CIC Employee & Occupational Health 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A healthcare worker receives a needlestick injury from a patient known to be HIV-positive. According to current guidelines, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should ideally be initiated within:
- 1 hour
- 72 hours (Correct answer)
- 24 hours
- 2 weeks
Correct answer: 72 hours
PEP is most effective when started within 2 hours but remains beneficial if initiated within 72 hours of exposure.
Question 2: Which OSHA standard requires employers to provide hepatitis B vaccination to healthcare workers at no cost?
- General Duty Clause
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) (Correct answer)
- Hazard Communication Standard
- Respiratory Protection Standard
Correct answer: Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030)
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard mandates free HBV vaccination for employees with occupational exposure risk.
Question 3: A nurse with active pulmonary tuberculosis is identified. Which action is the FIRST priority?
- Initiate contact tracing for all patients
- Remove the employee from patient care and begin treatment (Correct answer)
- Administer IGRA testing to all exposed staff
- Notify the state health department
Correct answer: Remove the employee from patient care and begin treatment
Immediate removal from patient care duties prevents ongoing transmission while treatment is initiated.
Question 4: An employee sustains a splash of blood to the mucous membrane of their eye. After thorough irrigation, which information is MOST critical to obtain first?
- The employee's hepatitis C antibody status
- The source patient's bloodborne pathogen status (Correct answer)
- The volume of blood involved in the exposure
- The employee's most recent tuberculin skin test result
Correct answer: The source patient's bloodborne pathogen status
The source patient's serologic status for HIV, HBV, and HCV guides post-exposure management decisions.
Question 5: Fit testing for N95 respirators must be performed:
- Only upon initial hire
- Annually and when facial changes occur (Correct answer)
- Every 5 years
- Only when a new respirator model is introduced
Correct answer: Annually and when facial changes occur
OSHA requires annual fit testing and retesting whenever factors affecting respirator fit change, such as significant weight change or dental work.
Question 6: A healthcare worker who is pregnant reports that she has been assigned to care for patients on airborne precautions for measles. The BEST course of action is:
- Require the worker to wear a PAPR for all patient contacts
- Reassign the worker if she is not immune to measles (Correct answer)
- Administer MMR vaccine to the worker immediately
- Allow the worker to continue duties with double masking
Correct answer: Reassign the worker if she is not immune to measles
Pregnant workers who lack immunity to measles should be reassigned because MMR is a live vaccine contraindicated in pregnancy.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a two-step tuberculin skin test (TST) in a newly hired healthcare worker?
- To screen for latent vs. active tuberculosis simultaneously
- To identify boosting and establish a baseline to distinguish future conversions from boosted reactions (Correct answer)
- To replace IGRA testing in immunocompromised individuals
- To confirm BCG vaccination status
Correct answer: To identify boosting and establish a baseline to distinguish future conversions from boosted reactions
Two-step TST detects boosting — the anamnestic response that can mimic a new conversion — so future positive results can be correctly attributed to true new infection.
CIC Employee & Occupational Health 2
A healthcare worker receives a needlestick injury from a patient known to be HIV-positive.
According to current guidelines, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should ideally be initiated within: