CCMA General Patient Care Practice Questions
General Patient Care makes up 9 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CCMA practice test. Here are 10 of the 36 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Weighted to the NHA CCMA test plan (3.0). Scope of practice varies by state.
1. A patient is scheduled for a pelvic examination and Pap test. The medical assistant should help the patient into which position?
- A.Sims
- B.Lithotomy
- C.Prone
- D.Trendelenburg
Answer: B. Lithotomy, supine with feet in stirrups, gives access for pelvic exams and Pap tests. Sims is used for rectal exams and enemas, and Trendelenburg lowers the head.
2. The provider plans a rectal examination and an enema for an adult patient. Which position is most appropriate?
- A.Fowler's
- B.Supine
- C.Lithotomy
- D.Sims
Answer: D. Sims position, left side with the right knee drawn up, follows the curve of the sigmoid colon for rectal exams and enemas. Lithotomy is for pelvic exams, and Fowler's and supine do not expose the rectum.
3. A patient with heart failure becomes short of breath while lying flat on the exam table. Which position will most likely ease breathing?
- A.Semi-Fowler's
- B.Trendelenburg
- C.Dorsal recumbent
- D.Prone
Answer: A. Raising the head of the table in semi-Fowler's or Fowler's position lets the lungs expand more easily. Trendelenburg and flat positions push abdominal contents against the diaphragm and worsen breathlessness.
4. Which position places the patient supine with the head lower than the legs and is traditionally associated with treating shock?
- A.Sims
- B.Fowler's
- C.Trendelenburg
- D.Dorsal recumbent
Answer: C. Trendelenburg lowers the head and raises the legs, and textbooks associate it with shock; in first aid, lying flat with the legs raised is commonly used. Fowler's raises the head instead.
5. When draping a patient in the dorsal recumbent position for a vaginal examination, the medical assistant should:
- A.Cover only the chest and leave legs bare
- B.Use a drape only if the patient requests one
- C.Place the drape diagonally from abdomen to knees
- D.Leave the patient uncovered until the provider enters
Answer: C. A diagonal drape covers the abdomen and legs while the corner can be lifted for the exam, protecting privacy and warmth. Leaving a patient exposed or making draping optional violates privacy and dignity.
6. While setting up a sterile field on a Mayo stand, how much of the outer edge of the sterile drape is considered contaminated?
- A.A 1-inch border
- B.No part of the drape
- C.Only the four corners
- D.A 3-inch border
Answer: A. The outer 1 inch of a sterile field is considered contaminated, so sterile items are placed inside it. When opening a wrapped pack, the first flap is opened away from the body for the same reason of avoiding reaching over sterile areas.
7. During a sterile procedure, the medical assistant needs an item on the far side of the sterile field. The correct action is to:
- A.Reach across quickly with hands held high
- B.Ask the patient to pass the item over
- C.Lean over the field with gloved hands
- D.Walk around the field to reach it
Answer: D. Reaching or leaning across a sterile field can drop contaminants onto it, so the MA moves around it and keeps sterile hands above the waist and in view. Speed or gloves do not make reaching across acceptable.
8. When removing sutures as ordered by the provider, the medical assistant lifts the knot with forceps and cuts the suture:
- A.Far from the skin so more suture remains
- B.Close to the skin on one side of the knot
- C.Through the knot itself to release tension
- D.On both sides before lifting the knot
Answer: B. Cutting close to the skin means the part of the suture that was outside the body is not pulled back through the tissue, lowering infection risk. Cutting far from the skin drags contaminated suture through the wound.
9. When cleaning the skin around a sutured incision before applying a new dressing, the medical assistant should wipe:
- A.From the outer edge in toward the incision
- B.From the incision outward, new swab each stroke
- C.Back and forth using a single swab
- D.In circles moving from the outside toward the center
Answer: B. Wound cleaning moves from the cleanest area, the incision, toward the less clean surrounding skin, with a fresh swab each stroke. Wiping toward the incision carries skin bacteria into the wound.
10. During an ordered ear irrigation on an adult, the medical assistant pulls the outer ear up and back and directs the solution:
- A.Into the canal under high pressure
- B.Straight at the eardrum using cold solution
- C.Toward the floor of the canal, chilled
- D.Toward the canal roof, at body temperature
Answer: D. Body-temperature solution aimed at the roof of the canal loosens cerumen without striking the eardrum or causing dizziness. Cold solution can trigger vertigo and nausea, and high pressure can perforate the eardrum.
Practice all 36 general patient care questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free CCMA training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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