Class Final Flashcards
- What is quality assurance?
(pg. 66)
• Quality assurance (QA) is defined as a program that guarantees quality patient care by tracking the outcomes through scheduled audits in which areas of the hospital look at the appropriateness, applicability, and timeli- ness of patient care.
• A QA program is a continuous program established by the healthcare facility, which will provide guidelines, protocols and continuing education for their employees to show ongoing competence.
• Quality control (QC) are the steps or procedures we do to ensure Quality Assurance. Such as checking expiration dates, monitoring glucose monitors, keeping log sheets of refrigerator temperatures, calibrating instru- ments, etc.
- Briefly explain the area in which to draw a Phenylketonuria (PKU) test on an infant.
(pg. 17, 24)
• Medial and lateral portions of the plantar surface of the heel.
• Know as a “heel stick”
• Done to check whether a newborn baby has the enzyme needed to use phenylalanine in his/her body. Phenyl-
alanine is an AA that is needed for normal growth development.
• Test ordered for infants to detect phenylketonuria, a genetic disease that causes mental retardation and brain
damage. This test is drawn using the dermal puncture technique. PKU testing is done on blood from new- born’s heal or on urine
- What is the additive in a light blue top tube?
(pg. 26)
• Sodium Citrate, anticoagulant
- What are diurnal variations? Give an example of a diurnal variation test.
(pg. 62)
• The measuring of a body’s ability to metabolize certain substances, monitoring changes in the patient’s condi- tion within a 24 hour period
• Ex. Cortisol day and night
- What is lipemic?
(pg. 64)
• After blood is spun and separated in a centrifuge the serum/plasma portion is milky in appearance. Hyperlipi- demia would cause the blood to be lipemic. Samples are most likely to be Lipemic if the patient was not fast- ing prior to collection
- Which way should the bevel be facing when entering the arm?
(pg. 12)
• Upwards
- What tube contains a preservative and an anticoagulant?
(pg. 29)
• Gray Top Tube
• Additive: Sodium Fluoride (preservative) and Potassium Oxalate (anticoagulant)
- Who usually will draw an arterial blood gas? And what are the four things they are checking for in the blood?
(pg. 24)
• A respiratory therapist, nurse or physician usually draws the test. • Primarily tests for: pH, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and bicarbonate
- Which tubes contain anticoagulants? And of those tubes write the anticoagulant.
- Light blue - Sodium Citrate
- Mint green - Lithium Heparin • Green - Sodium Heparin
- Lavender - EDTA
- Pink - EDTA
- Gray - Potassium Oxalate
- Royal Blue - EDTA
- What section of the lab would process a CBC? And what is the difference between a manual and automatic differential count?
(pg. 28)
• Hematology Laboratory
• Auto Diff. - Performed by a calibrated machine
• Manual Diff. - Performed by a certified lab technician
- What tube does a lytes panel go in?
(pg. 27)
• Mint green tube
- If a patient is being treated for cancer, what section of the hospital would they be in?
(pg. 56, 65)
• Oncology department
- What is another word for a winged infusion set?
(pg. 10)
• Butterfly Needle
- Capillary samples are normally collected from two different parts of the body in adults and infants, what are they?
(pg. 17)
• “Fingerstick” - The 3rd or 4th finger of the non-dominant hand.
• “Heelstick” - Medial and lateral portions of the planter surface of the foot
- Blood cultures are drawn to identify what in the blood stream?
(pg. 25)
• To identify the presence of pathogenic or infections microorganisms in the blood stream.
- Which tube is an ESR drawn in? What does ESR stand for?
(pg. 28)
• Lavender Tube
• Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
- If you got an accidental “needlestick” on your finger with a used butterfly needle, what is your next course of action?
(pg. 8)
• Wash exposed area thoroughly with soap and running water (flush for @ least 15 minutes) • Report exposure to supervisor
• Refer to material safety data sheet (MSDS)
• Fill out an exposure report form
- If the sharps container is overflowing when you come onto shift what is the appropriate response?
(pg. 7)
• Tell your supervisor
• Container should be locked and disposed of and released with a new container.
- All healthcare workers are required to vaccinate or sign a declination form for which virus?
(pg. 52)
• Hepatitis B (HBV)
- What are the two main differences between arterial and venous blood?
(pg. 46)
• Arterial blood carries oxygenated blood away from the heart to various parts of the body that require oxygen and nutrients, no valves.
