Chapter 1 Flashcards
In the public health continuum, what is the first responsibility that public health officials must satisfy to improve the health of a community?
Identify problems that affect the health of the population in question
You are interviewing for the position of EMT with a busy urban service. This morning you are to meet with the service’s medical director. You have been told that she likes it when applicants ask questions about her role as the medical director. Related to her responsibilities as medical director, which question is most appropriate?
How often are the emergency care protocols updated?
You are by the side of a confused patient who has diabetes and a low blood sugar level. You know that the patient needs orally administered sugar, so following your service’s guidelines, you call the physician on duty at the hospital emergency department and request permission to administer it. This request is an example of:
On-line medical direction
At a bare minimum, which type of personal protective equipment should be worn by emergency medical services providers at any emergency scene involving a shooting?
Gloves
Which statement shows that the EMT has a good understanding of their role and responsibilities related to being an EMT?
My safety comes first, and then the patient’s safety.
What would the EMT recognize as an advantage of the 911 universal number?
It is a common number through which to request EMS, law enforcement, and fire services.
What would be a logical project to be undertaken and developed by a quality improvement (QI) committee?
Monthly continuing education programs in which seldom-used skills are practiced
Most authorities agree that the modern-day EMS system evolved after the release of which document?
The white paper ‘Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society,’ in 1966
An Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) approaches you and states that they are interested in becoming an EMT. Specifically, they ask what they will be able to do as an EMT that they cannot presently do as an EMR. You respond by saying they will be able to:
Administer some medications
An ambulance with two EMTs arrives in front of a house for an unknown medical emergency. On scene, bystanders report that a female patient was beaten by her husband in the driveway and then dragged back into the house. They state that the patient appeared unconscious and was bleeding from the head. Which action would the EMTs perform next?
Do not enter the scene until it has been controlled by law enforcement.
An EMT with your service states that they desire to become a Paramedic because they want to provide advanced care. Under the National EMS Scope of Practice Model, which one of these types of care will they be able to provide as a Paramedic that they cannot provide as an EMT?
Initiating intravenous (IV) therapy
As an EMT, which requirement must be met so that you can provide routine and emergency medical care to the sick and injured, as an extension of the medical director’s authority?
A service medical director
A young man wishes to become an emergency medical technician and asks you what he will need to do to become certified. You would reply that he must first:
Complete a course that meets the requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation
Which attribute of a person would not likely work out well in the emergency medical services profession?
Inability or no desire to take charge
You have arrived at the scene of a medical emergency and find a woman lying on the floor of a grocery store. As you approach her, you know that your first priority as an EMT is:
Personal safety
If a patient with chest pain takes a daily aspirin, your medical director wants the EMT to contact an emergency department physician first before administering additional aspirin. The act of contacting the emergency department physician by phone or radio for permission to administer additional aspirin is an example of:
On-line medical direction
At a public 911 center meeting, a concerned woman asks whether voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can be used to access the community emergency operations center. You would inform her that:
Internet providers are encouraged to provide 911 access, but are not required by law, so the dispatch center may have to get an address from the caller.
Your service’s medical director would like to explore the idea of EMTs using special transport ventilators when caring for patients who require assistance with their breathing. When using an evidence-based medicine approach, what task should you do first?
Search the medical literature for research related to this topic.
As a supervisor with an emergency ambulance service, which situation regarding a potential employee would you recognize as falling under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and as a case in which you would make reasonable accommodations?
A dispatcher with a prosthetic leg who requires parking next to the building entrance
You have been asked to sit on your service’s quality improvement (QI) committee. As a knowledgeable EMT, you recognize that in this role you will be involved in projects that are primarily designed to:
Develop ways in which the delivery of emergency care can be improved
As defined by the National EMS Scope of Practice Model, the four levels of EMS practitioners include:
Paramedics
To be a medical director of an ambulance service, which requirement must the interested individual satisfy?
Licensed physician
The functions of a state Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency include:
Planning and coordination of the statewide EMS system
Which statement made by an EMT requires immediate intervention by a superior or the service supervisor?
I drive as fast as I can to get to the scene of an emergency, especially if a child is sick or injured according to dispatch information.
