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WorksheetsEMS103 CHAP 11-15
Total questions: 100
Worksheet time: 2hrs 40mins
You and your partner respond to a residence for a fall. You arrive to find a group of approximately 30 adults surrounding a middle-aged man who appears to be unconscious. A police car pulls in behind you. You should:
wait for the police officer to assess the safety of the scene.
enter the scene ahead of the police officer to provide care.
have the police officer drag the victim over to the ambulance.
leave the area and stage until the scene is cleared of people.
When considering the potential for injury from a fall, which of the following is least important?
Patient’s weight
Whether the patient struck anything with his body on the way down
Type of surface onto which the patient fell
Height of the fall
In which of the following situations should the EMT consult the Emergency Response Guidebook?
Downed power lines at the scene of a vehicle collision
Domestic disturbance with the potential for violence
Chlorine gas leak at a public swimming pool
Patient with a suspected infectious disease
Which of the following situations requires additional action by the EMT during scene size-up?
A news media helicopter hovering overhead at the scene of a vehicle collision.
The sound of a barking and growling dog upon approaching the door to a residence.
A bystander who is smoking a cigarette at the scene of an assault at a local park.
A vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer that appears to be empty.
At what point is the scene size-up complete?
Upon stabilization of the c-spine
When crashed vehicles have been stabilized
At the end of the call
When the number of patients has been determined
Which of the following best describes blunt-force trauma?
An object penetrates soft tissue but cannot penetrate bone.
An object strikes the body but does not penetrate the body tissues.
A rounded object impacts the body tissues.
An object that is not sharp penetrates the body due to the amount of force used.
You have just arrived on the scene of a motor vehicle collision in which a compact car was struck from behind by a delivery truck. The driver of the delivery truck is standing outside his vehicle talking to police when you arrive, but the driver of the car is still seated in the driver’s seat. You have noted moderate damage to the rear of the car. For which of the following injuries should you have the highest level of suspicion?
Neck injury
Abdominal injuries
Fractures of the lower extremities
Chest injury
Which of the following is not determined in a scene size-up?
Chief complaint
Potential hazards to the EMS crew
Need for additional resources
Mechanism of injury
An injury caused by an object that passes through the skin or other body tissue is known as which of the following?
Cavitating trauma
Penetrating trauma
Impaling trauma
Puncturing trauma
At which of the following points should you begin your scene size-up?
After exiting the ambulance, but before making patient contact
As you approach the scene in the ambulance
When you arrive on the scene, but before exiting the ambulance
When the patient or family member opens the door to the residence
You and your partner are en route to a motor vehicle crash involving a tanker truck on a rural road. Dispatch informs you that fluid is leaking from the truck, that there are several bystanders passed out on the ground near the cab of the truck, and that a caller has reported the code that appears on a placard attached to the tanker truck. You should:
consult the Emergency Response Guidebook.
remove the bystanders from the scene.
park downwind from the tanker truck.
park about 50 feet from the truck.
You are on the scene of a tanker truck versus passenger vehicle collision on a rural highway. The vehicles are just beyond a curve in the roadway and there is a distinct odor of diesel fuel. It is dark and there is little traffic. Which of the following should be used to alert oncoming traffic to the situation?
Reflective triangles
Yellow crime scene tape
Flashing lights on the ambulance
Flares
Which of the following may be a hazard at the scene of a vehicle collision?
Hazardous materials
Other emergency vehicles
Electrocution
All of the above
At the scene of a vehicle collision in which there are no apparent hazards, which of the following guidelines should be followed for establishing a danger zone?
The danger zone should be 15 feet in all directions.
The danger zone should be 50 feet in all directions.
The danger zone should be 150 feet in all directions.
There is no need to establish a danger zone when there are no apparent hazards.
Which law of physics explains why a patient's liver can be injured from the impact of his car with a tree?
Law of kinetic energy
Second law of motion
Newton's law of moving energy
Law of inertia
Which of the following is not a consideration that should be used by the EMT in establishing the size of the danger zone?
