SCMA Specialty Certified Medical Assistant 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A specialty MA in a plastic surgery office is educating a post-operative rhinoplasty patient on cast care. The patient asks when swelling typically peaks. The correct answer is:
- Day 1 post-operatively
- Day 2–3 post-operatively (Correct answer)
- Day 7–10 post-operatively
- 4 weeks post-operatively
Correct answer: Day 2–3 post-operatively
Post-rhinoplasty swelling typically peaks at 48–72 hours (days 2–3) after surgery before gradually subsiding.
Question 2: While working in a pain management clinic, the specialty MA reviews a patient's urine drug screen. The patient is prescribed oxycodone but the screen shows no oxycodone and is positive for a non-prescribed benzodiazepine. The appropriate action is to:
- Assume the lab made an error and repeat the test immediately
- Document the findings and report to the supervising physician before the patient leaves (Correct answer)
- Confront the patient and discharge them from the practice
- Ignore the result as urine drug screens are unreliable
Correct answer: Document the findings and report to the supervising physician before the patient leaves
Unexpected UDS results should be documented and promptly communicated to the supervising physician for clinical evaluation and decision-making.
Question 3: A specialty MA in a fertility clinic is instructing a patient on self-administering subcutaneous gonadotropin injections. The preferred injection site for this medication is the:
- Deltoid muscle
- Ventrogluteal muscle
- Abdomen (2 inches from navel) (Correct answer)
- Anterior thigh
Correct answer: Abdomen (2 inches from navel)
Subcutaneous gonadotropin injections for fertility treatment are typically administered into the abdomen at least 2 inches from the navel.
Question 4: When assisting in an ENT (otolaryngology) practice, the specialty MA prepares for a tympanometry test. A type B tympanogram result indicates:
- Normal middle ear function
- Eustachian tube dysfunction
- Fluid in the middle ear or perforated tympanic membrane (Correct answer)
- Hypermobile tympanic membrane
Correct answer: Fluid in the middle ear or perforated tympanic membrane
A type B tympanogram shows a flat curve without a pressure peak, indicating middle ear effusion or a perforated tympanic membrane.
Question 5: In a vascular surgery office, a specialty MA measures ankle-brachial index (ABI) results. An ABI of 0.55 in a patient with leg pain is most consistent with:
- Normal arterial circulation
- Mild peripheral artery disease
- Moderate to severe peripheral artery disease (Correct answer)
- Non-compressible (calcified) arteries
Correct answer: Moderate to severe peripheral artery disease
An ABI of 0.41–0.70 indicates moderate-to-severe peripheral artery disease with significant arterial occlusion.
Question 6: A specialty MA working in a nephrology office reviews a patient's GFR. The GFR is 22 mL/min/1.73m². This corresponds to which CKD stage?
- Stage 2 CKD
- Stage 3b CKD
- Stage 4 CKD (Correct answer)
- Stage 5 CKD (kidney failure)
Correct answer: Stage 4 CKD
A GFR of 15–29 mL/min/1.73m² corresponds to CKD Stage 4 (severely decreased kidney function).
Question 7: A specialty MA in a bariatric surgery center is preparing a patient for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass post-op teaching. Which nutritional deficiency is the patient MOST at risk for long-term?
- Vitamin C deficiency
- Vitamin B12 and iron deficiency (Correct answer)
- Vitamin D toxicity
- Calcium excess
Correct answer: Vitamin B12 and iron deficiency
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass bypasses the stomach and duodenum, impairing intrinsic factor production and iron absorption, leading to B12 and iron deficiency.
SCMA Specialty Certified Medical Assistant 5
A specialty MA in a plastic surgery office is educating a post-operative rhinoplasty patient on cast care.
The patient asks when swelling typically peaks.
The correct answer is: