Specialty Certified Medical Assistant Laboratory Procedures and Diagnostics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) indicate?
- Anemia due to iron deficiency
- Nonspecific inflammation or infection in the body (Correct answer)
- Elevated blood glucose
- Impaired kidney function
Correct answer: Nonspecific inflammation or infection in the body
ESR is a nonspecific marker of inflammation; an elevated rate indicates the presence of inflammatory, infectious, or autoimmune conditions.
Question 2: Which blood cell type is primarily responsible for fighting bacterial infections?
- Erythrocytes (red blood cells)
- Thrombocytes (platelets)
- Neutrophils (Correct answer)
- Eosinophils
Correct answer: Neutrophils
Neutrophils are the most abundant white blood cells and serve as the primary defense against bacterial infections through phagocytosis.
Question 3: When collecting a throat swab for strep culture, which area should be swabbed?
- The tongue surface
- The posterior pharynx and tonsillar areas (Correct answer)
- The inner cheek (buccal mucosa)
- The nasal passages
Correct answer: The posterior pharynx and tonsillar areas
A throat culture requires swabbing the posterior pharynx and tonsillar areas where Group A Streptococcus colonizes, while avoiding the tongue and cheeks.
Question 4: What is a differential white blood cell count used to evaluate?
- The total number of red blood cells per microliter
- The proportion of each type of white blood cell in a sample (Correct answer)
- Blood clotting time and platelet function
- Oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood
Correct answer: The proportion of each type of white blood cell in a sample
A differential WBC count identifies the percentage of each leukocyte type (neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils), helping diagnose infections and hematologic disorders.
Question 5: Which chain-of-custody procedure is critical when handling specimens for forensic or drug testing purposes?
- Storing specimens at room temperature for 24 hours before testing
- Documenting specimen handling from collection to disposal with signatures at each transfer (Correct answer)
- Using standard red-top tubes regardless of the test ordered
- Performing testing within 2 hours of collection without documentation
Correct answer: Documenting specimen handling from collection to disposal with signatures at each transfer
Chain of custody requires documented accountability for specimen handling at every step to ensure the specimen's integrity and admissibility as legal evidence.
Question 6: A urine specimen has a specific gravity of 1.030. What does this indicate?
- The urine is very dilute
- The urine is highly concentrated (Correct answer)
- The specific gravity is within normal range
- The patient has protein in their urine
Correct answer: The urine is highly concentrated
Normal urine specific gravity ranges from 1.001-1.030; a value of 1.030 indicates highly concentrated urine, suggesting dehydration.
Specialty Certified Medical Assistant Laboratory Procedures and Diagnostics 2
What does an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) indicate?