RMA (AMT) Medical Assistant practice questions with answers

Answer: A) Ureters

• ACorrect. Two ureters connect kidneys to bladder.
• BIncorrect. It carries urine out of the body.
• CIncorrect. These filter blood.
• DIncorrect. These carry blood.

Answer: C) Gallbladder

• AIncorrect. It filters blood.
• BIncorrect. It makes enzymes and insulin.
• CCorrect. It stores and releases bile.
• DIncorrect. It has no bile role.

Answer: D) Carrying oxygen

• AIncorrect. That's endocrine glands.
• BIncorrect. That's white blood cells.
• CIncorrect. That's platelets.
• DCorrect. Hemoglobin binds oxygen.

Answer: A) Draw one line through the wrong value so it stays legible, write the correct value, and sign and date the change

To correct an error in a paper record, draw a single line through it so it stays readable, enter the correct information, and sign and date the change. Never obliterate, hide or destroy the original.

• ACorrect. CMS guidance for paper records calls for a single-line strike-through that keeps the original readable, with the change signed and dated by the person making it.
• BIncorrect. Blacking out the original makes it unreadable. A correction must keep the original entry legible so the record's integrity is preserved.
• CIncorrect. The wrong entry must be clearly marked as corrected, and any correction must show the date and the person who made it. An unmarked original could still be mistaken for valid data.
• DIncorrect. Destroying or replacing original pages alters the legal record. The original content must be kept and stay readable.

Answer: C) Face him, speak clearly at a steady pace, and allow extra time to respond

Speak to older patients directly and respectfully, as adults. Speak clearly, give them extra time, and avoid elderspeak or assumptions about their abilities.

• AIncorrect. The patient should be spoken to directly as an adult. Talking only to the companion ignores him and can lose important firsthand information.
• BIncorrect. Terms of endearment and simplified speech are forms of elderspeak, which older adults find patronizing. Use formal address, such as Mr. or Ms., unless the patient asks otherwise.
• CCorrect. Facing the patient, speaking clearly with pauses, and giving him time to answer supports communication while treating him as a capable adult.
• DIncorrect. Not every older adult has hearing loss, and shouting can distort speech and come across as condescending. Check his hearing needs instead of assuming.

Answer: A) Entering the diagnosis pointer letter from item 21 in item 24E

Each service line on the CMS-1500 uses the item 24E diagnosis pointer to reference a diagnosis code in item 21. This link is what shows the procedure was medically necessary.

• ACorrect. Item 24E holds a reference letter (A–L) that points to a diagnosis listed in item 21. This connects the service on that line to the diagnosis that justifies it.
• BIncorrect. Item 24B shows where the service was performed, such as an office or hospital. It does not link the service to a diagnosis.
• CIncorrect. Modifiers give extra detail about the procedure, such as a bilateral procedure or a separate service. They do not point to a supporting diagnosis.
• DIncorrect. Item 23 holds a prior authorization number when one applies. It does not link each line to a diagnosis code.

Answer: A) Something is enclosed

• ACorrect. The reader should look for it.
• BIncorrect. It means enclosure.
• CIncorrect. It means enclosure.
• DIncorrect. That's "cc."

Answer: B) For small or fragile veins

• AIncorrect. It's for small veins.
• BCorrect. Hand veins are an example.
• CIncorrect. That uses a lancet.
• DIncorrect. It's for venipuncture.

Answer: A) Do not test patients or report results until the cause is found and corrected and the controls are back in range

When a QC result is out of range, patient testing and reporting stop until the problem is identified, corrected and documented, and the controls perform as expected.

• ACorrect. CDC guidance says that if controls do not perform as expected, patient testing should not be done and results should not be reported until the problem is identified and corrected. Follow the manufacturer's troubleshooting steps and document the corrective action.
• BIncorrect. A failed control means the system may be giving wrong values. Adding a comment does not make unreliable patient results safe to report.
• CIncorrect. Rerunning a control can be part of troubleshooting, but the failed result and the corrective action must stay in the QC records. Removing the failure hides a possible system problem.
• DIncorrect. Waived tests must be performed and reported exactly as the manufacturer's instructions direct. Mathematically adjusting patient values is not an accepted fix for a failed control.

Answer: A) A chain of custody record on the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form

DOT workplace drug tests need a documented chain of custody, recorded on the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form, to track the specimen from collection until it is destroyed.

• ACorrect. Federal rules define chain of custody as the procedure that documents handling of the urine specimen from the time the employee gives it to the collector until it is destroyed. The Federal CCF must be used for every DOT urine collection.
• BIncorrect. DOT tests are done under the employer's testing program, not on a physician's order. A routine lab requisition does not document who handled the specimen at each step.
• CIncorrect. A release form deals with sharing results, not with specimen handling. The document that tracks the specimen from collection until destruction is the chain of custody record on the CCF.
• DIncorrect. A lab log begins only when the specimen arrives at the lab. Chain of custody has to document handling from the moment the donor gives the specimen to the collector, which the CCF does.

Answer: C) Biohazard container

• AIncorrect. This is unsafe.
• BIncorrect. This is regulated waste.
• CCorrect. Regulated waste goes in labeled biohazard containers.
• DIncorrect. Sharps containers are for sharps.

Answer: D) 10 mm tall

• AIncorrect. That's too large.
• BIncorrect. That's too small.
• CIncorrect. That's the paper speed in mm per second.
• DCorrect. It equals 1 mV.

Answer: D) The ear canal and eardrum

• AIncorrect. Inspection is used.
• BIncorrect. That's an ophthalmoscope.
• CIncorrect. A tongue depressor is used.
• DCorrect. It has a light and magnifier.

Answer: C) After meals

• AIncorrect. That's "h.s."
• BIncorrect. That's "a.c."
• CCorrect. "a.c." means before meals.
• DIncorrect. That's "p.r.n."

Answer: B) Lock the wheelchair brakes so the chair cannot roll

Once the wheelchair is parked beside the bed, lock its brakes and move the footrests aside before getting the patient ready to transfer. The gait belt, lowering the bed and the pivot all come later.

• AIncorrect. A gait belt is helpful, but it goes on after the patient has been brought to a sitting position at the edge of the bed. Securing the chair comes first.
• BCorrect. MedlinePlus says to put the brakes on and move the footrests out of the way right after parking the chair. A locked chair can't roll away while the patient is lowered into it.
• CIncorrect. The bed is lowered after the patient is sitting at the edge of the bed, which is later in the sequence. The chair still has to be secured first.
• DIncorrect. The pivot turn is the last part of the transfer. Pivoting toward an unlocked chair could let it roll away and cause a fall.