History and Physical Examination Flashcards
7 cards from real Physician Assistant practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 History and Physical Examination flashcards as text
Which cranial nerve is tested when you ask a patient to shrug their shoulders against resistance?
Answer: CN XI
CN XI (spinal accessory nerve) innervates the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, tested by shoulder shrug and head turning against resistance.
A 40-year-old presents with painless lymphadenopathy in the right supraclavicular region. What is this finding classically called and what does it suggest?
Answer: Virchow's node — suggests right-sided thoracic or cervical malignancy
The right supraclavicular node (Virchow's on the right side) drains the thorax, lungs, and esophagus and its enlargement suggests right-sided thoracic or mediastinal malignancy.
During a musculoskeletal exam, a patient has pain with passive range of motion of a joint. This finding most suggests:
Answer: Pathology within the joint itself
Pain with passive range of motion implicates the joint capsule or intra-articular structures, as the examiner — not the patient's muscles — is generating the movement.
Which of the following best describes the CAGE questionnaire used in clinical history-taking?
Answer: A 4-item tool screening for alcohol use disorder
CAGE screens for alcohol use disorder using four yes/no questions: Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener.
A patient's apical pulse is palpated at the 6th intercostal space, anterior axillary line. This displacement suggests:
Answer: Left ventricular hypertrophy or dilation
The point of maximal impulse (PMI) displaced laterally and inferiorly from the 5th ICS, MCL suggests left ventricular enlargement.
When assessing a skin lesion, which ABCDE criterion refers to a lesion greater than 6mm in diameter?
Answer: Diameter
D in the ABCDE melanoma screening criteria stands for Diameter greater than 6mm, roughly the size of a pencil eraser.
A PA student elicits Murphy's sign during an abdominal exam. The correct technique is to:
Answer: Hook fingers under the right costal margin and ask the patient to inhale deeply
Murphy's sign is elicited by hooking the fingers under the right costal margin during deep inspiration; pain and inspiratory arrest suggests acute cholecystitis.
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