EMT Final Review
Which of the following is true regarding proper hand cleaning? Question options:
If the EMT's hands are visibly dirty, an alcohol-based hand cleaner is not sufficient
When covering a patient's mouth and nose with a mask of any kind, which of the following is the primary risk?
Obstructing the ability to visualize and protect the airway
Which of the following descriptions best defines the term pathogen?
An organism that causes infection and disease
While transporting a patient to the hospital who has a history of terminal brain cancer, the patient says, "I know I'm going to die, but first I want to see my grandson graduate from high school." What stage of death and dying describes this patient's current condition?
Bargaining
Which of the following behaviors would demonstrate that an EMT understands reactions to death and dying?
Being tolerant of angry reactions by patients and family members
Which of the following best describes training that supplements the EMT's original training and that is usually taken in regular intervals?
Continuing education
Which of the following is a personality trait required of EMTs?
Control of personal habits
Which hormone helps the body control stress, regulate metabolism, and influence an immune response?
Cortisol
Because EMS personnel are often exposed to both acute and chronic stressors, ________ management may be helpful to cope with on-the-job experiences.
Critical incident stress
The term burnout is also known as a(n) ________ stress reaction
Cumulative
A family member who keeps pleading with a deceased loved one to "wake up" is experiencing which reaction to death and dying?
Denial
You are dispatched to a "man down" with no further information. As your unit arrives on-scene, you see a crowd of bystanders looking at a man lying in an alleyway. The bystanders begin screaming to you, "Help him, he's been shot! He's bleeding real bad!" What would be the best course of action?
Dispatch law enforcement and wait until the scene is secure.
Which of the following is the form of stress that can cause immediate and long-term problems with an EMT's health and well-being?
Distress
Healthcare employers are required by law to make a hepatitis B ________ available to employees free of charge.
Vaccine
During the new employee orientation, the training officer meets with the new EMTs and explains to them the monthly training schedule and the classes they must attend for EMT recertification. One of the new EMTs asks the training officer why they have to keep taking EMT courses if they already passed the EMT examination. What is the best answer?
EMS is constantly evolving in response to evidence-based research.
What best describes the level of EMS training that emphasizes activation of the EMS system and provides immediate care for life-threatening problems?
Emergency Medical Responder
What is the minimum level of certification required of ambulance personnel responsible for direct patient care?
Emergency Medical Technician
What reference provides important information regarding hazardous materials, emergency care, and procedures in case of accidental fire or release; supplies definitions of placard colors and identification numbers; and should be standard issue on board all ambulances and rescue units?
Emergency Response Guidebook
Which of the following is the most common gateway for hospital services for patients who need emergency medical assistance?
Emergency department
Which of the following best describes a communication system capable of identifying the number and location of the phone from which a caller is calling?
Enhanced 911
You are approaching the scene of a motor vehicle crash. Which of the following would be the first way to safeguard your well-being as an EMT?
Ensure scene safety
Which of the following terms refers to a positive form of stress that helps people work when under pressure and respond effectively?
Eustress
According to Dr. Hans Selye, the third stage of the body's response to stress is known as the ________ stage.
Exhaustion
What mode of transmission most accurately describes the route of spreading hepatitis A?
Fecal-oral
Which of the following is a role of the EMT in the quality improvement process?
Writing complete patient care reports
What are some signs and symptoms that a coworker may be experiencing a delayed stress reaction (PTSD)?
Flashbacks, nightmares, and feelings of detachment
You are first on the scene of a vehicle collision where a vehicle has gone off a bridge and is partially submerged. You are told that a person is still trapped in the vehicle. Your partner starts to take off his shoes and prepares to go in to save the victim. You stop your partner and tell him it is too dangerous. He tells you he is prepared to die to save a life. What is the best response to him?
He is not only putting his life at risk, but also placing the lives of the professional rescuers unnecessarily at risk.
Due to the high risk of an unstable work environment, EMTs responding to a motor vehicle crash may consider using ________ in addition to standard PPE. Question options:
Heavy duty gloves
Which of the following pathogens can live in dried blood for days and should be a major concern for EMS providers even while cleaning contaminated equipment?
Hepatitis B
What has the modern emergency medical services (EMS) system been developed to provide?
Hospital-quality care at the emergency scene and during transport
What is not one the common settings that an EMT may work in?
Hospitals
You and your EMT partner are assigned to spend a day at the senior center where you are to inspect the rooms and common areas for fall hazards. Your partner is upset that he is not in the ambulance where the "action is." He complains that "looking for loose rugs" is a waste of his time. What would be the best response to his complaints?
Injury prevention in the community is an important component of EMS
Which of the following behaviors would be considered a common sign of stress rather than an acute psychological problem?
Irritability with friends, family, and coworkers
You are on the scene of an "unknown medical" call. The patient is a 26-year-old, 250-pound male patient who suddenly becomes violently angry. Everything you say to the patient only makes him angrier. Offended by your questions, he screams that he is going to "cut your tongue out" and hurries into the kitchen. What should you do?
