How Good Is Your EMT Vocabulary?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Good Is Your EMT Vocabulary?
Image: Jochen Sand / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

In any job in the world, you're going to need to get to know the tools and the terms of the trade. Being an EMT is no different, and, in fact, it's likely got more lingo, jargon and vocabulary to nail down than most professions. Jut think about it — have you ever heard a group of medical professionals taking on the job? Half of the terms they use fly right over your head if you've never heard them before because nearly everything they discuss is specialized. 

EMTs have to understand several hundred terms that they're likely to use in their day to day lives, and those terms are just as important as the knowledge they need to save lives. After all, without communication, it's hard to coordinate your medical treatment, right? Everything from CPR to pulse oximetry to supraventricular tachycardia are all terms an EMT needs to know right off the top of their head. Every day is bringing them to new patients and new situations that require medical assistance and the vocabulary to describe and treat what they're dealing with properly. An EMT should be able to do it, but what about you? Take the quiz, and we'll see just how good your EMT vocabulary is. 

First responder
Tashi-Delek / E+ / Getty Images
Which term covers emergency personnel who arrive on the scene before anyone else?
Chief medic
CFO
First wave
First responder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A first responder is the emergency services personnel who arrive first on the scene. That could be an EMT or paramedic, or it could be a police officer or a firefighter as well. The only qualification is getting there first.

Advertisement

ALS
Zero Creatives / Cultura / Getty Images
What's the name for a set of techniques designed to assist in breathing and circulation in an emergency?
ALS
Triage
Bagging
C-spine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

ALS is short for advanced life support and can include a range of techniques that expand on the very basics needed to keep someone alive. What does that mean? Things like IV, tracheal intubation, adrenaline shots and more.

Advertisement

Burnout
simonkr / E+ / Getty Images
Which of these is an occupational hazard for EMTs?
Welder's eye
Burnout
Psychosis
Sharpe syndrome
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Burnout is a serious issue for EMTs and can be manifested in several ways, including on-the-job cynicism, exhaustion, depression, distraction and other stress-related symptoms that affect performance.

Advertisement

CPR
wilpunt / E+ / Getty Images
Do you know which of these techniques combines chest compressions with assisted breathing?
BLS
ABCs
CPR
PTSD
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and is one of the most widely known and recognized emergency life-saving techniques in the world. The American Heart Association recommends using the beat of the Bee Gee's song "Stayin Alive" as a guide for timing your compressions.

Advertisement

Cover
Wiki Commons by Ominae
What will help protect an EMT against projectiles?
Cover
Slade
Hoods
Rig
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ballistic shields, sometimes called covers, are for use in extremely dangerous situations in which there's a chance the EMT might get shot. These are pretty much the same sort of shields riot police might use and are effective against anything from rocks to bottles to gunfire.

Advertisement

CISD
SDI Productions / E+ / Getty Images
If you experience a traumatic event, what group discussion will you likely take part in?
RCMP
PTSD
MVP
CISD
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

CISD or critical incident stress debriefing is a confidential sort of group therapy meeting that an EMT might have to partake in if they've experienced a seriously traumatic on-the-job event. Usually, this has to take place within a couple of days of whatever the event was.

Advertisement

Dependent lividity
Darrin Klimek / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Which of these terms describes blood that has settled to the lowest part of a body?
Dependent lividity
Comorbidity
Arrhythmia
Fugue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dependent lividity isn't something that occurs in a living body. It looks like a deep purple bruise that appears on the lowest portion of a body where the blood has settled after death. It's basically caused by gravity.

Advertisement

Triage
Image Source / Image Source / Getty Images
How would you describe the process of organizing patients based on their immediate need for medical assistance?
Ordering
Triage
Filing
Segue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Triage is what you call ordering patients in terms of medical needs. There's no set triage method around the world, but in general, there are four or five levels that are applied from the lowest urgency to gravest.

Advertisement

C-spine
Wiki Commons by Stillwaterising / F. Lamiot
This term refers to the first seven bones of your spinal column. What it is?
Vertebrae
Aorta
C-spine
Bridgeline
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your cervical spine, or c-spine, refers to the first seven bones of your spinal column. While your spine extends all the way down your back, the c-spine is just the part in your neck, and often EMTs will take special care to secure it in the event of an injury.

Advertisement

PPE
SDI Productions / E+ / Getty Images
What helps protect an EMT from infectious exposure?
PPE
MSG
STP
ALS
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many professions require PPE, but for EMTs, PPE or personal protective equipment is the sort of stuff that can help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. The Occupational Health and Safety Act describes what gear is acceptable in what circumstances.

Advertisement

Rigor mortis
John Keatley / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Do you know which of these is a fairly clear sign of death?
Low blood sugar
Non-responsive
Rigor mortis
Tachycardia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rigor mortis is a Latin term that means "the stiffness of death." It's also called postmortem rigidity and is actually the third stage of death after pallor mortis and algor mortis. There are eight stages in case you were wondering. The last one is fossilization, so it's a bit of a process.

Advertisement

Informed consent
Tammy Hanratty/Corbis/VCG / Corbis / Getty Images
If a competent patient clearly gives you permission to treat them, what is that called?
Informed consent
The OK
Permissible assent
Right of way
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Informed consent is what medical professionals generally seek before treatment. It implies that the patient is aware of the potential risks of treatment and has given their permission for the procedure to go ahead.

Advertisement

Implied consent
nano / E+ / Getty Images
What is it called when you believe a patient would want your help even if they can't ask for it?
Negative consent
DNR
Implied consent
NDA
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Usually, you need consent from a person before performing any procedure. But if the person is unable to offer consent, such as an unconscious drowning victim, for instance, it's safe to assume consent for life-saving measures has been implied. Implied consent covers any situation in which someone can't consent but likely would if they could.

Advertisement

Agonal respirations
Tashi-Delek / E+ / Getty Images
Which term describes a patient experiencing slow or difficult breathing, including gasping?
Hyperventilation
Agonal respirations
Apnea
Asphyxia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Agonal respirations are abnormal breathing patterns that include gasping breaths, labored breathing, and often unusual sounds and muscle twitching. It's very often seen in cases of cardiac arrest.

Advertisement

Anterior
kali9 / E+ / Getty Images
What side of a patient's body is the anterior?
Front
Back
Top
Side
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you need to refer to a patient as a whole, you don't generally say front, back, left side or right side. The anterior is the front side of the patient you're talking about, and if you wanted to refer to their back, you'd say posterior.

Advertisement

angle of Louis
Leonello Calvetti/Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images / Getty Images
Do you know what the angle of Louis is?
A series of nerves
A leg bone
A ridge on the sternum
The best position for breathing under stress
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The angle of Louis is also called the sternal angle. You can find it where the second rib attaches to the sternum, and it's used as a landmark to help an EMT or other professionals find the anterior chest wall.

Advertisement

Blood pressure
Judith Haeusler / Cultura / Getty Images
When you're checking BP, what are you checking?
Blood pressure
Birth pulse
Bilateral patterns
Both patients
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Blood pressure is one of the basic vital signs you'd need to check in any patient. A clergyman named Stephen Hales made the first-ever record of blood pressure all the way back in 1733.

Advertisement

Brachial artery
ilbusca / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images
What's the major vessel that supplies blood to the arms?
Femoral artery
Carotid artery
Aorta
Brachial artery
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your body is chock full of arteries that take blood away from the heart throughout the whole body. You have a number of "main" arteries in your body, such as the carotid and femoral, as well as the artery of your arm, which is the brachial artery.

Advertisement

Fowler's position
Jochen Sand / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What do you call it when a patient is sitting up with knees bent?
Trendelenburg position
Fowler's position
Supine position
Lithotomy position
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fowler's position is what you'd call a patient sitting with their back anywhere from 90 to 30 degrees. The knees are bent in front of them, and it's generally used when you're experiencing respiratory distress to help you breathe more easily.

Advertisement

Level of consciousness
bymuratdeniz / E+ / Getty Images
Do you know what LOC stands for?
Level of circulation
Loss of control
Level of consciousness
Last official call
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you're referring to a patient's awakeness, alertness, and awareness, you're referring to their level of consciousness. Obviously, most of us experience a normal level, but there are varying levels of altered consciousness ranging from simple confusion all the way to coma.

Advertisement

Nasogastric intubation
Wiki Commons by Senior Airman Patrick McKenna
Which of these can assist with administering medication or feeding a patient?
Nasogastric intubation
Agonal respiration
Costovertebral angle
Foramen magnum
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nasogastric intubation is the very technical name for a tube in your nose. It's inserted through the nasal cavity, down the throat, and into the stomach. With a tube in place, food and medicine can be administered to someone unable to swallow them normally.

Advertisement

Somatic nervous system
Nastasic / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images
What regulates a person's voluntary bodily activities?
Brain stem
Cerebellum
Somatic nervous system
Pituitary
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your somatic nervous system is the part of your peripheral nervous system that controls your voluntary body movements. That's opposed to the autonomic nervous system, which covers the involuntary parts of your body.

Advertisement

Subcutaneous
JodiJacobson / E+ / Getty Images
Which word describes tissue just below the dermis?
Intravenous
Subcutaneous
Integumentary
Adrenal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sometimes called the hypodermis, your subcutaneous tissue is often mostly just fat that's below the skin and works like insulation. Most drugs, like insulin, are injected into this layer because the tissue absorbs things very quickly.

Advertisement

Cerebellum
Hayri Er / E+ / Getty Images
Which of these isn't a gland?
Adrenal
Thyroid
Cerebellum
Pituitary
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid are all glands, but your cerebellum most certainly is not. In fact, the cerebellum is part of your brain that receives sensory data and then regulates your motor functions.

Advertisement

Systolic
DNY59 / E+ / Getty Images
Which blood pressure term refers to increased pressure caused by the left ventricle contracting?
Pancreatic
Adrenal
Anaphylactic
Systolic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your blood pressure is divided into two parts — the contraction and relaxation. When the left ventricle contracts, the pressure that creates is called the systolic pressure, as opposed to when it relaxes, and you have the diastolic pressure.

Advertisement

palpation
ollo / E+ / Getty Images
What is palpation?
A massage technique
Drawing blood
Examination using touch
Muscle relaxation technique
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Palpation is the examination you can do via touch when it's too noisy to use something like a stethoscope. If you've ever seen someone use their fingers to check a pulse, that was palpation.

Advertisement

EMT-Basic
ER Productions Limited / DigitalVision / Getty Images
There's EMT-Paramedic and EMT-Intermediate and then what else?
EMT-Basic
EMT-Advanced
EMT-EMS
EMT-Support
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

EMT-Basic is one of three levels of EMT certification you can attain. Basic is, obviously, the first level. Sometimes called EMT-B, this is the initial certification and covers the most basic skills and abilities. Intermediate would add skills like the ability to administer an IV and such, and paramedic is awarded for advanced pharmacology and other techniques.

Advertisement

Face sheet
Judith Haeusler / Cultura / Getty Images
Which of these is a document full of patient information?
Breakdown
Face sheet
Limiter
Guide
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A face sheet offers up some basic facts and info about a patient. It can include everything from the patient's name, address and next of kin to some basic medical history and any instructions they may have for their care.

Advertisement

Extricate
FangXiaNuo / E+ / Getty Images
This is a technical term for removing a patient. Do you know what it is?
Extricate
Drop
Bevel
Deluminate
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you need to extricate a patient, you're just removing them from a place. That could either be the back of an ambulance, their own home, or something more serious like a motor vehicle accident.

Advertisement

EtCO2
Paul Burns / Photodisc / Getty Images
What measures the carbon dioxide in the air you breathe out?
Breathalyzer
Pulse oximetry
Breath sounds
EtCO2
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can measure how much CO2 is in an exhalation with a measure called EtCO2. Why do you care? A high EtCO2 value means you're breathing well. If it's low, then there's a good chance you're having some issues that need to be further investigated.

