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Physical Therapist Assistant Flashcards

7 cards from real NPTE-PTA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Physical Therapist Assistant flashcards as text

  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:

    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.

  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?

    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.

  3. A patient with elevated TSH and low free T3 and T4 most likely has:

    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).

  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?

    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.

  5. Following the insertion of a colostomy bag, the following exercises might be recommended for a patient during the first week of outpatient therapy:

    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.

  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?

    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.

  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:

    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.