• Venous blood carries deoxygenated blood back to the heart, has valves.
- What is nosocomial infection?
(pg. 49, 65)
• Health care setting acquired infections.
- What is a capillary defined as? What are some characteristics of capillaries?
(pg. 46)
• A type of blood vessel composed only of one single endothelial cell layer, connect the arterioles and venules. The thin layer allows rapid exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients and waste between the blood and tissue cells.
- What tube would you drawn an Active Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) in?
(pg. 26)
• Light Blue Tube
- What is the proper way to identify a patient?
(pg. 12)
• First name, Last name, date of birth • If an inpatient, verify wrist band
- Define how you would make a blood slide/smear?
(pg. 36)
• Draw blood into an EDTA tube (lavender)
• On a microscopic slide with a frosted end, place a drop of blood approx. 4mm from one end.
• Using another slide, at 30 degrees back the slide into the blood until it catches the drop.
• Maintaining contact with the flat slide, drag the angled slide pulling the blood across to make a smear.
- Under the patients bill of rights, can a patient decline medical treatment?
(pg. 4)
• Yes.
- What is the correct way to end an venipuncture?
(pg. 13)
Remove the tourniquet Remove the tube
Place gauze/cotton over the site
Remove the needle
Activate the safety
- If a person is having a syncope episode what is the most important thing the phlebotomist needs to do?
(pg.15) Get the needle out of the arm of the patient!
Place the patient in a physical position that promotes blood to the brain
- How long can the tourniquet remain on the arm during the venipuncture?
(pg. 9)
• 1 minute
- A group of tests ordered as one is often described as what? For example a C.M.P.
(pg. 30)
• Profile or panels
- What is the purpose of a requisition form?
(pg. 11)
• Requisition forms are official orders from the patient’s physician requesting specific tests.
- Are phlebotomist ever able to tell patients the results of their tests?
(pg. 4)
• No
- If a patient declines medical treatment what is the first thing a phlebotomist should do?
(pg. 4)
• Document the declined procedure and notify the physician
- If a patient asks you what tests their physician has ordered do you have to tell them?
(pg. 4)
• Yes
- If someone is admitted to the emergency department unconscious how do we identify him or her until they can be properly identified?
• Create a “John Doe” identity for entire stay.
- What is an example of a “vehicle transmission”?
(pg. 50)
• Doorknob, faucet or public telephone, putting a contaminated pencil in your mouth, etc.
- What is the most common cause for blood culture contamination?
(pg. 25)
• Improper skin preparation - must be cleaned with iodine
- What would be the correct order of draw for a blood culture, APTT, CBC, ESR, LYTES, and CMP?
• Blood culture, APTT, CMP, LYTES, ESR, CBC
- What is the difference between plasma and serum?
(pg. 24, 48)
• Plasma - Liquid portion of un-clotted blood and still contains the clotting factors
• Serum - The liquid portion of blood that has been allowed to clot. Serum does not contain clotting factors,
because the blood clotted, so the clotting factors were used up.
- What section of the lab would a pink top tube go to? And what additive is in the pink top tube?
(pg. 28, 76)
• Blood bank
• Additives - EDTA, an anticoagulant
- If you draw a sample for culture and sensitivity (C&S) what section of the lab would receive that?
(pg. 25, 73)
• Microbiology
- If a physician orders a drug screen what bodily fluid would we collect from the patient?
(pg. 33)
• Urine collection
- List the 5 white blood cells (leukocytes).
(pg. 48) • Neutrophils • Lymphocytes • Monocytes • Eosinophils • Basophils
- What does an icteric specimen look like?
(pg. 39)
• High amount of bilirubin in the blood. Serum/plasma will look green/brownish in color.
- What is the chain of custody?
(pg. 61)
• Refers to tracking each and every individual who have had access to or have been in possession of something. In medicine this often refers to the tracking of samples that will be used in criminal proceedings such as DUI cases or other criminal activities.
- What does OSHA stand for and what do they do?
(pg. 53)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration –> Monitors workplace safety in the US
- What does CLSI stand for and what do the do?
(pg. 25)
• Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute - develop clinical and laboratory practices and promote their use worldwide for quality practices and better health.
- How can you cause hemolysis in a sample?
- Improper choice in the venipuncture site
- Cleansing the site with alcohol and not allowing it to dry • Mixing tubes too vigorously
- Needle gauge is too small (pg. 10)
- Dropping a specimens on the floor
- Milking the finger too much