Wind direction
Fire
Presence of hazardous materials
Amount of equipment needed
Your patient, a 29-year-old female, was the front seat passenger in a vehicle that was struck in the passenger's side door by another vehicle that ran a red light. Which of the following is most likely to have occurred?
The patient took the up-and-over pathway, striking her head on the windshield.
The patient impacted the steering wheel with her chest, causing a fracture of the sternum.
The patient's body was pushed forcefully out from under her head, causing injury to the cervical spine.
The patient took the down-and-under pathway, causing trauma to her lower extremities.
You are called to a motor vehicle collision where the car is on fire. You should ensure safety by:
putting your unit back in service and leaving the scene.
using your fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
borrowing turnout gear from the fire department.
remaining a safe distance from the car until the fire is out.
Your patient fell out of a tree while putting the roof on a tree house. A 15-foot ladder is required to enter the tree house and there is enough room for an adult to stand up inside. Your patient should be transported to:
a neurosurgery center.
an urgent care center.
a trauma center.
the closest hospital.
Which of the following situations will not require additional resources at the scene?
A patient with emphysema who is on oxygen therapy at home
A call to a manufacturing plant where a worker has his hand caught in a machine
A call for a sick person at home during which an odor of natural gas is detected
A 300-pound woman complaining of chest pain
Your patient is a 33-year-old man who has been ejected from his vehicle during a high-speed collision. During your primary assessment it is discovered that he is not moving, does not appear to have adequate respirations, and has suffered moderate external bleeding. Which of the following should be done first?
Check the patient's carotid pulse.
Control the bleeding with direct pressure.
Begin bag-valve-mask ventilations.
Open the airway.
Which of the following describes the chief complaint?
Overall impression of the patient's condition
Reason why the patient summoned EMS
Events immediately preceding the call for EMS
All of the above
For which of the following patients would capillary refill be a reliable sign of circulatory status?
24-year-old homeless man who has spent the night outside in the rain
3-year-old child with a fever and cough
92-year-old man complaining of weakness on his right side
50-year-old woman complaining of chest pain
Which of the following differences should be expected when assessing a pediatric patient, as compared to an adult patient?
The normal respiratory rate is faster.
Capillary refill is not as reliable an indicator of circulatory status.
The normal pulse rate is slower.
An adult's tongue is proportionally larger than that of a child and should always be considered as a potential airway obstruction.
Which of the following is true concerning the primary assessment?
The EMT should perform a sternal rub on all patients to test for response to painful stimuli.
The primary assessment begins by just observing the patient as you enter the room.
External bleeding will be obvious as you enter the room and initially see the patient.
Manual airway maneuvers must be performed on all patients.
Your patient is a middle-aged man who appears to be in distress and is clutching his chest. These observations lead you to suspect which type of problem?
Cardiac
Digestive
Choking
Anaphylaxis
Which of the following techniques is used when formulating the general impression?
Looking for visual clues
Detecting odors
Listening for unusual sounds
All of the above
Which of the following is not assessed during the breathing phase of the primary assessment?
The presence of respirations
The pulse oximetry reading
The respiratory rate
The depth of respiration
In EMS, what does mental status refer to?
Any history of mental illness that the patient may have
The patient's general level of intelligence
The patient's level of awareness of his surroundings
None of the above
Which of the following is the proper position for maintaining the airway in a child with a decreased level of consciousness?
Flexing the neck to place the chin on the chest; placing a folded towel under the back of the head if necessary
Using a cervical collar to keep the chin elevated
Placing the head and neck in a neutral position; using a folded towel under the shoulders if necessary
Hyperextension of the neck; placing a pillow under the back if necessary
A patient whose mental status can be described as verbal is able to:
respond only to a stimulus such as the EMT rubbing his sternum with his knuckles.
tell you his or her name, his or her location, and what day it is.
talk spontaneously and respond to the EMT's questions.
respond to speaking or shouting by opening the eyes.
