1. In contrast to the assessment of a trauma patient, assessment of a medical
patient:
a. Is focused on the nature of illness the patient’s chief complaint and his or
her symptoms
b. Almost exclusively focuses on physical signs that indicate the patient is
experiencing a problem
c. Requires a thorough head-to-toe exam that involves a detailed
assessment of all body systems
d. Is not as complex for the EMT because most patients typically present
with classic symptoms
2. Which of the following conditions is NOT categorized as a psychiatric condition?
a. Alzheimer’s Disease
b. Depression
c. Schizophrenia
d. Substance Abuse
3. The greatest danger in displaying a personal bias or "labeling" a patient who
frequently calls EMS is:
a. Overlooking a potentially serious medical condition
b. Discouraging the patient from calling EMS in the future
c. Making the entire EMS system look unprofessional
d. Demeaning or humiliating the patient and his family
4. An index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:
a. Ruling out specific medical conditions based on the absence of certain
signs and symptoms
b. Your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and
unseen injuries or illness
c. The EMT prediction of the type of illness a patient has based on how the
call is dispatched
d. Determining the underlying cause of a patient’s medical condition based
on signs and symptoms
5. Your patient is a 50-year-old man with weakness. He is critically ill but the closest
hospital is 25 miles out. You:
a. Load him into the ambulance begin transport and perform all treatment en
route to the hospital
, b. Administer oxygen via nonrebreathing mask and obtain as much of his
medical history as possible
c. Perform a detailed secondary assessment, assess his vital signs, and
then transport rapidly
d. Manage all threats to airway breathing and circulation and consider
requesting an ALS unit.
6. When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is
important to remember that:
a. The majority of medical patients you encounter are also injured
b. The conditions of may medical patients may not appear serious at first
c. Most serious medical conditions do not present with obvious symptoms
d. It is during the general impression that assessment of the ABCs occurs
7. Upon initial contact with a patient who appears to be unconscious, you should:
a. Squeeze the trapezius muscle to see if the patient reasons
b. Attempt to elicit a verbal response by talking to the patient
c. Direct your partner to apply oxygen via nonrebreathing mask
d. assess breathing depth and determine the respiratory rate
8. An elderly woman reveals with emphysema/hypertension/CHF is conscious &
alert, but is short of breath. You first:
a. Administer oxygen with the appropriate device
b. Perform a head to toe secondary assessment
c. Retrieve the stretcher and prepare for transport
d. Assess her oxygen saturation and blood pressure
9. In addition to looking for severe bleeding, assessment of circulation in the
conscious patient should involve:
a. Checking the radial pulse and noting the color temperature and condition
of his or her skin
b. Applying a pulse oximeter probe to the finger to determine if peripheral
perfusion is adequate
c. Palpating the carotid pulse to determine the approximate rate and
checking capillary refill time
d. Taking a blood pressure and determining if the patient is alert and oriented
or confused
10. When assessing a medical patient, which of the following would MOST likely
reveal the cause of his or his problem?
, a. Baseline vital signs
b. Rapid body scan
c. Primary assessment
d. History taking
11. Which of the following will MOST reliably allow you to determine the nature of a
patient's illness?
a. Refraining from asking open-ended questions
b. Focusing solely on how the call is dispatched
c. Trending of the patient’s vital signs over time
d. Asking questions related to the chief complaint
12. When caring for a patient who takes numerous medications, it is best to:
a. Document the medications on your patient care report but leave them at
home so they do not get misplaced
b. Send the patient’s medications to the hospital with a family member or
other person who will safeguard them
c. Let the hospital staff retrieve the patient’s medical records which should
show a list of his or her current medication
d. Take all of the patient’s medications with you to the hospital and document
them on your patient care report
13. The secondary assessment of a medical patient:
a. Is typically limited to a focused exam for patients who are unconscious
b. Should be performed at the scene especially if the patient is critically ill
c. Is not practical if the patient is critically ill or your transport time is short
