PAM Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the PAM exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 PAM Exam Format at a Glance
📚 PAM Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample PAM Questions & Answers
1. A clinician is treating a patient with an implanted metal plate in the distal radius. Which thermal modality is SAFE to apply to the wrist area?
Superficial heat modalities such as moist hot packs do not selectively heat metal implants and are generally safe, unlike diathermy and ultrasound which concentrate energy at metal interfaces.
2. The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) requires employers to offer hepatitis B vaccination to at-risk employees:
OSHA mandates that employers offer the HBV vaccine series at no cost within 10 working days of initial assignment to jobs with occupational blood exposure risk.
3. A state practice act requires that a physical therapist assistant (PTA) apply PAMs only under 'general supervision.' This means the supervising PT must be:
General supervision requires the supervising PT to be available for consultation but does not require physical presence on-site.
4. For a therapeutic laser (low-level laser therapy) device, why must the clinician verify the equipment's wavelength specification before each new protocol?
Wavelength directly determines how deeply photons penetrate tissue, so verifying wavelength ensures the correct dose reaches the intended target tissue depth.
5. A newly hired PT in a school district wants to use PAMs on students. Which regulatory layer takes HIGHEST precedence in determining permissibility?
State physical therapy practice acts are binding law and supersede employer policy and professional association position statements in determining scope of practice.
6. What is the primary reason a coupling medium (gel or water) is required during therapeutic ultrasound?
Ultrasound cannot travel through air; coupling gel or water eliminates the air-tissue interface so acoustic energy is transmitted efficiently into tissue.