What is a normal capillary refill time in a pediatric patient?
5 seconds
less than 2 seconds
3 seconds
1 minute
You are approaching a young adult male lying supine on the ground with his eyes closed. You should:
feel for a pulse.
expose his chest.
open his airway.
ask him if he is okay.
Your patient is a 72-year-old female who has "twisted her ankle" coming down some steps. She is alert and complaining of pain in her right ankle, but she jokes about her "clumsiness." Which of the following should you do next?
Administer high-concentration oxygen by nonrebreather mask.
Take immediate manual control of the patient's cervical spine.
Determine the presence of a carotid pulse.
Ask if the patient has pain anywhere beside her ankle.
Which of the following is not performed during the airway phase of the primary assessment?
Obtaining the respiratory rate
Head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver
Suctioning
Insertion of an oropharyngeal airway
The mnemonic AVPU is used to evaluate which of the following?
Patient's level of responsiveness
Patient's chief complaint
Patient's transport priority
EMT's general impression of the patient's condition
During the primary assessment of a responsive adult patient, where should the pulse be checked?
At the carotid artery
At the radial artery
At the femoral artery
At the brachial artery
Which term refers to the EMT's initial sense of the patient's condition, based on immediate assessment of the patient's environment, appearance, and chief complaint?
Primary assessment
Scene size-up
Secondary assessment
General impression
Which of the following is the correct manner for checking for responsiveness in an apparently unresponsive infant?
Shaking the child
Pinching the earlobe
Flicking the soles of the feet
Rubbing the sternum with your knuckles
Which of the following patients is a high priority for transport?
Adult male with sharp lower back pain
Adult male with difficulty breathing
Adult male with dull abdominal pain
Adult male with a headache
A device that uses wavelengths of light to measure oxygen saturation (SpO2) is called a(n):
end tidal CO2 meter.
capnographer.
sphygmomanometer.
pulse oximeter.
In which of the following situations would it be preferable to determine blood pressure by palpation rather than by auscultation?
The patient has a low systolic blood pressure.
There is no place for the patient to sit or lie down.
There is too much noise to use a stethoscope.
The patient is less than 3 years old.
You are unable to find a radial pulse on a patient from a motor vehicle crash. You should:
begin chest compressions.
apply the pulse oximeter.
attempt to find the carotid pulse.
listen for heart sounds.
When pupils are dilated, they are:
smaller than normal.
irregularly shaped.
elliptical or elongated in shape.
larger than normal.
You respond to a cafeteria to find an unconscious person with gurgling sounds upon exhalation and inhalation. What is the probable cause of the respiratory sounds?
Complete airway obstruction
Cardiac arrest
Tongue blocking the airway
Fluids in the airway
The normal range for blood glucose is between 70 mg/dL and:
110 mg/dL.
100 mg/dL.
90 mg/dL.
120 mg/dL.
You are assessing a 55-year-old male complaining of chest pain and have determined that his radial pulse is barely palpable. You also determine that there were 20 pulsations over a span of 30 seconds. Based on this, how would you report this patient’s pulse?
Pulse 20, weak, and regular
Pulse 40 and weak
Pulse 40, weak, and irregular
Pulse 20 and weak
What are the three ways to take blood pressure?
Sphygmomanometer, auscultation, and blood pressure monitor
Sphygmomanometer, blood pressure monitor, and heart monitor
Auscultation, palpation, and osculation
Palpation, auscultation, and blood pressure monitor
Which of the following best describes the proper placement of the blood pressure cuff?
Covering two-thirds of the upper arm
Covering the patient’s elbow
Midway between the elbow and shoulder
One inch below the armpit
In a blood pressure reading of 120/80, what body process does the 120 measure?
Diastolic blood pressure; when the right ventricle contracts and the blood is forced into the veins
Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricle contracts and the blood is forced into the arteries
Systolic blood pressure; when the right ventricle contracts and the blood is forced into the veins
Diastolic blood pressure; when the left ventricle contracts and the blood is forced into the arteries
When taking blood pressure manually, the cuff should be inflated to what point?