d. Should routinely include a comprehensive examination from head to toe
14. A 48-year-old man with crushing chest pain has received O2 & 324 mg of aspirin.
He is getting groggy & his heart slowed
a. Prepare the patient for immediate transport
b. Continue with your secondary assessment
c. Insert a nasal airway and assist his breathing
d. Request an ALS unit to respond to the scene
15. You perform a secondary assessment on a conscious patient with nontraumatic
abdominal pain & stable vitals, you should:
a. Only palpate tender areas of the abdomen
b. Focus on his or her chief complaint
c. Examine him or her from head to toe
d. Prepare the patient for transport first
16. It is important to assess pulse, sensation, & movement in all extremities as well
as pupillary reactions in those with
patient:
a. Is focused on the nature of illness the patient’s chief complaint and his or
her symptoms
b. Almost exclusively focuses on physical signs that indicate the patient is
experiencing a problem
c. Requires a thorough head-to-toe exam that involves a detailed
assessment of all body systems
d. Is not as complex for the EMT because most patients typically present
with classic symptoms
2. Which of the following conditions is NOT categorized as a psychiatric condition?
a. Alzheimer’s Disease
b. Depression
c. Schizophrenia
d. Substance Abuse
3. The greatest danger in displaying a personal bias or "labeling" a patient who
frequently calls EMS is:
a. Overlooking a potentially serious medical condition
b. Discouraging the patient from calling EMS in the future
c. Making the entire EMS system look unprofessional
d. Demeaning or humiliating the patient and his family
4. An index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:
a. Ruling out specific medical conditions based on the absence of certain
signs and symptoms
b. Your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and
unseen injuries or illness
c. The EMT prediction of the type of illness a patient has based on how the
call is dispatched
d. Determining the underlying cause of a patient’s medical condition based
on signs and symptoms
5. Your patient is a 50-year-old man with weakness. He is critically ill but the closest
hospital is 25 miles out. You:
a. Load him into the ambulance begin transport and perform all treatment en
route to the hospital
, b. Administer oxygen via nonrebreathing mask and obtain as much of his
medical history as possible
c. Perform a detailed secondary assessment, assess his vital signs, and
then transport rapidly
d. Manage all threats to airway breathing and circulation and consider
requesting an ALS unit.
6. When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is
important to remember that:
a. The majority of medical patients you encounter are also injured
b. The conditions of may medical patients may not appear serious at first
c. Most serious medical conditions do not present with obvious symptoms
d. It is during the general impression that assessment of the ABCs occurs
7. Upon initial contact with a patient who appears to be unconscious, you should:
a. Squeeze the trapezius muscle to see if the patient reasons
b. Attempt to elicit a verbal response by talking to the patient
c. Direct your partner to apply oxygen via nonrebreathing mask
d. assess breathing depth and determine the respiratory rate
8. An elderly woman reveals with emphysema/hypertension/CHF is conscious &
alert, but is short of breath. You first:
a. Administer oxygen with the appropriate device
b. Perform a head to toe secondary assessment
c. Retrieve the stretcher and prepare for transport
d. Assess her oxygen saturation and blood pressure
9. In addition to looking for severe bleeding, assessment of circulation in the
conscious patient should involve:
a. Checking the radial pulse and noting the color temperature and condition
of his or her skin
b. Applying a pulse oximeter probe to the finger to determine if peripheral
perfusion is adequate
c. Palpating the carotid pulse to determine the approximate rate and
checking capillary refill time
d. Taking a blood pressure and determining if the patient is alert and oriented
or confused
10. When assessing a medical patient, which of the following would MOST likely
reveal the cause of his or his problem?
, a. Baseline vital signs
b. Rapid body scan
c. Primary assessment
d. History taking
11. Which of the following will MOST reliably allow you to determine the nature of a
patient's illness?
a. Refraining from asking open-ended questions
b. Focusing solely on how the call is dispatched
c. Trending of the patient’s vital signs over time
d. Asking questions related to the chief complaint
12. When caring for a patient who takes numerous medications, it is best to:
a. Document the medications on your patient care report but leave them at
home so they do not get misplaced
b. Send the patient’s medications to the hospital with a family member or
other person who will safeguard them
c. Let the hospital staff retrieve the patient’s medical records which should
show a list of his or her current medication
d. Take all of the patient’s medications with you to the hospital and document
them on your patient care report
13. The secondary assessment of a medical patient:
a. Is typically limited to a focused exam for patients who are unconscious
b. Should be performed at the scene especially if the patient is critically ill
c. Is not practical if the patient is critically ill or your transport time is short
d. Should routinely include a comprehensive examination from head to toe
14. A 48-year-old man with crushing chest pain has received O2 & 324 mg of aspirin.
He is getting groggy & his heart slowed
a. Prepare the patient for immediate transport
b. Continue with your secondary assessment
c. Insert a nasal airway and assist his breathing
d. Request an ALS unit to respond to the scene
15. You perform a secondary assessment on a conscious patient with nontraumatic
abdominal pain & stable vitals, you should:
a. Only palpate tender areas of the abdomen
b. Focus on his or her chief complaint
c. Examine him or her from head to toe
d. Prepare the patient for transport first
16. It is important to assess pulse, sensation, & movement in all extremities as well
as pupillary reactions in those with
