How Medications Work
The term “pharmacology” is MOST accurately defined as:
A. the study of drugs that are produced illegally.
B. the study of how medications affect the brain.
C. the study of drugs and their actions on the body.
D. the study of drug excretion from the human body.
C. the study of drugs and their actions on the body.
Aspirin is beneficial to patients suspected of having a heart attack because it:
A. reduces the associated chest pain.
B. dissolves the coronary artery clot.
C. causes direct coronary vasodilation.
D. prevents the aggregation of platelets.
D. prevents the aggregation of platelets.
In contrast to the assessment of a trauma patient, assessment of a medical patient:
A. almost exclusively focuses on physical signs that indicate the patient is experiencing a problem.
B. is focused on the nature of illness, the patient’s chief complaint, and his or her symptoms.
C. requires a thorough head-to-toe exam that involves a detailed assessment of all body systems.
D. is not as complex for the EMT because most patients typically present with classic symptoms.
B. is focused on the nature of illness, the patient’s chief complaint, and his or her symptoms.
The determination of whether a medical patient is a high-priority or low-priority transport is typically made:
A. once the patient’s baseline vital signs are known.
B. after the primary assessment has been completed.
C. upon completion of a detailed secondary assessment.
D. as soon as the patient voices his or her chief complaint.
B. after the primary assessment has been completed.
After sizing up the scene of a patient with a possible infectious disease, your next priority should be to:
A. contact medical control.
B. take standard precautions.
C. quickly access the patient.
D. notify law enforcement
B. take standard precautions.
Which of the following is an example of a generic of a drug?
A. Bayer
B. Advil
C. Excedrin
D. Aspirin
D. Aspirin
Nitroglycerin, when given to patients with cardiac-related chest pain:
A. relaxes the walls of the coronary arteries.
B. increases myocardial contraction force.
C. increases blood return to the right atrium.
D. constricts the veins throughout the body.
A. relaxes the walls of the coronary arteries.
An index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:
A. the EMT’s prediction of the type of illness a patient has based on how the call is dispatched.
B. your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illness.
C. ruling out specific medical conditions based on the absence of certain signs and symptoms.
D. determining the underlying cause of a patient’s medical condition based on signs and symptoms.
B. your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illness.
In which of the following situations would it be MOST appropriate to utilize an air medical transportation service?
A. 29-year-old woman who is 18 weeks pregnant, has light vaginal bleeding, and has stable vital signs
B. 43-year-old man experiencing a heart attack, and the closest appropriate hospital is 15 minutes away
C. 50-year-old conscious woman with severe nausea and vomiting, fever, and chills of 3 days’ duration
D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and your ground transport time is 50 minutes
D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and your ground transport time is 50 minutes
A patient who presents with a headache, fever, confusion, and red blotches on his or her skin should be suspected of having:
A. hepatitis.
B. meningitis.
C. MERS-CoV.
D. tuberculosis.
B. meningitis.
Which of the following medication routes would be the MOST appropriate to use in an unresponsive patient when intravenous access cannot be obtained?
A. Intraosseous
B. Intramuscular
C. Subcutaneous
D. Transcutaneous
A. Intraosseous
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of epinephrine?
A. Secreted naturally by the adrenal glands
B. Dilates passages in the lungs
C. Constricts the blood vessels
D. Decreases heart rate and blood pressure
D. Decreases heart rate and blood pressure
When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is important to remember that:
A. the majority of medical patients you encounter are also injured.
B. it is during the general impression that assessment of the ABCs occurs.
C. most serious medical conditions do not present with obvious symptoms.
D. the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.
D. the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.
Which of the following conditions often requires transport to a hospital with specialized capabilities that may not be available at the closest hospital?
A. Seizures and infection
B. Cardiac arrest and shock
C. Stroke and heart attack
D. Diabetes and migraines
C. Stroke and heart attack
Which of the following statements regarding hepatitis A is correct?
