IAHCSMM CRCST FINAL EXAM ACTUAL QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔What to Wear: Unrestricted - ✔✔general public areas, street clothes may be worn in
unrestricted areas.
GREEN
✔✔What to Wear: Semi-Restricted - ✔✔Support areas to the OR, such as central
service clean assembly and sterile storage areas, and access corridors to operating
rooms. Surgical scrub attire and hair coverings are required in these areas.
WHITE.
✔✔What to Wear: Restricted - ✔✔areas where sterile procedures are performed.
Surgical scrub attire, hair coverings, and masks are required in these areas. Persons
working within the sterile field have additional requirements of a sterile surgical gown
and gloves.
BLUE.
✔✔fomite - ✔✔an inanimate object that can transmit bacteria.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔floors should be wet mopped at least daily.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔horizontal work surfaces such as counters and
worktables should be cleaned at least daily.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔light fixtures or their covers should be cleaned at
least every 6 months.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔walls, cabinets, and racks should be cleaned on
a regularly scheduled basis.
✔✔Workflow - ✔✔the workflow in a central service department is designed to avoid
cross-contamination and insure that items efficiently flow through the process from
decontamination to storage.
✔✔progression from contaminated to steile - ✔✔USER.
Decontamination.
inspection and assembly.
sterilization.
sterile storage.
USER.
✔✔asepsis - ✔✔the absence of microorganisms that cause disease
,✔✔aseptic technique - ✔✔any activity or procedure that prevents infection or breaks the
chain of infection.
✔✔asepsis medical - ✔✔reduce the number of microorganisms to minimize their
spread.
✔✔asepsis surgical - ✔✔eliminate the presence of all microorganisms, and/or prevent
the introduction of microorganisms to an area.
✔✔Principles of Asepsis - ✔✔Know what is dirty.
Know what is clean.
Know what is sterile.
keep the 3 conditions separate.
Remedy contamination immediately.
✔✔conductivity - ✔✔measurement of the ability of water to carry an electrical current.
✔✔deionization - ✔✔process by which ions with an electrical charge are removed from
water.
✔✔reverse osmosis - ✔✔diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane to
eliminate impurities that it contains.
✔✔silicate - ✔✔mineral commonly found in water that is derived from silca found in
quartz and other components. Ideal level in water used for cleaning is 100 ppm or less
✔✔chloride - ✔✔compound commonly found in water that is created when chlorine is
combined with another element or radical, such as a salt or hydrochloric acid. ideal level
is 100 ppm or less.
✔✔total dissolved solids - ✔✔include elements such as iron, silicates, calcium, and
magnesium.
✔✔bluish or rainbow-type stains - ✔✔are caused by iron and silicates in water
✔✔powdery or chalky stains/build ups - ✔✔are caused by calcium and magnesium in
the water.
✔✔water softeners - ✔✔used to remove calcium and magnesium in water.
✔✔GAC - granular activated charcoal - ✔✔used to remove chlorides in water. also used
to treat water in a deionization or reverse osmosis system, placed before the system to
reduce the chlorides that would inhibit effectiveness.
, ✔✔Distillation - ✔✔Distillation is the process of heating a liquid until it boils, then
condensing and collecting the resultant hot vapors. Removes dissolved solids, gasses
and organics, along with particles, bacteria, pyrogens, and endotoxins.
✔✔Deionization - ✔✔water filtration process whereby total dissolved solids (TDS) are
removed from water through ion exchange. In simple terms, by controlling the electric
charge of ions in the water, it is possible to remove the TDS.
✔✔Reverse Osmosis - ✔✔a technique for purifying water, in which pressure is applied
to force liquid through a semipermeable membrane in the opposite direction to that in
normal osmosis
✔✔enzymatic products - ✔✔contain protease enzymes that are useful in removing
proteins such as dried-on blood and tissue. Water temperatures should not exceed
140°F because the enzymes become inactive.
✔✔Protease enzyme - ✔✔protein soils
✔✔lipase enzyme - ✔✔fat soils
✔✔amylase enzyme - ✔✔starches
✔✔chelating agents - ✔✔are chemical compounds that form complexes with metal ions
or other substrates. They are also called chelators or sequestering agents.
✔✔Emulsifier - ✔✔surrounds particles to prevent them from re-attaching and help break
bonds that oils can create to trap soil
✔✔hot water temperatures - ✔✔120°F -165°F
✔✔gross soil - ✔✔tissue, body fat, blood, and other body substances.
✔✔point of use preparation - ✔✔helps prolong life of instruments.
makes the cleaning process easier.
✔✔cleaning - ✔✔removal of all visible and non-visible soil, and any other foreign
material from the medical device being reprocessed.
✔✔decontamination - ✔✔removing or reducing contamination by infectious organisms
or other harmful substances.
✔✔cleaning is: - ✔✔the first step in reprocessing a device after use.
