering lungs
Define blood pressure - measurement of the amt of force exerted by the blood on the
peripheral arterial walls and is expressed in mmHg
BP consists of what 2 components? - highest (systole) and lowest (diastole) amt of
pressure exerted during cardiac cycle
Name some common errors in blood pressure measurmens - improper cuff size, arm is
not at heart level, cuff not deflated, improper cuff placement
anthropometric refers to what? - comparative measurements of the bdoy
What are the 4 principles of physical examination? - inspection, palpation, percussion,
ausculatationq
to make a diagnosis the physician utilizes what 3 sources? - patient's health history,
physical exam, and lab tests
horizontal recumbent position - used for most physical exams
dorsal recumbent position -
fowler's position - used to promote drainage or ease breathing
dorsal lithotomy position - used for exam of pelvic orgns
prone position - used to examine spine and back
Sim's position - used for rectal examination
knee-chest position - used for rectal and vaginal exams
trendelenburg position - used for surgical procedures of pelvis and abdomen
Which organization is responsible for the identification of the various hazards present in
the workplace and for the creation of rules and regulation to minimize exposure to
hazards? - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
What are the 3 categories for safety hazards? - physical hazards, chemical hazards,
biological hazards
for an external hemorrhage how is bleeding controlled? - elevating the affected part
above heart level and applying direct pressure to the wound
when does shock occur? - when there is insuffcient return of blood flow to the heart,
resulting in inadequate supply of oxygen
what are the common symptoms of shock? - pale, cold clammy skin, rapid weak pulse,
increased shallow breathing rate, expressionless face
first aid for shcok - maintain an open airway, call for assistance, keep victim lying dow,
attempt to control cause of shock
what are agents? - infectious microorganisms that can be classified into groups
portal of exit and portal of entry - portal of exit is the method by which infectious agent
leaves its resevoir; portal of entry allows infectious agent access to suceptible host
mode of transmition - specific ways in which microorganisms travel from resevoir to
susceptible host. 5 main types: contact, droplet, airborne, common vehicle and
vectorborne
define medical asepsis - the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms after they leave
the body
what procedure is used in medical aspesis using various chemicals that can destroy
pathogenic microorganisms? - disinfection
what is the least expensive and most readily available disenfection? - a 1:10 solution of
household beach
4 methods of sterilization - gas sterilization, dry heat sterilization, chemcial and steam
(autoclave)
what is the most important means of preventing the spread of infection? - hand washing
what are the 3 categories of isolation? - contact precautions, airborne precautions and
droplet percautions
po (abb) - by mouth/orally
pr (abb) - per rectum
sl (abb) - sublingual (under tongue)
SQ (abb) - subcutaneous
pc (abb) - after meals
qhs (abb) - each night
prn (abb) - as needed
The heart is located in the thoracic cavity between the lungs in what space? -
mediastenum, just behind the sternum
give layers of heart deep to superficial - endocardium, myocardium, pericardium
what is the "heart skeleton" made of? - four rings of thick connective tissue
what are the layers of fluid separating the parietal pericardium and visceral
pericardium? - pericardial sac
what structure in the middle of the heart divides the heart into two sides? - septim
what kind of blood does the left and right side of the heart pump? - right pumps
deoxygenated blood w low pressure from veins into lungs (pulmonary circulation) and
left pumps oxygenated blood with high pressure (blood pressure) toward the tissues
through the arteries (systemic circulation)
What are the four heart chambers? - right atrium, left atrium, right ventricle, left ventricle
what are the only arteries in the body that carry oxygenated blood? - pulmonary arteries
(efferent)
what are the only veins in the body that carry oxygenated blood? - pulmonary veins
(afferent)
what is the largest artery in the body? - the aorta
be familiar with heart anatomy -
what is the purpose of heart vavles? - to prevent the backflow of blood therby assuring
uni-directional flow through the heart
what are the subdivisions of the heart valves? - Atrioventricular valves (AV): Tricuspid +
Bicuspid Mitral
semilunar valves: Pulmonic + Aortic
What are the AV cuspid valves characteristcs? - have tough fibrous rings, long and
strong leaflets (cuspids), accessory organs (ie papillary muscles, chordae tendinae)
give the location of the AV cuspid valves? - tricuspid is btw the right atrium and right
ventricle, bicuspid mitral is btw left atrium and left ventricle
characteristics of semilunar valves? - three leaflests, shallow in depth, no accessory
organs
give location of semilunar valves? - pulmonic btq right ventricle and pulmonary trunk,
aortic btw left ventricle and aorta
where are the coronary arteries located? - on the epidcardium
what are the two branches of the left coronary artery? - Left anterior descending (LAD)
artery and Left Circumflex (LCX) artery
what is the main artery that supplies the right side of the heart? - Right Coronary Artery
(RCA)
What is the period of contractions of both atria and ventricles? - systole
what is the period of relaxation and filling of all cardiac chambers? - diastole
heart sounds are caused by what? - closure of the heart vavles
when does the S1 first heart sound (Lubb) occur? - occurs during ventricle contraction
and closure of AV valves
when does the S2 second heart sound (Dupp) occur? - occurs during ventricular
relaxation when SL valves close
heart murmurs are caused by what? - diseases of the valves or other structural
abnormalities
define heart rate - number of heart contractions per minute
what two things control heart rate? - chemo-receptors (chemical sensors) and Baroreceptors (pressure receptors) located in the aortic arch and carotid arteries
the heart is under the influence of which nervous system? - the autonomic nervous
system which is subdivided into the sypathetic and parasypathetic
which division of the ANS has an inhibitory effect via acetylcholine? - parasympathetic
(vagus nerve.... [Show Less]