Leave immediately to a safe area and then call for police assistance
You are dispatched to a female with altered mental status. Once inside the home, you find a female who appears to have been beaten unconscious. A man, who smells of alcohol, says that she is his wife and that he does not know what happened: "I just found her this way!" The husband is behaving suspiciously, appears paranoid, and is pacing erratically around the room. What would be the safest course of action?
Leave the house and call for law enforcement.
You have just worked a cardiac arrest call on a 48-year-old father of three. Despite your best efforts, the patient died in the emergency department. As you are getting your ambulance in service, the patient's wife rushes out of the emergency department. She finds you and begins screaming at you that her husband's death is your fault. She blames you for not getting on the scene fast enough, taking too long at the house, and not shocking her husband back to life like she has seen on television. What response should you have to her anger?
Listen empathetically to all of her complaints and let her know she can contact you for any additional assistance.
Which of the following is the primary responsibility of the EMT?
Maintain personal health and safety.
The EMT's role in the quality improvement process includes becoming involved in the quality process, keeping carefully written documentation, obtaining feedback from patients and the hospital staff, continuing your education, and which of the following?
Maintaining your equipment
You are called to an assault on a homeless male. Dried blood from the trauma is visible around the patient's mouth and nose. During assessment, you note the patient has a productive cough. The patient says, "Don't worry, I'm not contagious. I've had this cough for a year." Describe the best approach regarding respiratory isolation.
Mask yourself and the patient.
Who assumes the ultimate responsibility for patient care rendered by the EMT?
Medical Director
An EMT should consider wearing protective eyewear when caring for which of these patients?
A patient who is actively coughing
Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding tuberculosis (TB)?
A tuberculin skin test can detect TB exposure.
Which of the following is a physical trait necessary for performing the duties of an EMT?
Ability to speak clearly
To be compassionate and empathetic, to be accurate with interviews, and to inspire confidence are all examples of which of the personal traits of a quality EMT?
Able to listen to others
The body's three-stage response to a stressful stimulation is known as general ________ syndrome.
Adaptation
What best describes the level of EMS training that emphasizes use of advanced airway devices and some prehospital medication administration?
Advanced EMT
Which of the following best describes a person who speaks up on behalf of the patient and supports his cause?
Advocate
An EMT is confronted by an armed gunman who is threatening to kill the EMT and his partner. An elevation in the EMT's heart rate and blood pressure occurs in which stage of the body's response to stress?
Alarm Reaction Stage
Who is responsible for on-scene safety of EMS providers?
All crew members
A fellow EMT is talking with the Medical Director at a staff meeting. The EMT states that the neighboring ambulance service is carrying special clotting bandages for serious bleeding wounds. The special bandages cost five times as much as the regular bandages, but the EMT claims they work ten times better. The EMT wants the Medical Director to approve the bandages for use in their ambulances. The Medical Director responds to the EMT by saying he will not approve the bandages until he can prove they are worth the additional cost. How can the EMT best prove the worth of the special bandages?
Perform a literature search to see what studies have been done on the special bandages and report the findings to the Medical Director.
What is a common term used to describe the items needed for Standard Precautions or body substance isolation precautions?
Personal protective equipment
Which of the following is not correct when performing a log roll?
Place both feet flat on the ground.
Which of the following groups is credited with developing the earliest documented emergency medical service?
The french
You and another new EMT are studying your local protocols. The other EMT notices that you may give oral glucose without utilizing on-line medical control, but you must get an on-line order from a physician before assisting a patient in taking his nitroglycerin for chest pain. The EMT asks you why some drugs require on-line medical control while others do not. What is the best answer to give him?
The physician wants to be sure it is appropriate for the patient.
The CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in all except which of the following situation(s)?
The provider's hands come into contact with fecal matter.
You have just come on duty. The EMT on the previous shift complains to you that the QI manager was giving him grief because he did not document three sets of vital signs on the patient record. The EMT is angry and does not understand why documenting three sets of vital signs is so important. What is the best answer you could give him?
The recording of three sets of vital signs demonstrates that you were trending the patient's condition.
For the last few days, your regular EMT partner has been having trouble sleeping, has been on edge, and has had trouble concentrating on his job during EMS calls. Luckily, your call volume has been low with no serious calls since the infant cardiac arrest you both worked last month. You ask him if anything is bothering him and he states he is fine in every way. He states that he has been going to the bars lately to relax and invites you to come along for some drinks after work. Choose the best answer for this situation
Your partner is suffering from a delayed stress reaction and you should recommend that he seek professional counseling.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISDs):
are now less common than they once were
Posttraumatic stress disorder may be described as a(n):
delayed stress reaction.
The tuberculin skin test (TST), formerly known as the purified protein derivative (PPD) test, is used to:
detect a person's exposure to tuberculosis.
All of the following are ways that an EMT can increase both physical and mental well-being, except:
drinking caffeine instead of alcohol
You observe a coworker telling a terminal cancer patient and her family, "Everything will be okay." Making false reassurances is considered:
naive and uncompassionate
An EMT involved in an especially difficult call, such as one in which a coworker was killed, should be urged to:
seek help from a trained mental health professional
What is a public health initiative that is likely to involve the participation of EMTs?
