PT ASSESSMENT 51-75

Question 1

Which of the following findings is LEAST indicative of abuse or domestic violence?

A. Multiple injuries that are in various stages of healing
B. A patient who refuses to allow a family member to speak for him or her
C. Injuries that are inconsistent with the history that you are given
D. A husband who towers over his wife and answers your questions for her



Answer 1

B

Question 2

When a patient presents with two seemingly unrelated complaints, it is MOST important for the paramedic to determine:
A. if the two complaints are related.
B. when each of the complaints began.
C. which complaint has a higher priority.
D. the patient’s past medical history.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

You are about to assess a patient who complains of fever, chills, and coughing up blood. In addition to donning gloves and eye protection, you should:

A. place a tight-fitting mask on the patient.
B. wear a properly fitted HEPA or N-95 mask.
C. immediately notify the health department.
D. ask the patient if he or she is HIV-positive.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is the Glasgow Coma Scale score of a patient who opens her eyes when you call her name, is confused when she speaks, and points to her area of pain?
A. 10 
B. 11 
C. 12 
D. 13

Answer 4

C

Question 5

A responsive patient who is talking or crying:

A. has a patent airway.
B. is breathing adequately.
C. needs supplemental oxygen.
D. has no impending airway problem.

Answer 5

A

Question 6

When assessing an injured patient’s mental status, the patient knows his name but is unable to recall the events that preceded the injury. From this, you can conclude that:
A. the patient’s long-term memory is not intact.
B. the patient’s Glasgow Coma Scale score is at least 13.
C. the patient’s short-term memory is not intact.
D. the patient likely has an intracranial hemorrhage.

Answer 6

C

Question 7

Your patient says, “I can’t catch my breath.” In response, you state, “That’s very helpful. Let me think about that for a moment.” This dialogue is an example of:

A. reflection.
B. clarification.
C. facilitation.
D. interpretation.



Answer 7

A

Question 8

Blood pressure is the product of:

A. stroke volume and heart rate.
B. left ventricular ejection fraction and afterload.
C. cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance.
D. right atrial preload and ventricular stroke volume.



Answer 8

C

Question 9

Poor skin turgor in an infant or child is MOST indicative of:

A. shock.
B. hypoxemia.
C. dehydration.
D. elastin deficiency

Answer 9

C

Question 10

Making your patient aware that you perceive something inconsistent with his or her behavior is called:

A. clarification.
B. confrontation.
C. facilitation.
D. interpretation.

Answer 10

B

Question 11

When your patient is a non-English-speaking person, his or her child is often able to function as an interpreter because:
A. you can usually teach a child English quickly.
B. children quickly absorb a new language in school.
C. the child is usually not as scared as his or her parent is.
D. most children of non-English-speaking parents speak English.

Answer 11

B

Question 12

The Babinski sign, grasping, and sucking are:

A. voluntary motor responses.
B. abnormal findings in infants.
C. examples of primitive reflexes.
D. signs of nervous system dysfunction.

Answer 12

C

Question 13

Your entire assessment of a patient should:

A. appear to be a seamless process.
B. yield a definitive field diagnosis.
C. only focus on his or her complaint.
D. not deviate at all from a strict format.

Answer 13

A

Question 14

A key part of making your practice of prehospital care successful is for you to:

A. let the patient guide the questions that you ask in order to build a cohesive rapport on which you can build.
B. develop and cultivate your own style of assessment and an overall strategy for evaluating and providing care.
C. approach every patient in the same fashion with the realization that patient assessment in the field is a static process.
D. strictly adhere to your department’s standard operating procedures so that they become a rote series of actions.

Answer 14

B

Question 15

Which of the following is the MOST practical method of assessing for gross neurologic deficits during your assessment of a patient?
A. Check deep tendon reflexes with a reflex hammer or similar object.
B. Ask the patient if he or she can feel and move his or her fingers and toes.
C. Assess capillary refill time at the forehead and the fingernails and toenails.
D. Ask the patient to lift both legs and hold them up for 20 to 30 seconds.

Answer 15

B

Question 16

The paramedic must always keep in mind that the information he or she fails to obtain:

A. is usually the result of the patient’s failure to divulge.
B. will be obtained by the emergency department physician.
C. will usually lead to the provision of substandard treatment.
D. may be the information needed to provide appropriate care.

Answer 16

D

Question 17

The skin becomes _________ when red blood cell perfusion to the capillary beds of the skin is poor.

A. pale
B. flushed
C. cyanotic
D. mottled

Answer 17

A

Question 18

When asking questions pertaining to a patient’s sexual history, it is important to remember that:

A. you should inquire about the patient’s HIV status.
B. obtaining the history in a private setting is essential.
C. a physical examination should be performed as well.
D. the patient’s sexual preference is especially relevant.

Answer 18

B

Question 19

The pulse of the superficial temporal artery can be felt:

A. just anterior to the ear, in the temporal region.
B. inferior to the ear, slightly below the earlobe.
C. slightly superior to the ear, in the temporal region.
D. posterior to the ear, directly over the mastoid bone.

Answer 19

A

Question 20

On most runs, the two MOST important pieces of patient history information that you need to obtain initially are the:
A. patient’s name and chief complaint.
B. chief complaint and patient’s address.
C. patient’s name and family physician.
D. chief complaint and the patient’s sex.

Answer 20

A

Question 21

Changes in hair growth or loss of hair are LEAST suggestive of:

A. diabetes.
B. an infection.
C. the aging process.
D. radiation therapy.

Answer 21

B

Question 22

Lower extremity shortening and/or internal or external rotation are findings often associated with:

A. pelvic fractures.
B. mid-shaft femur fractures.
C. pathologic fractures of the hip.
D. proximal lower extremity injury.

Answer 22

D

Question 23

The history of present illness is MOST accurately described as:

A. an elaboration of the chief complaint.
B. a clinically significant physical finding.
C. the patient’s most significant problem.
D. the reason why the patient called 9-1-1.

Answer 23

A

Question 24

Objective patient information:
A. is observed by the patient.
B. is perceived by the patient.
C. cannot be quantified.
D. is based on fact or observation

Answer 24

D

Question 25

When assessing the head and face during the full-body exam, you should:

A. apply pressure to the eyes to elicit pain.
B. remove any dentures if they are present.
C. avoid palpating any cranial depressions.
D. pack the ears if blood drainage is present.

Answer 25

C