AND ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔What to Wear: Unrestricted - ✔✔general public areas, street clothes may be worn in
unrestricted areas.
GREEN
✔✔What to Wear: Semi-Restricted - ✔✔Support areas to the OR, such as central
service clean assembly and sterile storage areas, and access corridors to operating
rooms. Surgical scrub attire and hair coverings are required in these areas.
WHITE.
✔✔What to Wear: Restricted - ✔✔areas where sterile procedures are performed.
Surgical scrub attire, hair coverings, and masks are required in these areas. Persons
working within the sterile field have additional requirements of a sterile surgical gown
and gloves.
BLUE.
✔✔fomite - ✔✔an inanimate object that can transmit bacteria.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔floors should be wet mopped at least daily.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔horizontal work surfaces such as counters and
worktables should be cleaned at least daily.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔light fixtures or their covers should be cleaned at
least every 6 months.
✔✔Environmental housekeeping - ✔✔walls, cabinets, and racks should be cleaned on
a regularly scheduled basis.
✔✔Workflow - ✔✔the workflow in a central service department is designed to avoid
cross-contamination and insure that items efficiently flow through the process from
decontamination to storage.
✔✔progression from contaminated to steile - ✔✔USER.
Decontamination.
inspection and assembly.
sterilization.
sterile storage.
USER.
✔✔asepsis - ✔✔the absence of microorganisms that cause disease
,✔✔aseptic technique - ✔✔any activity or procedure that prevents infection or breaks the
chain of infection.
✔✔asepsis medical - ✔✔reduce the number of microorganisms to minimize their
spread.
✔✔asepsis surgical - ✔✔eliminate the presence of all microorganisms, and/or prevent
the introduction of microorganisms to an area.
✔✔Principles of Asepsis - ✔✔Know what is dirty.
Know what is clean.
Know what is sterile.
keep the 3 conditions separate.
Remedy contamination immediately.
✔✔conductivity - ✔✔measurement of the ability of water to carry an electrical current.
✔✔deionization - ✔✔process by which ions with an electrical charge are removed from
water.
✔✔reverse osmosis - ✔✔diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane to
eliminate impurities that it contains.
✔✔silicate - ✔✔mineral commonly found in water that is derived from silca found in
quartz and other components. Ideal level in water used for cleaning is 100 ppm or less
✔✔chloride - ✔✔compound commonly found in water that is created when chlorine is
combined with another element or radical, such as a salt or hydrochloric acid. ideal level
is 100 ppm or less.
✔✔total dissolved solids - ✔✔include elements such as iron, silicates, calcium, and
magnesium.
✔✔bluish or rainbow-type stains - ✔✔are caused by iron and silicates in water
✔✔powdery or chalky stains/build ups - ✔✔are caused by calcium and magnesium in
the water.
✔✔water softeners - ✔✔used to remove calcium and magnesium in water.
✔✔GAC - granular activated charcoal - ✔✔used to remove chlorides in water. also used
to treat water in a deionization or reverse osmosis system, placed before the system to
reduce the chlorides that would inhibit effectiveness.
, ✔✔Distillation - ✔✔Distillation is the process of heating a liquid until it boils, then
condensing and collecting the resultant hot vapors. Removes dissolved solids, gasses
and organics, along with particles, bacteria, pyrogens, and endotoxins.
✔✔Deionization - ✔✔water filtration process whereby total dissolved solids (TDS) are
removed from water through ion exchange. In simple terms, by controlling the electric
charge of ions in the water, it is possible to remove the TDS.
✔✔Reverse Osmosis - ✔✔a technique for purifying water, in which pressure is applied
to force liquid through a semipermeable membrane in the opposite direction to that in
normal osmosis
✔✔enzymatic products - ✔✔contain protease enzymes that are useful in removing
proteins such as dried-on blood and tissue. Water temperatures should not exceed
140°F because the enzymes become inactive.
✔✔Protease enzyme - ✔✔protein soils
✔✔lipase enzyme - ✔✔fat soils
✔✔amylase enzyme - ✔✔starches
✔✔chelating agents - ✔✔are chemical compounds that form complexes with metal ions
or other substrates. They are also called chelators or sequestering agents.
✔✔Emulsifier - ✔✔surrounds particles to prevent them from re-attaching and help break
bonds that oils can create to trap soil
✔✔hot water temperatures - ✔✔120°F -165°F
✔✔gross soil - ✔✔tissue, body fat, blood, and other body substances.
✔✔point of use preparation - ✔✔helps prolong life of instruments.
makes the cleaning process easier.
✔✔cleaning - ✔✔removal of all visible and non-visible soil, and any other foreign
material from the medical device being reprocessed.
✔✔decontamination - ✔✔removing or reducing contamination by infectious organisms
or other harmful substances.
✔✔cleaning is: - ✔✔the first step in reprocessing a device after use.