A. Hepatitis A can only be transmitted by a patient who has an acute infection.
B. Infection with hepatitis A causes chronic illness with a high mortality rate.
C. Hepatitis A is primarily transmitted via contact with blood or other body fluids.
D. Although there is no vaccine against hepatitis A, treatment is usually successful.
A. Hepatitis A can only be transmitted by a patient who has an acute infection.
Which of the following medication routes has the slowest rate of absorption?
A. Oral
B. Rectal
C. Inhalation
D. Sublingual
A. Oral
Which of the following clinical signs would necessitate the administration of naloxone (Narcan) in a suspected narcotic overdose?
A. Tachycardia
B. Hypertension
C. Slow respirations
D. Extreme agitation
C. Slow respirations
. Your primary assessment of an elderly woman reveals that she is conscious and alert, but is experiencing difficulty breathing. She has a history of emphysema, hypertension, and congestive heart failure. As you assess the patient’s circulatory status, you should direct your partner to:
A. perform a head-to-toe secondary assessment.
B. assess her oxygen saturation and blood pressure.
C. retrieve the stretcher and prepare for transport.
D. administer oxygen with the appropriate device.
D. administer oxygen with the appropriate device.
Typical chief complaints in patients with an infectious disease include:
A. fever, rash, nausea, and difficulty breathing.
B. crushing chest pain, vomiting, and weakness.
C. headache, low back pain, and arm numbness.
D. joint pain, muscle aches, and blurred vision.
A. fever, rash, nausea, and difficulty breathing.
Which of the following statements regarding methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is correct?
A. Most cases of MRSA transmission occur following an accidental needlestick.
B. MRSA is a bacterium that causes infections and is resistant to most antibiotics.
C. The communicable period for MRSA is 10 days to 2 weeks after being infected.
D. Studies have shown that fewer than 1% of health care providers are MRSA carriers.
B. MRSA is a bacterium that causes infections and is resistant to most antibiotics.
While assisting a paramedic in the attempted resuscitation of a 55-year-old male in cardiac arrest, you should expect the paramedic to:
A. give the patient nitroglycerin to increase his blood pressure.
B. administer drugs via the IV route to achieve the fastest effect.
C. give the patient activated charcoal to rule out a drug overdose.
D. withhold drug therapy until an intraosseous catheter is in place.
B. administer drugs via the IV route to achieve the fastest effect.
You are dispatched to a state park for a young female experiencing an allergic reaction. Your assessment reveals that her breathing is severely labored and her blood pressure is very low. You carry epinephrine auto-injectors on your ambulance and have been trained and approved by your medical director to administer them. As your partner gives the patient supplemental oxygen, you attempt to contact medical control but do not have a signal from your cell phone. You should:
A. notify dispatch and request that a paramedic unit respond to the scene so they can administer epinephrine to the patient.
B. administer epinephrine to the patient, begin immediate transport, and attempt to contact medical control en route to the hospital.
C. place her in a supine position, keep her warm, begin transport to the hospital, and request a paramedic intercept en route.
D. immediately load the patient into the ambulance, begin transport, and reattempt to contact medical control when you receive a cell signal.
B. administer epinephrine to the patient, begin immediate transport, and attempt to contact medical control en route to the hospital.
You have just completed your primary assessment of a 48-year-old man with crushing chest pain and difficulty breathing. The patient has been given 324 mg of aspirin and is receiving supplemental oxygen. As you begin your secondary assessment, you note that his mental status has deteriorated and he is now bradycardic. You should:
A. continue with your secondary assessment.
B. prepare the patient for immediate transport.
C. insert a nasal airway and assist his breathing.
D. request an ALS unit to respond to the scene.
B. prepare the patient for immediate transport.
When caring for a patient with an altered mental status and signs of circulatory compromise, you should:
A. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.
B. perform a detailed secondary assessment prior to transporting the patient.
C. transport immediately and begin all emergency treatment en route to the hospital.
D. have a paramedic unit respond to the scene if it is less than 15 minutes away.
A. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.
Three months after returning home from West Africa, a 50-year-old man begins experiencing a fever, cough, and muscle aches. The EMT should suspect:
A. Ebola.
B. hepatitis.
C. influenza.
D. whooping cough.
C. influenza.