SCMA SCMA 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with a known penicillin allergy is prescribed amoxicillin by a covering provider. The medical assistant should:
- Dispense the medication as prescribed since amoxicillin is mild
- Alert the provider immediately about the allergy before the prescription is filled (Correct answer)
- Substitute a different antibiotic at the pharmacy level
- Ask the patient if the allergy is severe before notifying anyone
Correct answer: Alert the provider immediately about the allergy before the prescription is filled
Amoxicillin is a penicillin-type antibiotic; a penicillin allergy is a contraindication that must be reported to the prescribing provider immediately to prevent an adverse reaction.
Question 2: Which of the following thermometer sites provides the most accurate core body temperature reading in an adult?
- Axillary (armpit)
- Oral (sublingual)
- Tympanic (ear)
- Rectal (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Rectal
Rectal temperature is the most accurate reflection of core body temperature and is approximately 0.5–1°F higher than oral temperature.
Question 3: A patient calls reporting that they accidentally took a double dose of their blood pressure medication. The medical assistant should first:
- Advise the patient to induce vomiting immediately
- Instruct the patient to lie down and rest until their next scheduled dose
- Notify the provider or transfer the call to clinical staff for guidance (Correct answer)
- Tell the patient to drink plenty of water and monitor their pressure at home
Correct answer: Notify the provider or transfer the call to clinical staff for guidance
Medication overdose situations require immediate clinical assessment; the MA should escalate to the provider or clinical staff rather than give independent medical advice.
Question 4: Which of the following specimens requires immediate transport to the laboratory on ice?
- Routine urinalysis
- CBC with differential
- Arterial blood gas (ABG) (Correct answer)
- Throat culture swab
Correct answer: Arterial blood gas (ABG)
ABG specimens must be transported on ice and analyzed within 15–30 minutes to prevent metabolic changes that alter pH, PO2, and PCO2 values.
Question 5: Under HIPAA, a covered entity may share a patient's protected health information (PHI) without patient authorization for which of the following purposes?
- Marketing a new medication to the patient
- Reporting a communicable disease to the state health department (Correct answer)
- Providing records to the patient's employer upon request
- Sharing information with the patient's family member without the patient's consent
Correct answer: Reporting a communicable disease to the state health department
HIPAA permits disclosure of PHI without authorization for public health activities, including mandatory reporting of communicable diseases to public health authorities.
Question 6: A medical assistant is instructed to perform a spirometry test. Which instruction is most important to give the patient before the test?
- Avoid eating or drinking for 12 hours before the test
- Breathe in as deeply as possible, then exhale as fast and forcefully as possible (Correct answer)
- Breathe slowly and steadily through the mouthpiece for 10 minutes
- Sit upright and take shallow breaths throughout the procedure
Correct answer: Breathe in as deeply as possible, then exhale as fast and forcefully as possible
Spirometry measures forced expiratory volumes; patients must inhale maximally and then exhale as hard and fast as possible to produce valid FEV1 and FVC measurements.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a controlled act that a medical assistant may perform only under direct provider supervision?
- Scheduling follow-up appointments
- Administering a prescription medication via injection (Correct answer)
- Taking a patient's blood pressure
- Documenting patient-reported symptoms in the chart
Correct answer: Administering a prescription medication via injection
Administering injections of prescription medications is a controlled act that requires a valid order and appropriate supervision under state medical practice acts.
SCMA SCMA 4
A patient with a known penicillin allergy is prescribed amoxicillin by a covering provider.
The medical assistant should: