PCT Communication Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with hearing loss is admitted to your unit. What is the BEST way to communicate with this patient?
- Speak loudly and quickly to get information across faster
- Face the patient, speak slowly and clearly, and use written notes if needed (Correct answer)
- Ask family members to interpret all communication
- Avoid speaking and only use hand gestures
Correct answer: Face the patient, speak slowly and clearly, and use written notes if needed
Facing the patient and speaking clearly allows lip reading, and written backup ensures accurate communication.
Question 2: When documenting patient information, which principle is most important?
- Use abbreviations freely to save time
- Record information as soon as possible after the event (Correct answer)
- Wait until the end of the shift to document all events
- Use personal opinions to describe patient behavior
Correct answer: Record information as soon as possible after the event
Timely documentation ensures accuracy and reduces the risk of forgetting important details.
Question 3: A family member asks you about the patient's diagnosis. As a PCT, you should:
- Share the diagnosis since family members have a right to know
- Tell them to ask the nurse or physician for medical information (Correct answer)
- Look up the diagnosis in the chart and explain it to them
- Refer them to the internet for information about the condition
Correct answer: Tell them to ask the nurse or physician for medical information
PCTs are not authorized to disclose diagnoses; this falls within the scope of licensed healthcare providers.
Question 4: Which statement best demonstrates therapeutic communication with an anxious patient?
- 'Don't worry, everything will be fine.'
- 'I can see you seem anxious. Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?' (Correct answer)
- 'There's no reason to be scared; this happens to everyone.'
- 'You really need to calm down before the procedure.'
Correct answer: 'I can see you seem anxious. Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?'
Acknowledging the patient's feelings and inviting them to share is the foundation of therapeutic communication.
Question 5: You notice a coworker documenting care that was not provided. You should:
- Ignore it because it is not your responsibility
- Report the concern to your supervisor (Correct answer)
- Confront the coworker loudly in front of patients
- Document your own note overriding the false entry
Correct answer: Report the concern to your supervisor
Falsifying medical records is a serious legal and ethical violation that must be reported to a supervisor.
Question 6: When receiving a verbal report at shift change, the PCT should:
- Trust verbal handoff and skip reading the chart
- Listen carefully, take notes, and clarify any unclear information (Correct answer)
- Assume the outgoing staff resolved all issues
- Only ask questions if the patient is in critical condition
Correct answer: Listen carefully, take notes, and clarify any unclear information
Active listening and clarification during handoff prevents missed information and patient safety errors.
Question 7: A patient refuses to take their medication. The PCT should FIRST:
- Force the medication since the physician ordered it
- Document the refusal and immediately notify the nurse (Correct answer)
- Convince the patient by explaining all possible side effects of not taking it
- Remove the medication and say nothing to the nurse
Correct answer: Document the refusal and immediately notify the nurse
Patients have the right to refuse treatment; the nurse must be notified promptly to address the situation.
PCT Communication Skills 2
A patient with hearing loss is admitted to your unit.
What is the BEST way to communicate with this patient?