RMA Surgical Assisting and Minor Surgery 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When opening a sterile pack toward yourself, which flap should be unfolded first?
- The flap nearest your body
- The flap farthest from your body (Correct answer)
- Either side flap
- It does not matter
Correct answer: The flap farthest from your body
The farthest flap is opened first so you never reach across the exposed sterile field.
Question 2: The 1-inch border around the edge of a sterile drape is considered:
- Sterile
- Contaminated (Correct answer)
- Disinfected
- Optional
Correct answer: Contaminated
The outer 1-inch margin of any sterile field is regarded as non-sterile.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a surgical hand scrub before assisting?
- Sterilize the skin completely
- Reduce resident and transient microorganisms (Correct answer)
- Remove only visible dirt
- Replace the need for gloves
Correct answer: Reduce resident and transient microorganisms
Scrubbing lowers microbial counts but does not fully sterilize skin, so gloves are still required.
Question 4: A sterile item that becomes wet by a non-sterile liquid is considered:
- Still sterile
- Contaminated by strike-through (Correct answer)
- Safe if dried quickly
- Disinfected
Correct answer: Contaminated by strike-through
Moisture wicks microorganisms through the barrier in a process called strike-through contamination.
Question 5: Which gloving method is used when a medical assistant gloves without help from another person?
- Open gloving (Correct answer)
- Closed gloving
- Assisted gloving
- Double gloving
Correct answer: Open gloving
Open gloving is performed independently for minor procedures using sterile gloves only.
Question 6: How should a sterile field be monitored during a procedure?
- Left briefly unattended is fine
- Kept in constant view and never left unattended (Correct answer)
- Covered and walked away from
- Only watched at the start
Correct answer: Kept in constant view and never left unattended
An unobserved sterile field must be considered contaminated.
Question 7: When pouring sterile solution into a basin on the sterile field, you should:
- Reach over the field to pour
- Pour from the edge without reaching over (Correct answer)
- Touch the basin rim with the bottle
- Pour slowly while leaning across
Correct answer: Pour from the edge without reaching over
Pouring from the edge avoids reaching across and contaminating the field.
RMA Surgical Assisting and Minor Surgery 2
When opening a sterile pack toward yourself, which flap should be unfolded first?