Advertisement

Asystole
Justin Lambert / Stone / Getty Images
What do some people refer to as a "flatline?"
Tachycardia
Anaphylaxis
Asystole
De-fib
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you flatline, you've gone into asystole, and it's pretty much the end of the line for a cardiac arrest even when your heart is no longer contracting at all. This is something you can't shock with a defibrillator because it will accomplish nothing.

Advertisement

Tachycardia
bluecinema / E+ / Getty Images
When your heart rate is above normal resting rate, what is it called?
Defibrillation
Tachycardia
Hypoglycemia
Atrial flutter
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tachycardia, sometimes just called tachy (sounds like tacky), is an elevated heart rate. If your resting pulse is above 100 beats per minute, you're experiencing tachycardia and should probably seek medical attention.

Advertisement

Bagging
George Doyle / Stockbyte / Getty Images
Which of these terms describes forcing air into someone's lungs?
Bagging
Venting
Intubating
Filing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you use a bag valve mask to help a patient breathe, that's often referred to colloquially as bagging. It makes sense since, for the most part, it looks like you're just squeezing a bag to force air into a patient's lungs.

Advertisement

Board and collar
franckreporter / E+ / Getty Images
Which of these provides rigid support for a patient?
Blood gas
Ridgeline
Board and collar
Hinged brace
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When a patient is secured to a spinal board, including the use of some kind of neck brace to hold their head steady, that's generally referred to as using a board and collar. It's the go-to method for ensuring an injured patient is secure and immobile.

Advertisement

Defib
Mikael Vaisanen / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Do you know which of these is a treatment for an erratic heart rhythm?
Defib
ECG
Tracheal intubation
Chest tube
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Defib, or defibrillation, is the process of using an electrical current to treat a life-threatening dysrhythmia of the heart. This can be used for any erratic heart rhythm to try to get it beating normally again, except for asystole or a flatline, which has no rhythm to correct.

Advertisement

ECG
wakila / E+ / Getty Images
What measures the electrical activity of your heart?
PKE
CPR
ECG
ABC
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An ECG is an electrocardiogram that creates a graph of voltage versus time to measure the electrical activity of a patient's heart. The science s fairly old, and the first ECG machine was created all the way back in 1895.

Advertisement

Carrier
bluecinema / E+ / Getty Images
Which of these is a term for someone or something that may have a disease but isn't showing symptoms?
Baseline
Patient 0
Typhoid
Carrier
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A carrier of a disease is someone or something that has the disease and can transmit it but doesn't show symptoms. Arguably the most famous carrier in American history was Typhoid Mary, real name Mary Mallon, who may have infected upwards of 51 people with typhoid in the early 1900s.

Advertisement

Foreign body airway obstruction
George Doyle / Stockbyte / Getty Images
What do you call it when something is blocking your ability to breathe properly?
Foreign body airway obstruction
Bag valve mask
Shunt
ROSC
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A foreign body airway obstruction could be either a complete obstruction or just a partial one caused by something in your airway that doesn't belong there naturally. An example is when you choke on a chicken leg or something and need the Heimlich maneuver to fix the issue for you.

Advertisement

Cardiac arrest
kaisersosa67 / E+ / Getty Images
What term describes the abrupt loss of heart function?
Cardiac arrest
De-fib
CPR
Diastolic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A heart attack can cause cardiac arrest, but the two are actually different things. When your heart is unable to pump correctly, that loss of blood flow is what characterizes cardiac arrest. A heart attack is when blood flow slows or even stops to a part of the heart.

Advertisement

Anaphylactic shock
Peter Dazeley / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Which of these is a serious allergic reaction?
Supra-ventrical tachycardia
ALS
Thrombosis
Anaphylactic shock
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A patient suffering from anaphylactic shock is having a serious and potentially deadly allergic reaction. Someone experiencing anaphylaxis needs immediate medical attention, including a shot of epinephrine, which is why epi-pens exist.

Advertisement

You Got:
/40
Jochen Sand / DigitalVision / Getty Images