Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Quality Assurance and Laboratory Operations

Question 1

What does the term 'hemolysis' mean in the context of a blood specimen?

Accepted Answer

Rupture of red blood cells releasing hemoglobin into the plasma

Answer

Clotting of the sample

Answer

Contamination with bacteria

Answer

Lipemia in the sample

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of a pre-analytical error in phlebotomy?

Accepted Answer

Mislabeling a specimen tube at the bedside

Answer

Incorrect calibration of the analyzer

Answer

Instrument malfunction during testing

Answer

Transcription error in the lab report

Question 3

What information is required on a properly labeled specimen tube according to CLSI standards?

Accepted Answer

Patient full name, date of birth, collection date and time, and collector ID

Answer

Patient name, DOB, and collection date/time only

Answer

Patient name, date, tube type

Answer

Room number and diagnosis

Question 4

What is the maximum recommended time a centrifuged specimen should sit before aliquoting to prevent result changes?

Accepted Answer

2 hours

Answer

30 minutes

Answer

4 hours

Answer

8 hours

Question 5

Which document must accompany a specimen when it is transported to a reference laboratory?

Accepted Answer

Chain of custody form or requisition with required identifiers

Answer

Patient insurance card

Answer

Physician's CV

Answer

Hospital admission form

Question 6

What is lipemia, and how does it affect laboratory specimens?

Accepted Answer

Excess lipids (triglycerides) causing cloudy serum; interferes with many chemistry tests

Answer

Excess bilirubin causing yellow serum; interferes with optical assays

Answer

Low platelet count; causes clotting issues

Answer

High glucose causing crystallization in the tube