The county dispatch center where you work employs Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs) as call takers. This enables the dispatch center to:

• handle all emergency calls, including those for police, fire, and EMS.

• provide medical instructions to the caller prior to the arrival of EMS.

• use computer technology when dispatching the closest ambulance.

• properly utilize an enhanced 911 call-taking system.

The EMT is correctly performing routine hand washing when she:

• rinses with hot water after using a disinfectant soap.

• uses an alcohol-based hand sanitizer without water.

• lathers and scrubs with plain soap for 10 to 15 seconds.

• dries hands thoroughly for 30 seconds with a reusable to

You have been dispatched for a 61-year-old female in cardiac arrest. Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs) are on scene. In your community all EMS practitioners are trained according to the National EMS Scope of Practice Model. Which one of the following do you expect the EMRs to be providing?

• Emergency medication administration

• Automated external defibrillation

• Intravenous (IV) therapy

• Reading an electrocardiogram (ECG)

Which statement made by an EMT indicates understanding of the underlying benefit of using evidence-based medicine?

• Formulates emergency care guidelines that have b

  een reviewed by the legal community

• Improves patient care while simultaneously reducing the costs associated with EMS

• Provides for legal representation in the quality improvement process

• Allows the use of research and evidence in determining what care is effective

You and your partner were among several rescuers on a call involving a house fire in which a 4-year-old girl died. That night, your partner states that he did not sleep well and is extremely bothered by the little girl's death. The next day he calls you and states that he is so upset that he is now having chest pain. Your response would be:

• "Maybe you should get an appointment with a behavioral health professional."

• "You really need to get yourself to the emergency department to get checked out."

• "Why don't you request a week off of work to get things sorted out."

• "Perhaps we need to have a critical incident stress debriefing so we can all talk."

A nurse has informed you that two days ago you transported a diabetic patient whose ulceration on his foot tested positive for methacillin/oxacillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Given this information, you would:

• have blood drawn to determine presence or absence of MRSA.

• No further action is needed at this time.

• request an antibiotic from the ED physician.

• have your blood glucose level tested.

While you are returning from lunch, a frantic woman flags you down and states that she just found a young child on the roadside who appears to have been hit by a car. She is not sure if the child is breathing. You should immediately:

• inform the woman that she will need to calm down

• grab equipment and get to the child's location.

• call for paramedic assistance and await their arrival.

• advise dispatch that you have been flagged down for a possible emergency.

When interviewing a patient with a medical emergency, the EMT is using the technique of summary when she says:

• "So the nausea and vomiting started two days ago."

• "I know how you feel. I had the same thing last week."

• "Did you also have diarrhea with the nausea and vomiting?"

• "With one finger, can you point to where it hurts?"

The terms occipital, parietal, and frontal refer to which part of the body?

• Chest

• Cranium

• Pelvis

• Spine

Which phrase best illustrates the EMT using the summary technique of therapeutic communication?

• "I know how you feel; my brother suffers from depression."

• "Since you are depressed, we need to transport you to the hospital."

• "It appears that you have been depressed for several weeks now."

• "Since you are not in a calm state of mind, we have to transport you to the ED."