Until the Velcro starts to crackle
Until the gauge reads 200 mmHg
30 mmHg beyond the point where the pulse disappears
Until the patient says it hurts
Which of the following is not a cause of unequal pupils?
Fright
Stroke
Artificial eye
Eye injury
If capillary refill is assessed in a child patient, how long should it take the normal pink color to return to the nail bed?
4 seconds
5 seconds
2 seconds
3 seconds
Your patient is warm, dry, pink, and denies shortness of breath. Which of the following should the EMT expect to find when evaluating the patient's oxygen saturation?
102 percent
95 percent
98 percent
91 percent
A(n) ________ set of vital signs is important for critical decision making for the EMT.
complete
partial
random
incomplete
Upon assessment of your patient, you notice that he has cool, sweaty skin. This finding is best described as which of the following?
Vital sign
Symptom
Complaint
Diagnosis
What is the normal response of the pupils when exposed to bright light?
Fluttering
No effect
Constriction
Dilation
Which of the following is the best way to assess a patient's skin temperature?
Place the back of your hand against the patient's abdomen.
Place the back of your hand against the patient's forehead.
Place your cheek against the patient's abdomen.
Place your cheek against the patient's forehead.
You are about to apply a blood pressure cuff to an unconscious patient when you notice that she appears to have a tube underneath the skin of her arm. The tube feels like it has fluid going through it. You should:
use an automatic blood pressure cuff instead.
move the cuff down to the forearm and inflate.
find another site to measure her blood pressure.
continue to take her blood pressure in the arm.
Your patient has a heart rate of 82, a respiratory rate of 16, and a blood pressure of 120/80 and does not appear to be in any distress. You should repeat vital sign measurements at least every:
20 minutes.
15 minutes.
10 minutes.
5 minutes.
Expert clinicians may use different approaches of thinking through problems, but which of the following will they have in common?
Dislike of ambiguity
Organization of data in their head
Knowledge that one strategy works for everyone
Strong foundation of knowledge
While an EMT forms a field diagnosis on the scene of an emergency, how do the steps differ from the traditional approach to diagnosis?
The EMT must rule in or out the most serious conditions associated with the patient's presentation.
Due to the limited time spent with the patient, the EMT must rely on a differential diagnosis.
The EMT does not have time to form a differential diagnosis and must rely on prior experience when treating a patient.
The EMT must perform a patient assessment to begin the process of forming a diagnosis.
Your patient is a 16-year-old female who is reporting abdominal pain and nausea. She says it came on when she woke up this morning. Her mother says that her daughter has been tired and cranky lately and has not been eating well for a couple of weeks. In fact, every time you ask a question, the patient’s mother answers. What should you do next?
Have your partner interview the mother in the next room.
Tell the mother to leave the room.
Ask the mother to please be quiet.
Ignore the mother and continue to try to talk to the patient.
Mr. Hughes is a 49-year-old man complaining of chest pain. To find out about the quality of his chest pain, which of the following questions is most appropriate?
Are you having pain anywhere beside your chest?
On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst, how would you rate your level of pain?
Can you describe how the pain in your chest feels?
Does anything make the pain worse?
Which of the following describes skepticism about one thing causing another?
Illusory correlation
Representativeness
Confirmation bias
Availability
What is the feeling of bone ends rubbing together called?
Edema
Crepitation
Orthopnea
Rhonchi
_______ are signs or symptoms that suggest the possibility of a particular problem that is very serious.
Red flags
Yellow cards
Warning bells
Green lights
You and another EMT are discussing a call he previously ran. The EMT said the patient had classic chest pain symptoms and he treated it as a possible heart attack, but he later found out the patient just had indigestion and was discharged 2 hours later. The EMT was concerned that his patient assessment skills were not as good as they should be, and that the ED physician will no longer trust his judgment. How should you respond to his concerns?
Tell him that his misdiagnosis is a common EMT mistake caused by illusionary correlation.