Public vaccination programs.
When responding to the scene of a patient who was discovered to be unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse, family members state that the patient has been suffering from cancer for several years. One of his sons is cursing at you and your partner, saying that you are not moving fast enough. Which stage of grief is the patient's son experiencing in response to his father's death?
Anger
After delivering a patient to the emergency department, you discuss with hospital staff the details of your care and ask for suggestions to improve your care. This is an example of your role in which of the following?
Quality improvement
Which of the following is a physiologic effect of the stress triad as described by the physician Hans Selye?
Bleeding gastric ulcers
Which of the following is a component of patient advocacy?
Building rapport with the patient during transport to the hospital
Which of the following refers to a program or process for evaluating and improving the effectiveness of an EMS system?
Quality improvement
What is not the priority of an EMT at the scene of a hazardous materials incident?
Identification of hazardous materials
Which one of these groups is at greatest risk of contracting and transmitting tuberculosis?
Immunosuppressed patients
A(n) ________ is a situation that may lead to an acute stress reaction.
Injury of a coworker
When the potential exists for exposure to exhaled air of a person with suspected or confirmed TB, a(n) ________ mask should be worn by the EMT.
N-95
Which of the following agencies is responsible for establishing EMS system assessment programs?
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) was founded to establish which of the following?
National standards for emergency medical services personnel
What level of emergency medical training provides the most advanced pre-hospital care?
Paramedic
What best defines the evaluation of the patient's condition in order to provide emergency care?
Patient Assessment
Which of the following patients should not be transported in a stair chair?
Patient with a suspected spinal injury
Which of the following best describes a list of steps the EMT should perform while assessing and managing emergency medical situations?
Protocols
Which of the following provides the greatest personal safety for an EMT working at a motor vehicle collision?
Reflective outer clothing
What is a positive, healthy way to help deal with stress?
Regular physical exercise
You respond to a laceration call. When you arrive on-scene, you walk into the house and find a person suffering from a severe wrist laceration from a broken window. Without thinking, you immediately grab the wrist and apply direct pressure to the wound. You then realize that, in your hurry to save a life, you forgot to put on your gloves. You look down to see your hand is covered in blood. When practical, you immediately wash your hands thoroughly. What is your next best action?
Report the exposure so you can protect yourself from any accidental infection.
Why is research published in a medical journal more authoritative than the information in a typical article published in an EMS magazine?
Research in medical journals is original and peer reviewed.
Centralized coordination of emergency medical access, transportation, and care most refers to which of the following?
Resource management
Which three "Rs" are essential for the EMT to practice when reacting to danger?
Respond, radio, reevaluate
What is the name of the federal act that mandates a procedure by which emergency healthcare providers can find out if they have been exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases while on the job?
Ryan White CARE Act
Which of the following is a personal trait an EMT should demonstrate?
Self-starter
You and your new EMT partner arrive first on the scene of a single car rollover on the shoulder of a busy highway. You pull off in a safe location and just as you stop the ambulance, your partner throws the passenger door open, steps out of the truck, and begins jogging through the scattered debris toward the overturned car. You shout for him to stop and he looks back at you, but then continues to the vehicle and begins assessing the driver. Later, as you are restocking in the ambulance bay of the local trauma center, your partner tells you that he thinks you acted unprofessionally by shouting at him. What is the best way to respond?
Shouting was an attempt to protect the EMT from a potentially unsafe scene
What is the contraindication for the use of a scoop or orthopedic stretcher?
Spinal injury
During which of these situations would the EMT be least likely to experience a body substance exposure?
Splinting a sprained ankle
A written authorization for an EMS provider to perform a particular skill in a specific situation is a(n):
Standing order
The application of oxygen for a patient who is short of breath without having to contact the physician in the emergency department because of existing protocols is an example of which of the following?
Standing orders
Which of the following terms is best defined as "a state of physical and/or psychological arousal to a stimulus"?
Stress
Which of the following parts of the nervous system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response experienced in response to a stressor?
Sympathetic nervous system
One's "cognitive ability" refers to his or her ability to do which of the following?
Think and solve problems
Why is it important for EMTs to participate in quality improvement programs?
To identify problems and develop a plan to prevent their recurrence
What is the primary reason for an EMT to change gloves between contacts with different patients?
To prevent spreading infection to the next patient
Upon arrival at the hospital, the EMT advises hospital personnel of the patient's condition, observations from the scene, treatment rendered, and other pertinent data to assure continuity of care. This process is known as which of the following?
Transfer of care
You are treating a patient who has a productive cough and who reports weight loss, loss of appetite, weakness, night sweats, and fever. Which of the following diseases is most likely the cause of these signs and symptoms?
Tuberculosis
In 1966 the National Highway Safety Act charged which of the following agencies with the development of emergency medical service standards?
U.S. Department of Transportation
