Medical Technologist Knowledge Flashcards
7 cards from real Medical Technologist Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medical Technologist Knowledge flashcards as text
Which anticoagulant is used in the light blue (sodium citrate) tube and what is the correct blood-to-anticoagulant ratio?
Answer: Sodium citrate at 9:1
Light blue tubes contain sodium citrate at a 9:1 blood-to-anticoagulant ratio, critical for accurate coagulation testing.
A patient's peripheral blood smear shows hypersegmented neutrophils (>5 lobes). Which deficiency is most likely?
Answer: Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
Hypersegmented neutrophils are a classic hallmark of megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.
In urinalysis, a positive nitrite result on a dipstick indicates:
Answer: Gram-negative bacterial infection
Nitrite is produced when gram-negative bacteria reduce dietary nitrate to nitrite in the bladder.
The QC rule that flags a run when two consecutive control values exceed the same 2s limit on the same side of the mean is:
Answer: 2-2s Westgard rule
The 2-2s rule is a warning rule indicating systematic error when two consecutive controls fall beyond ±2s on the same side.
Which hepatitis B serologic marker is FIRST to appear after acute infection and is used to detect the window period?
Answer: Anti-HBc IgM
Anti-HBc IgM appears early and persists through the window period when HBsAg has cleared but Anti-HBs is not yet detectable.
A sample showing hemolysis would most likely cause a falsely ELEVATED result for which analyte?
Answer: Potassium
Hemolysis releases intracellular potassium from red blood cells into serum, causing spuriously elevated potassium results.
The Gram stain procedure step that differentiates gram-positive from gram-negative bacteria is:
Answer: Decolorization with acetone-alcohol
Acetone-alcohol decolorization removes crystal violet from gram-negative organisms (thin peptidoglycan) but not gram-positive ones (thick peptidoglycan).