Tell him that his misdiagnosis is a result of confirmation bias.
Tell him that his misdiagnosis is a result of limited information.
Tell him that his misdiagnosis is a result of anchoring.
An EMT's assessment differs from an assessment made in the emergency department in which way?
The emergency physician is concerned with scene safety.
The EMT is working with limited resources.
An EMT's focus is on life threats first.
Time is available in the emergency department to make a diagnosis.
When you begin interviewing your patient, he tells you that he has not felt well for several months, ever since he had his gallbladder removed. He goes on to tell you that he cannot get his wife to schedule a doctor's appointment for him and when she remembers to call, the office is always closed. Which of the following is the best way to proceed?
Ask him for a list of his medications.
Ask him why he decided to call 911 today.
Begin your assessment of his vital signs.
Try to call his doctor to schedule an appointment.
Which of the following is one advantage of using heuristics?
It slows the process of diagnosis.
It allows you to treat the patient during diagnosis.
It speeds up the process of diagnosis.
It provides a more accurate diagnosis.
You are on the scene in the bad part of town for an unresponsive 18-year-old type 1 diabetic patient. His mother states that he is very noncompliant with his diabetes management and often goes unresponsive due to low blood sugar. After performing the primary assessment, you believe that this is the most likely cause of his unresponsiveness. However, after taking a capillary glucose reading you are surprised to see that the patient's sugar level is normal. How will you now determine the field diagnosis?
Recognize that the mother is probably trying to protect her son from jail. Tell her that it is critical that she tell you what drugs he actually took.
You cannot make a correct diagnosis in the field because you cannot perform all the necessary tests with your limited scope of practice.
Continue patient care by getting a complete SAMPLE history and perform a complete secondary assessment.
Recognize that the mother was lying to you. The patient is not diabetic and you now must assume that everything she told you is wrong.
You have a patient who is unresponsive on the floor. What is the best way to rule in or rule out trauma as a cause of the patient's unresponsiveness?
Check the patient's blood glucose to rule out hypoglycemia.
Examine the patient for signs of trauma.
Perform a stroke scale on the patient.
Look for bystanders and ask them if they witnessed the incident.
Your patient is a 15-year-old female complaining of shortness of breath. Which of the following is not appropriate during the focused exam?
Assessing her mental status
Looking at the use of her accessory muscles
Checking her pupils for reactivity to light
Listening to her lung sounds
While assessing the past medical history of a 68-year-old male patient involved in a fall from a 4-foot stepladder, you use the acronym SAMPLE. What does the A refer to?
Assessment
Acute
Auscultate
Allergies
When using the memory aid SAMPLE, which of the following would you do to determine L?
Ask, "When was the last time you took your medicine?"
Look at the patient's pupils.
Listen to the patient's lung sounds.
Ask, "When was the last time you had anything to eat or drink?"
Mrs. Butler is a 66-year-old woman who is complaining of chest pain. Which of the following questions would be best in helping you determine if the pain is radiating?
Does anything make the pain better or worse?
Are you having pain in your arm?
Are you having pain anywhere beside your chest?
Are you experiencing any other symptoms?
The process by which an EMT forms a field diagnosis is known as:
diagnostic thinking.
critical thinking.
clinical thinking.
differential thinking.
You have responded for a patient with shortness of breath. He reports that his breathing problems began this morning and have gotten worse over the last few hours. You ask if he has taken anything to help his symptoms and he tells you that he has used his inhaler several times in the last hour. The information you have just gathered can be classified as:
results of a physical exam.
relevant past medical history.
part of the SAMPLE history.
the history of present illness.
A description of a patient's condition that assists a clinician in further evaluation and treatment is known as which of the following?
Red flag
Clinical decision
Diagnosis
Critical thinking
You have performed a rapid trauma assessment on a patient with multiple long-bone injuries. Your next assessment step should be which of the following?
Call the ALS unit to determine their ETA before deciding your next step.
Obtain baseline vital signs and past medical history.
