CCMA Clinical Medical Assistant practice questions with answers

Answer: A) Lung or air

• ACorrect. Pneumonia is a lung infection.
• BIncorrect. That's gastr/o.
• CIncorrect. That's neur/o.
• DIncorrect. That's derm/o.

Answer: B) Without or absence of

• AIncorrect. That's hyper- or poly-.
• BCorrect. Anuria is absence of urine output.
• CIncorrect. That's brady-.
• DIncorrect. That's peri- or circum-.

Answer: A) Mitral (bicuspid) valve

• ACorrect. The tricuspid valve is on the right side.
• BIncorrect. It's on the right side.
• CIncorrect. It leads to the pulmonary artery.
• DIncorrect. It leads to the aorta.

Answer: B) 10 kg

• AIncorrect. Divide, don't multiply.
• BCorrect. 22 lb divided by 2.2 lb per kg.
• CIncorrect. Divide by 2.2, not 2.
• DIncorrect. Recheck the division.

Answer: B) Absence of breathing

• AIncorrect. Fast breathing is tachypnea.
• BCorrect. Apnea is a pause or absence of breathing.
• CIncorrect. Difficult breathing is dyspnea.
• DIncorrect. Normal breathing is eupnea.

Answer: A) Ammonia

• ACorrect. Chilling slows changes in ammonia levels.
• BIncorrect. Those must be kept warm.
• CIncorrect. It's kept at room temperature.
• DIncorrect. It's usually tested right away.

Answer: B) Heparin

• AIncorrect. That's lavender.
• BCorrect. It's used for many plasma chemistry tests.
• CIncorrect. That's light blue.
• DIncorrect. That's gray.

Answer: C) Gently invert it 8 to 10 times

• AIncorrect. Vigorous shaking can damage (hemolyze) the blood cells.
• BIncorrect. Not mixing can cause the sample to clot.
• CCorrect. Gentle inversion mixes the anticoagulant without damaging cells.
• DIncorrect. Whole-blood EDTA samples for a CBC are not centrifuged.

Answer: B) Brachial

• AIncorrect. The radial artery is at the wrist.
• BCorrect. The stethoscope goes over the brachial artery at the inner elbow.
• CIncorrect. The carotid artery is in the neck.
• DIncorrect. The femoral artery is in the groin.

Answer: A) Asystole; start CPR, since it isn't shockable

• ACorrect. Also confirm leads are attached.
• BIncorrect. A flat line isn't normal.
• CIncorrect. AFib has an irregular baseline.
• DIncorrect. Artifact adds noise, not a flat line.

Answer: A) 250 °F (121 °C) at 15 psi for 20–30 minutes

• ACorrect. Times vary with load and wrapping.
• BIncorrect. That's too cool to sterilize.
• CIncorrect. Cold doesn't sterilize.
• DIncorrect. Pressure raises steam temperature.

Answer: B) 50 and older

CDC now recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all adults 50 and older (previously 65 and older). Adults under 50 may also need it if they have certain risk conditions, such as immunocompromise, a cochlear implant, or a CSF leak.

• AIncorrect. This was the earlier age threshold. CDC has since lowered routine, age-based pneumococcal vaccination to adults 50 and older.
• BCorrect. CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all adults 50 years or older. Adults with no prior conjugate vaccine get PCV15, PCV20, or PCV21.
• CIncorrect. 60 is not the routine age threshold for pneumococcal vaccination. The current routine threshold is 50.
• DIncorrect. Routine pneumococcal vaccination starts much earlier, at age 50.

Answer: D) Amounts owed to vendors and suppliers

• AIncorrect. It's money the practice owes.
• BIncorrect. That's accounts receivable.
• CIncorrect. It's money the practice owes.
• DCorrect. Accounts receivable are amounts owed to the practice.

Answer: D) An incident report

• AIncorrect. A prescription orders medication.
• BIncorrect. A referral sends a patient to another provider.
• CIncorrect. A superbill is for billing.
• DCorrect. Incident reports document unusual events for risk management.

Answer: B) Implied consent

• AIncorrect. The patient did not sign anything.
• BCorrect. The patient's actions show agreement without spoken or written words.
• CIncorrect. The patient agreed rather than refused.
• DIncorrect. Proxy consent is given by someone else on the patient's behalf.