Page 35 - ractice Exam Questions and rationales
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Rationale: Hepatitis A is a virus most commonly transmitted by contact with disease
contaminated food/water or from close contact with an infected individual. Restaurants are often
cited in the news as the source of Hepatitis A outbreaks stemming from an infected worker who
did not practice good hand hygiene. As with many hygiene-associated diseases, Hepatitis A is
common in poor countries that lack common hygiene practices and safe, clean water sources. It
is not generally considered a pathogen that would be contracted by contaminated needles, nor is
it generally associated with forceful coughing or sexual contact.
When preparing to assist the physician with collection of a deep wound culture, the medical
assistant should have which of the following available?
A. blood culture media
B. viral transport media
C. bacterial culture swabs
D. cotton tipped swabs
Your response:
bacterial culture swabs
Correct response:
bacterial culture swabs
Rationale: When helping with a deep wound culture, the medical assistant needs to have
bacterial culture swabs available in order to try to identify what bacteria is causing the infection.
Bacteria causing infection in a deep wound would likely be anaerobic (because oxygen is not
prevalent in a deep wound). For this reason, it is important to make sure the bacterial swab is
collected and transported in the appropriate swab system to sustain anaerobic bacteria. Blood
culture media is taken by performing a venipuncture to see if an infection is present. Since the
physician is looking for a bacterial infection, the viral transport media would not be used, and
cotton tipped swabs would not be the appropriate swab to use since the goal is to determine what
kind of bacteria is causing the infection.
The mother of a 6-month-old patient arrives at a busy clinic and states the child has a high fever.
The medical assistant measures the patient's temperature and confirms a temperature of 103°F.
Which of the following is an acceptable course of action for the medical assistant?
A. Administer Tylenol 160 mg PO immediately.
B. Activate EMS.
C. Assess the remaining vital signs and notify the physician.
D. Perform venipuncture for a blood culture and a CBC with Diff.
Your response:
Assess the remaining vital signs and notify the physician.
Correct response:
