The Profession
Clue: This credentialing exam is offered by the National Center for Competency Training (NCCT) and requires re-certification annually.
Answer: What is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)?
Clue: A medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, and ligaments.
Answer: What is an orthopedist (or orthopedic surgeon)?
Clue: Known as the "Father of Medicine," he crafted an ethical oath still referenced by physicians today.
Answer: Who is Hippocrates?
Clue: The federal law enacted in 1996 that protects patient health information privacy and security.
Answer: What is HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)?
Clue: Facial expressions, posture, eye contact, and gestures fall under this major category of communication that often conveys more meaning than spoken words.
Answer: What is nonverbal communication?
Clue: Demonstrating empathy, maintaining professional boundaries, punctuality, and wearing neat scrubs fall under this broad professional attribute.
Answer: What is professionalism (or work ethic)?
Clue: A patient-centered healthcare delivery model where a primary care provider leads a team to coordinate comprehensive, continuous care for patients.
Answer: What is a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)?
Clue: This English physician demonstrated that blood circulates continuously through the heart and blood vessels.
Answer: Who is William Harvey?
Clue: Voluntary, informed agreement given by a patient after understanding the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a procedure.
Answer: What is informed consent?
Clue: The specific range of duties and procedures that a medical assistant is legally allowed to perform based on state regulations and training.
Answer: What is the scope of practice?
Clue: Medical assistants possess this dual capability, meaning they are trained in both office management tasks and direct patient care skills.
Answer: What is being multiskilled (or cross-trained)?
Clue: This type of medical practice is owned and operated by a single physician who assumes all legal and financial liability.
Answer: What is a solo practice (or sole proprietorship)?
Clue: She established sanitary nursing standards during the Crimean War and is regarded as the founder of modern nursing.
Answer: Who is Florence Nightingale?
Clue: The four "Ds" required to prove medical negligence in a malpractice case: Duty, Dereliction, Direct Cause, and _____.
Answer: What are Damages?
Clue: This communication technique involves restating or paraphrasing what a patient said to confirm accurate understanding and show active listening.
Answer: What is reflection (or paraphrasing / active listening)?
Clue: The credential awarded by the American Medical Technologists (AMT) national organization.
Answer: What is the RMA (Registered Medical Assistant)?
Clue: Healthcare providers who hold advanced degrees and can examine patients, diagnose illnesses, and prescribe medications under physician supervision or independently (e.g., NPs and PAs).
Answer: What are mid-level providers (or advanced practice providers)?
Clue: This scientist discovered penicillin in 1928, ushering in the era of modern antibiotics.
Answer: Who is Alexander Fleming?
Clue: A legal document, such as a Living Will or Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, detailing a patient's wishes regarding end-of-life care.
Answer: What is an advance directive?
Clue: When a patient is defensive or angry, a medical assistant should avoid responding with hostility and instead use this style of clear, direct, and respectful communication.
Answer: What is assertive communication (or assertiveness)?
Clue: Continuing education units (CEUs) are required for re-credentialing primarily to ensure medical assistants achieve this ongoing standard.
Answer: What is competency (or keeping currency in medical knowledge/skills)?
Clue: This branch of medicine focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease in older adults.
Answer: What is geriatrics?
Clue: Developed in 1796 by Edward Jenner, the first successful vaccine was created to combat this deadly viral disease.
Answer: What is smallpox?
Clue: The legal doctrine meaning "let the master answer," holding an employer liable for the negligent actions of employees committed within the scope of employment.
Answer: What is respondeat superior?
Clue: According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this level of need—including food, water, air, and sleep—must be satisfied before a patient can focus on higher-level emotional or health education needs.
Answer: What are physiological needs?