SANTA CLARA COUNTY EMS PARAMEDIC
PROTOCOL TEST STUDY GUIDE 2026
◉ Ethics are? Answer: What a profession deems is acceptable
conduct and behavior.
◉ The components of a good patient assessment are? Answer: 1.
PPE.
2. Scene safety.
3. Location of all patients.
4. Mechanism of injury or Nature of illness.
5. Initial Assessment.
6. Focused history and physical exam.
◉ What is the appropriate PPE to use when treating a tuberculosis
patient? Answer: Place a surgical mask on the patient while wearing
a NIOSH-approved respirator.
◉ A mechanism of injury is? Answer: The combined strength,
direction, and nature of forces that injured your patient.
◉ Who takes priority when determining scene safety? Answer: 1.
Yourself.
,2. Your crew.
3. Other responding personnel.
4. Your patient.
5. Any bystanders.
◉ What is the purpose of the initial assessment? Answer: To identify
and immediately correct life-threats to the patient's airway,
breathing, and circulation.
◉ What steps should be performed during an initial assessment?
Answer: 1. Form a general impression.
2. Stabilize the cervical spine.
3. Assess the baseline mental status.
4. Assess the airway.
5. Assess breathing.
6. Assess circulation.
◉ What is the purpose of the general impression? Answer: To
determine the general clinical status and priority for transport.
◉ What phrases do we use to categorize patients' metal status?
Answer: 1. Alert
2. Verbal
,3. Painful stimuli
4. Unresponsive
◉ When can we assume that a patient's airway is patent? Answer:
When the patient is responsive and can speak clearly.
◉ When would an oropharyngeal airway be indicated? Answer: An
unconscious patient without a gag reflex.
◉ What characteristics should be evaluated in the most basic
breathing assessment? Answer: 1. Rate.
2. Quality.
3. Pattern.
◉ What comprises the most basic circulation assessment? Answer:
1. Evaluate the pulse.
2. Evaluate the skin.
3. Control any hemorrhage.
◉ What are the four main types of patients? Answer: 1. Responsive
medical patients.
2. Unresponsive medical patients.
3. Trauma patients with an isolated injury.
, 4. Trauma patients with a significant mechanism of injury.
◉ What are some predictors of serious internal injury? Answer: 1.
Ejection from vehicle.
2. Death in the same passenger compartment.
3. A fall from higher than 20 feet.
4. Vehicle rollover.
5. High-speed motor vehicle collision.
6. Vehicle-passenger collision.
7. Motorcycle crash.
8. Penetrating injuries to the head or torso.
◉ What are some significant mechanisms of injury for infants and
children? Answer: 1. A fall from higher than ten feet.
2. A bicycle collision.
3. A medium-speed vehicle collision with resulting severe vehicle
deformity.
◉ What is the purpose of a rapid trauma assessment? Answer: To
quickly and systematically assess for other life-threatening injuries.
◉ What does DCAP-BTLS stand for? Answer: D = Deformities.
C = Contusions.
PROTOCOL TEST STUDY GUIDE 2026
◉ Ethics are? Answer: What a profession deems is acceptable
conduct and behavior.
◉ The components of a good patient assessment are? Answer: 1.
PPE.
2. Scene safety.
3. Location of all patients.
4. Mechanism of injury or Nature of illness.
5. Initial Assessment.
6. Focused history and physical exam.
◉ What is the appropriate PPE to use when treating a tuberculosis
patient? Answer: Place a surgical mask on the patient while wearing
a NIOSH-approved respirator.
◉ A mechanism of injury is? Answer: The combined strength,
direction, and nature of forces that injured your patient.
◉ Who takes priority when determining scene safety? Answer: 1.
Yourself.
,2. Your crew.
3. Other responding personnel.
4. Your patient.
5. Any bystanders.
◉ What is the purpose of the initial assessment? Answer: To identify
and immediately correct life-threats to the patient's airway,
breathing, and circulation.
◉ What steps should be performed during an initial assessment?
Answer: 1. Form a general impression.
2. Stabilize the cervical spine.
3. Assess the baseline mental status.
4. Assess the airway.
5. Assess breathing.
6. Assess circulation.
◉ What is the purpose of the general impression? Answer: To
determine the general clinical status and priority for transport.
◉ What phrases do we use to categorize patients' metal status?
Answer: 1. Alert
2. Verbal
,3. Painful stimuli
4. Unresponsive
◉ When can we assume that a patient's airway is patent? Answer:
When the patient is responsive and can speak clearly.
◉ When would an oropharyngeal airway be indicated? Answer: An
unconscious patient without a gag reflex.
◉ What characteristics should be evaluated in the most basic
breathing assessment? Answer: 1. Rate.
2. Quality.
3. Pattern.
◉ What comprises the most basic circulation assessment? Answer:
1. Evaluate the pulse.
2. Evaluate the skin.
3. Control any hemorrhage.
◉ What are the four main types of patients? Answer: 1. Responsive
medical patients.
2. Unresponsive medical patients.
3. Trauma patients with an isolated injury.
, 4. Trauma patients with a significant mechanism of injury.
◉ What are some predictors of serious internal injury? Answer: 1.
Ejection from vehicle.
2. Death in the same passenger compartment.
3. A fall from higher than 20 feet.
4. Vehicle rollover.
5. High-speed motor vehicle collision.
6. Vehicle-passenger collision.
7. Motorcycle crash.
8. Penetrating injuries to the head or torso.
◉ What are some significant mechanisms of injury for infants and
children? Answer: 1. A fall from higher than ten feet.
2. A bicycle collision.
3. A medium-speed vehicle collision with resulting severe vehicle
deformity.
◉ What is the purpose of a rapid trauma assessment? Answer: To
quickly and systematically assess for other life-threatening injuries.
◉ What does DCAP-BTLS stand for? Answer: D = Deformities.
C = Contusions.
