CCMA Practice Test 1

Medical assistants do everything from greeting the patient when they first walk into the office, to running insurance, to taking patients’ vitals, to scheduling a follow-up for the patient. Medical assistants are the bread and butter of the practice.

An adult patient’s blood pressure is considered normal if their systolic (top number) pressure is 120 or less and their diastolic (bottom number) pressure is 80 or less.

Physicians will use “SOB” to indicate a patient not utilizing full capability of their lungs. (Example: “Patient arrived in ER 1330 showing SOB”)

In the term “intravenous,” intra- pertains to taking place within, while -venous pertains to a vein or veins.

Supine position is laying flat on the back with all extremities relaxed on the bed.

It is important to show empathy during these situations. The patient will most likely be in shock and/or confused. This may be a good time to ask if there is anything you can assist with or anyone he would like to call. Be someone that the patient feels comfortable with. Always get down to the patient’s level; never speak above them.

This situation can be very intimidating for a patient that speaks a different language. Get with your clinic manager and ensure there is a service available to give your patients the best possible care when language barriers occur.

The medical assistant can either count beats in 30 seconds and multiply by 2 to get a whole minute of beats or take the full 60 seconds to count beats if preferred. The goal is to get a whole minute of beats to give you the correct heart rate.

An open fracture occurs when the bone breaks and goes through the skin. A hairline fracture is a very thin crack that does not go through the entire bone. A transverse fracture is a straight-line break through the bone. This patient came in with a stress fracture. This is very common in athletes who do repetitive activity.

Paraplegia is the term used when someone is unable to move their body from the waist down. This is common when there is a low spine injury.

Type A can receive blood from Type A and Type O.
Type B can receive blood from Type B and Type O.
Type AB can receive blood from all types.
Type O can only receive blood from Type O.

-itis is the suffix pertaining to inflammation (e.g., arthritis).

Medical etiquette is a demonstration of politeness and professionalism. It is vital to treat every patient with respect no matter their culture, race, or religion.

There are four chambers to the human heart: the left and right atrium (or the upper chambers) and the left and right ventricle (lower chambers).

Palpation is the process of a provider using his/her hand to check the body while diagnosing a disease or illness. Practitioners usually use this technique to determine the size, shape, firmness, and location of an organ.

ENT refers to an ear, nose, and throat doctor. These doctors are also known as otolaryngologists.

Look at the roots of the word: a- means “not” and -pnea means “to breathe.” Apnea translates to “to not breathe.”

In states that fall under federal guidelines, the entity that produced the clinical note on the patient owns the medical record.

Faxes are HIPAA compliant. Registered mail is also permissible, but it is not as common in today’s medical practices.

ICD codes are used by physicians to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms, and procedures for claims processing. Medical assistants are not required to memorize these codes; however, it is helpful to learn the most popular codes within your practice.

(e.g., ICD-10: M81.0 – Age-related osteoporosis without current pathological fracture)