CMT - Certified Medical Technician Patient Care and Safety 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient is found unresponsive in their room. After calling for help, what is the NEXT immediate action according to basic life support guidelines?
- Begin chest compressions at a rate of 100–120 per minute
- Check for a pulse for at least 10 seconds before acting
- Open the airway and check for normal breathing (Correct answer)
- Retrieve the AED before doing anything else
Correct answer: Open the airway and check for normal breathing
After activating the emergency response system, the next step is to open the airway (head-tilt chin-lift) and check for normal breathing. This assessment determines whether CPR or rescue breathing is needed before initiating compressions.
Question 2: Which body mechanics principle BEST protects a medical technician from back injury when lifting a patient?
- Bend at the waist and keep the load close to the body
- Keep feet together and twist at the hips to turn
- Bend at the knees and hips while keeping the back straight (Correct answer)
- Hold the load at arm's length to maintain balance
Correct answer: Bend at the knees and hips while keeping the back straight
Bending at the knees and hips while keeping the back straight transfers the load to the large leg muscles rather than the vulnerable lumbar spine, greatly reducing injury risk.
Question 3: When applying a gait belt to assist a patient with ambulation, where should the belt be positioned?
- Across the chest just below the armpits
- Around the waist over clothing, snug enough to fit two fingers underneath (Correct answer)
- Around the hips at the level of the greater trochanters
- Directly on bare skin for a more secure grip
Correct answer: Around the waist over clothing, snug enough to fit two fingers underneath
The gait belt is placed around the waist over clothing with enough snugness to allow two fingers underneath. This positioning provides a secure, safe grip for the caregiver while protecting the patient's skin.
Question 4: A patient's call light is sounding. The medical technician enters the room and finds the patient standing at the bedside with IV tubing tangled around their feet. The PRIORITY action is to:
- Untangle the IV tubing first to prevent dislodgement
- Ask the patient to return to bed immediately without assistance
- Ensure the patient's safety and prevent a fall before addressing the tubing (Correct answer)
- Page the nurse and wait outside the room for instructions
Correct answer: Ensure the patient's safety and prevent a fall before addressing the tubing
Patient safety is always the first priority. The technician should stabilize the patient to prevent a fall and call for help simultaneously. Addressing equipment concerns is secondary to preventing injury.
Question 5: Standard Precautions require gloves to be worn when a medical technician is:
- Feeding a patient their meal tray
- Providing a back rub over intact skin
- Assisting a patient to use a bedpan (Correct answer)
- Adjusting a patient's pillow
Correct answer: Assisting a patient to use a bedpan
Standard Precautions require gloves whenever there is potential contact with blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions. Assisting with a bedpan involves potential exposure to urine or feces, making gloves mandatory.
Question 6: A patient reports that the identification band on their wrist has fallen off. The CORRECT response is to:
- Write the patient's name on a piece of tape and attach it to the bed rail
- Verbally confirm the patient's name and document it in the chart
- Notify the nurse immediately so a new identification band can be applied (Correct answer)
- Proceed with care as long as the patient can state their own name
Correct answer: Notify the nurse immediately so a new identification band can be applied
Patient identification is a critical safety requirement. A missing ID band must be replaced promptly by notifying the nurse. Improvised identification methods such as tape on a bed rail do not meet safety standards and create risk for patient misidentification.
CMT - Certified Medical Technician Patient Care and Safety 1
A patient is found unresponsive in their room.
After calling for help, what is the NEXT immediate action according to basic life support guidelines?