Free NPTE Physical Therapist Assistant Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The therapist finds an unusual-looking mole on a patient while conducting an ultrasound on them. The criteria for deciding if a mole needs to be examined by a doctor include:
- Asymmetry, bigger than baseline, non-uniform in color, diameter larger than 6mm, and evolving size, shape, or color
- Asymmetry, irregular borders, non-uniform color, diameter larger than 6mm, and evolving size, shape, or color. (Correct answer)
- Asymmetry, black in color, coarse, diameter larger than 6mm, and evolving size, shape, or color
- Abnormal size, irregular border, non-uniform color, diameter larger than 6mm, and evolving size, shape, or color
Correct answer: Asymmetry, irregular borders, non-uniform color, diameter larger than 6mm, and evolving size, shape, or color.
Asymmetrical shape, uneven borders, non-uniform color, diameter greater than 6 mm, and changing size, shape, or color are the ABCDEs of moles that are cancer-risk factors.
Question 2: An urgent care patient is receiving treatment for a pituitary tumor. What impact would this tumor likely have on the patient's recovery, according to the therapist?
- Hypertension (Correct answer)
- Increased energy
- Lower susceptibility to fracture
- Hypotension
Correct answer: Hypertension
In addition to producing hormones including growth hormone, the pituitary gland also controls metabolism. A pituitary tumor may make a patient more susceptible to hypertension.
Question 3: A patient with elevated TSH and low free T3 and T4 most likely has:
- Hypothyroidism (Correct answer)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Low Testosterone
- Grave Disease
Correct answer: Hypothyroidism
The quantities of thyroid hormone that are present in the body are T3 and T4. These hormones may circulate at lower levels when the thyroid is underactive. The body is continually signaling for additional thyroid hormones, therefore this can also lead to greater levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
Question 4: A patient with lower back discomfort is being treated by a PTA in an outpatient clinic. The patient has severe GERD, according to the PT's initial assessment. Which posture for this patient should be avoided?
- Prolonged standing
- Prolonged sitting
- Supine (Correct answer)
- Side lying
Correct answer: Supine
In contrast to gravity's ability to keep gastric acid in the stomach, lying supine allows acid reflux to remain in the esophagus. Therefore, those who have GERD should refrain from spending a lot of time flat out.
Question 5: Following the insertion of a colostomy bag, the following exercises might be recommended for a patient during the first week of outpatient therapy:
- Sit ups
- High planks
- Transverse abdominal holds in supine (Correct answer)
- Quadruped alternating arm and leg lifts
Correct answer: Transverse abdominal holds in supine
The best exercise for this patient at this point of recovery is supine transverse abdominal holds. The other options are all advanced workouts that would be too demanding for a patient starting their recovery from abdominal surgery.
Question 6: A 17-year-old female patient has completed her treatment for lower back pain after regularly making progress and experiencing no pain for the last seven days. She described a sudden return of back discomfort that persisted for almost three days before going away. She disputes a shift in her behavior. What among the following is most likely to be the reason?
- Referred pain as a part of the menstrual cycle (Correct answer)
- Metastatic bone disease
- Newly bulging disc
- Gallstones
Correct answer: Referred pain as a part of the menstrual cycle
Ovarian pain occasionally refers to the lower back and can be a result of the menstrual cycle. This is the most likely reason of those listed given the patient's brief start and ease of symptoms.
Question 7: Due to the discomfort she has and the time it takes her to get out of bed and go down the hall, a patient with severe arthritis has trouble getting to the bathroom in time. This kind of incontinence is categorized as follows:
- Urge incontinence
- Overflow incontinence
- Stress incontinence
- Functional incontinence (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Functional incontinence
Functional incontinence occurs when a person can't reach the bathroom quickly due to a physical obstruction. Because it takes so long to get to the bathroom in this situation, the patient experiences incontinence.
The therapist finds an unusual-looking mole on a patient while conducting an ultrasound on them.
The criteria for deciding if a mole needs to be examined by a doctor include: