West Coast EMT Block #2 Exam
West Coast EMT Block #2 Exam
Ten days after treating a 34-year-old patient with tuberculosis, you are given a tuberculin
skin test, which yields a positive result. This MOST likely indicates that:
Select one:
A. the disease is dormant in your body, but will probably never cause symptoms.
B. you are actively infected with tuberculosis and should be treated immediately.
C. you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-old patient.
D. you contracted the disease by casual contact instead of exposure to secretions. Correct
Answer - C. you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-
old patient.
After sizing up the scene of a patient with a possible infectious disease, your next priority
should be to:
Select one:
A. contact medical control.
B. notify law enforcement.
C. quickly access the patient.
D. take standard precautions. Correct Answer - D. take standard precautions.
An infectious disease is MOST accurately defined as:
Select one:
A. any disease that enters the body via the bloodstream and renders the immune system
nonfunctional.
B. the invasion of the human body by a bacterium that cannot be destroyed by antibiotics
or other drugs.
C. a medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within
the body.
D. a disease that can be spread from one person or species to another through a number of
mechanisms. Correct Answer - C. a medical condition caused by the growth and spread
of small, harmful organisms within the body.
Assessment of the medical patient is usually focused on the _________.
Select one:
A. nature of illness
B. field diagnosis
C. associated symptoms
D. medical history Correct Answer - A. nature of illness
Hepatitis B is more virulent than hepatitis C, which means that it:
Select one:
A. is a more contagious type of disease.
,B. has a greater ability to produce disease.
C. leads to chronic infection after exposure.
D. is less resistant to treatment. Correct Answer - B. has a greater ability to produce
disease.
In 2009, the H1N1 virus accounted for over 200,000 deaths worldwide in the form of the
swine flu. In 1919, a similar outbreak of the H1N1 occurred in the form of the Spanish flu.
Starting in Kansas City, the virus spread rapidly worldwide, claiming up to 50 million lives.
These are both examples of:
Select one:
A. epidemics.
B. parasitic infection.
C. uncontrolled outbreaks.
D. pandemics. Correct Answer - D. pandemics.
In which of the following situations would it be MOST appropriate to utilize an air medical
transportation service?
Select one:
A. 29-year-old woman who is 18 weeks pregnant, has light vaginal bleeding, and stable
vital signs
B. 50-year-old conscious woman with severe nausea and vomiting, fever, and chills of 3
days' duration
C. 43-year-old man experiencing a heart attack, and the closest appropriate hospital is 15
minutes away
D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and a ground transport time of 50
minutes Correct Answer - D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and
a ground transport time of 50 minutes
It is especially important to assess pulse, sensation, and movement in all extremities as well
as pupillary reactions in patients with a suspected ___________ problem.
Select one:
A. endocrine
B. respiratory
C. cardiac
D. neurologic Correct Answer - D. neurologic
Most patients with an infectious disease will have _________.
Select one:
A. a low blood glucose level
B. abdominal pain
C. seizures
D. a fever Correct Answer - D. a fever
Most treatments provided in the prehospital setting are intended to _________.
Select one:
A. reduce the need for transport to the hospital
, B. confirm the patient's diagnosis
C. address the patient's symptoms
D. correct the patient's underlying problem Correct Answer - C. address the patient's
symptoms
The BEST way to prevent infection from whooping cough is to:
Select one:
A. routinely place a surgical mask on all respiratory patients.
B. ask all patients if they have recently traveled abroad.
C. get vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
D. wear a HEPA mask when treating any respiratory patient. Correct Answer - C. get
vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
The determination of whether a medical patient is a high-priority or low-priority transport
is typically made:
Select one:
A. as soon as the patient voices his or her chief complaint.
B. after the primary assessment has been completed.
C. upon completion of a detailed secondary assessment.
D. once the patient's baseline vital signs are known. Correct Answer - B. after the
primary assessment has been completed.
When assessing a patient with a medical complaint, which of the following would MOST
likely reveal the cause of the problem?
Select one:
A. Baseline vital signs
B. Index of suspicion
C. Medical history
D. Primary assessment Correct Answer - C. Medical history
When caring for a patient with an altered mental status and signs of circulatory
compromise, you should:
Select one:
A. perform a detailed secondary assessment prior to transporting the patient.
B. have a paramedic unit respond to the scene if it is less than 15 minutes away.
C. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.
D. transport immediately and begin all emergency treatment en route to the hospital.
Correct Answer - C. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.