Perform a detailed physical exam.
Transport the patient to the hospital and perform a detailed physical exam.
For which of the following patients is a focused physical examination appropriate?
A 19-year-old female with a history of epilepsy and who is found only responsive to painful stimuli by her roommate
A 25-year-old female with a history of asthma and who is complaining of difficulty breathing
A 30-year-old male with a history of diabetes and who is found unresponsive by his son
A 70-year-old male with dementia whose caretaker called because he "didn't seem like himself today"
In the assessment of a responsive medical patient, which of the following will provide you with the most important information?
Baseline vital signs
Patient's medical history
Detailed physical exam
Focused physical exam
Where might you find a patient's medical alert identification jewelry?
Bracelet
Ankle bracelet
Necklace
All of the above
Your patient is a 14-year-old male who was run over by a tractor and is now unresponsive. During the rapid assessment, you should look for clear drainage coming from the patient's _______ indicating a serious injury.
mouth
eyes
ears
rectum
Your patient is a 45-year-old female who complains of "twisting her ankle" when she slipped on a patch of ice. Which of the following is not appropriate?
Secondary assessment
Providing emotional support, if necessary
Detailed physical exam
Questioning about any other complaints or areas of pain
What is a surgical opening in the wall of the abdomen with a plastic bag in place to collect digestive waste?
Colostomy
Stoma
Tracheostomy
Priapism
What term describes a permanent surgical opening in the neck through which a patient breathes?
Tracheostomy
Stoma
Crepitation
Pneumothorax
You are assessing a patient who has been involved in a motor vehicle crash. Which of the following questions would be the most important to ask him?
How fast was the vehicle going?
Have you been in a crash before?
How much fuel is in your car?
Why were you in such a hurry?
The term priapism means _______ and may be found in injuries of the _______.
abnormal pulsation; abdomen
a persistent penile erection; spine
unequal pupils; brain
a painful muscle spasm; spine
The patient was a driver in a lateral impact motor vehicle collision. During the assessment of his chest, the EMT notes a segment of the chest wall moving in the opposite direction from the rest of the chest. Which of the following best describes this finding?
Tension pneumothorax
Paradoxical motion
Intercostal retractions
Flutter segment
If a patient complains of abdominal pain localized to a specific area of the abdomen, which of the following techniques should be used to assess the abdomen?
Palpate the area at the beginning and end of the exam.
Do not palpate the painful area.
Palpate the painful area first.
Palpate the painful area last.
You are assessing a 21-year-old female who was assaulted by an unknown person. She is complaining of abdominal pain. As you perform a rapid assessment of her abdomen, you should check for all of the following except:
Distention.
Firmness.
Contusions.
Bowel sounds.
Which of the following is another term for trauma?
Injury
Medical problem
Illness
Suffering
You respond to the scene of a motor vehicle crash to find a middle-aged man on a long spine board being cared for by first responding firefighters. He appears to be bleeding from his head and he is unconscious. You should check the car for:
A bent steering wheel or starred windshield.
Insurance information or identification.
A deployed passenger-side air bag.
Personal items too valuable to leave on-scene.
What does distention refer to when describing your patient's abdomen?
Larger than normal
Harder than normal
Softer than normal
Having a sunken-in appearance
Which of the following is not a purpose of a rapid trauma assessment?
To assess the extent of injuries
To provide a basis for care during transport
To detect injuries that may become life threatening
To focus care on specific injuries
You are assessing a 76-year-old male patient who has been involved in a fall from a standing position. You have completed the scene size-up and primary assessment. What should you do next?
Reassessment
Focused history assessment
Secondary assessment
Ongoing assessment
When assessing a patient who has been stabbed, which of the following information should the EMT gain first?
Angle at which the knife entered the patient
Size and type of the knife
Make and model of the knife
Owner of the knife
What term describes a surgical incision in the neck that is held open by a metal or plastic tube through which a patient can breathe or be placed on a ventilator?
Priapism
Tracheostomy
Stoma
Distention
