Can You Pass This EMT Certification Exam in 7 Minutes?
By: Todd Betzold
6 min
Image: vm / lauradyoung / E+ / Getty Images
About This Quiz
Like a ride in the ambulance, this quiz is going to be a quick one. We are challenging you to not only pass this EMT certification exam, but blow away the competition by passing it in just seven minutes! Time will tell, but that patient in the back is counting on you!
Have you ever stopped and truly thought about how important of a job an EMT is? These Emergency Medical Technicians meet people when they are in possibly the worst conditions of their lives. They are in the middle of an emergency and call an ambulance for help, and these EMTs have to assess the situation and make judgment calls all the time.
That's why EMTs tend to have a lot more training than you think. Not only are they passing this exam, but they are also going through a 2-year associate's degree program. This includes passing rigorous coursework and clinical training. Health care is no joke, which is why they take the job of an EMT so seriously. So, can you pass this quiz? You'll be asked everything from respiratory rates for adults to clearing an airway for an infant. Can you handle the pressure?
In modern ambulances, what is the leading cause of accidents?
High-speed driving
Other vehicles
Distracted driving
With better technology in crew cabs, it can lead to distracted drivers. Technology can be good, but drivers need to be focused on the roads, too.
What is it called when the heart muscles can't pump blood throughout the body?
Pulmonary edema
Acute myocardial infarction
Congestive heart failure
When the heart muscles can't pump blood throughout the body, it's called congestive heart failure. This lack of pumping interferes with the proper heart function.
When the lower airways narrow or are obstructed, wheezing happens. This causes that high-pitched, whistling sound, as the air is traveling through the narrowed space.
What is the most important aspect of a scene size-up?
Counting the number of patients
Determining if the scene is safe
You need to make sure a scene is safe before caring for the patient. If you don't, it could lead to injuries for you or your partner and more patients to treat.
Asthma causes you to have an increase in mucus production and a constriction of the airways. These things often cause a person to cough, have shortness of breath and make those wheezing breath sounds.
What type of defibrillator is recommended for a 4-month-old baby in cardiac arrest with an unknown cause?
Manual defibrillator
For pediatric cardiac emergencies, they are mainly related to respiratory events. The most accurate device for an infant would be the use of the manual defibrillator.
A young man was just stung by a bee and is having trouble talking, breathing and has hives. You should immediately do all of the following except what?
Give the patient supplemental oxygen.
Check the bee sting for a possible infection.
Provide airway support
Administer epinephrine
The patient is in anaphylactic shock, so the epinephrine should be administered. The airway could be comprised due to swelling, so airway support is needed, as well as giving the patient supplemental oxygen.
You have an unresponsive patient with an intact gag reflex and tried to insert a nasal airway in right nostril, but met resistance and can't insert. What should you do next?
Try using the left nostril after making sure it's lubricated.
You should never force an airway in, and an oral airway wouldn't work for a patient with gag reflex. The wrong size airway would not be effective.
For manual ventilation, you should squeeze the bag how often for a child patient?
Every 1 to 3 seconds
Every 3 to 5 seconds
You should perform manual ventilation at a rate of 1 breath every 3 to 5 seconds for a child. This would give you a total of 12 to 20 breaths per minute.
An unresponsive adult patient just vomited and you need to suction the airway. How long should you do this for at one time?
Less than 5 seconds
5 to 10 seconds
10 to 15 seconds
Suctioning interferes with oxygenation, so it should not be done for more than 15 seconds at a time in an adult. It can be repeated if more material needs to be removed.
If acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) wasn't administered to a patient in a cardiovascular emergency, which of the following could be a reason why?
Documented allergy
Ulcers and bleeding may be side effects of ASA, but it could still be administered. If there is a documented allergy to ASA, then it could not be administered.
You arrive on scene and family members say an unresponsive young female had "passed out." After analyzing the scene, what should you do next?
Check her blood pressure.
Check her temperature to see if she had heat stroke.
She may be diabetic, so check her blood sugar.
Check her pulse and breathing.
Since the patient is unresponsive, you may need to start CPR. You would find this out by checking her pulse and breathing, which is why it would be done first.
What part of the contact with EMS do patients say is the scariest?
The ambulance ride
A patient rides in the back of an ambulance, so the uncontrolled movements of the vehicle make it very unnerving. However, the ambulance needs to get to the hospital fast, so comfort takes a back seat!
ROSC means return of spontaneous circulation. This happens when a patient who had no pulse and was unresponsive regains circulation during BLS, CPR and/or AED use.