When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is
important to remember that:
Select one:
A. most serious medical conditions do not present with obvious symptoms.
B. it is during the general impression that assessment of the ABCs occurs.
C. the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.
West Coast EMT Block #2 Exam
Ten days after treating a 34-year-old patient with tuberculosis, you are given a tuberculin
skin test, which yields a positive result. This MOST likely indicates that:
Select one:
A. the disease is dormant in your body, but will probably never cause symptoms.
B. you are actively infected with tuberculosis and should be treated immediately.
C. you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-old patient.
D. you contracted the disease by casual contact instead of exposure to secretions. Correct
Answer - C. you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-
old patient.
After sizing up the scene of a patient with a possible infectious disease, your next priority
should be to:
Select one:
A. contact medical control.
B. notify law enforcement.
C. quickly access the patient.
D. take standard precautions. Correct Answer - D. take standard precautions.
An infectious disease is MOST accurately defined as:
Select one:
A. any disease that enters the body via the bloodstream and renders the immune system
nonfunctional.
B. the invasion of the human body by a bacterium that cannot be destroyed by antibiotics
or other drugs.
C. a medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within
the body.
D. a disease that can be spread from one person or species to another through a number of
mechanisms. Correct Answer - C. a medical condition caused by the growth and spread
of small, harmful organisms within the body.
Assessment of the medical patient is usually focused on the _________.
Select one:
A. nature of illness
B. field diagnosis
C. associated symptoms
D. medical history Correct Answer - A. nature of illness
Hepatitis B is more virulent than hepatitis C, which means that it:
Select one:
A. is a more contagious type of disease.
,B. has a greater ability to produce disease.
C. leads to chronic infection after exposure.
D. is less resistant to treatment. Correct Answer - B. has a greater ability to produce
disease.
In 2009, the H1N1 virus accounted for over 200,000 deaths worldwide in the form of the
swine flu. In 1919, a similar outbreak of the H1N1 occurred in the form of the Spanish flu.
Starting in Kansas City, the virus spread rapidly worldwide, claiming up to 50 million lives.
These are both examples of:
Select one:
A. epidemics.
B. parasitic infection.
C. uncontrolled outbreaks.
D. pandemics. Correct Answer - D. pandemics.
In which of the following situations would it be MOST appropriate to utilize an air medical
transportation service?
Select one:
A. 29-year-old woman who is 18 weeks pregnant, has light vaginal bleeding, and stable
vital signs
B. 50-year-old conscious woman with severe nausea and vomiting, fever, and chills of 3
days' duration
C. 43-year-old man experiencing a heart attack, and the closest appropriate hospital is 15
minutes away
D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and a ground transport time of 50
minutes Correct Answer - D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and
a ground transport time of 50 minutes
It is especially important to assess pulse, sensation, and movement in all extremities as well
as pupillary reactions in patients with a suspected ___________ problem.
Select one:
A. endocrine
B. respiratory
C. cardiac
D. neurologic Correct Answer - D. neurologic
Most patients with an infectious disease will have _________.
Select one:
A. a low blood glucose level
B. abdominal pain
C. seizures
D. a fever Correct Answer - D. a fever
Most treatments provided in the prehospital setting are intended to _________.
Select one:
A. reduce the need for transport to the hospital
, B. confirm the patient's diagnosis
C. address the patient's symptoms
D. correct the patient's underlying problem Correct Answer - C. address the patient's
symptoms
The BEST way to prevent infection from whooping cough is to:
Select one:
A. routinely place a surgical mask on all respiratory patients.
B. ask all patients if they have recently traveled abroad.
C. get vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
D. wear a HEPA mask when treating any respiratory patient. Correct Answer - C. get
vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
The determination of whether a medical patient is a high-priority or low-priority transport
is typically made:
Select one:
A. as soon as the patient voices his or her chief complaint.
B. after the primary assessment has been completed.
C. upon completion of a detailed secondary assessment.
D. once the patient's baseline vital signs are known. Correct Answer - B. after the
primary assessment has been completed.
When assessing a patient with a medical complaint, which of the following would MOST
likely reveal the cause of the problem?
Select one:
A. Baseline vital signs
B. Index of suspicion
C. Medical history
D. Primary assessment Correct Answer - C. Medical history
When caring for a patient with an altered mental status and signs of circulatory
compromise, you should:
Select one:
A. perform a detailed secondary assessment prior to transporting the patient.
B. have a paramedic unit respond to the scene if it is less than 15 minutes away.
C. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.
D. transport immediately and begin all emergency treatment en route to the hospital.
Correct Answer - C. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.
When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is
important to remember that:
Select one:
A. most serious medical conditions do not present with obvious symptoms.
B. it is during the general impression that assessment of the ABCs occurs.
C. the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.
