Module 5: Quiz Flashcards
A medical assistant is discussing dietary concerns with a client who has heart disease. The client states, “I haven’t been as careful about salt and fat as I should be, but I have been exercising more than usual.” The assistant should identify that this patient is using which of the following defense mechanisms?
(A) Compensation
(B) Displacement
(C) Repression
(D) Reaction formation
(A) Compensation
A patient who walks with difficulty as a result of nerve damage on one side of his body enters a clinic for a first visit. After the patient identifies himself to the medical assistant and states that he has an appointment, which of the following responses should the assistant in the front office make?
(A) “Are you walking this way as the result of an accident?”
(B) “Would you prefer to wait in one of our inner offices?”
(C) “How can I make you more comfortable while you wait?”
(D) “I’m so sorry for what you must have gone through.”
(C) “How can I make you more comfortable while you wait?”
According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, an adolescent experiences which of the following stages?
(A) Initiative vs. guilt
(B) Industry vs. inferiority
(C) Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
(D) Identity vs. role confusion
(D) Identity vs. role confusion
Which of the following defense mechanisms is characterized by a patient’s externalization of guilt, blame, or responsibility?
(A) Denial
(B) Apathy
(C) Undoing
(D) Projection
(D) Projection
A medical assistant is preparing a patient for a physical examination. The patient tells the assistant that she is having serious problems at work, and she feels so much stress that she cannot focus on anything at work or at home. Based on the patient’s anxiety level, which of the following findings should the assistant expect?
(A) Drowsiness
(B) Dry skin
(C) Back pain
(D) Rapid respirations
(D) Rapid respirations
A medical assistant is talking with the parents of a 1-year-old infant about developmental achievements and milestones to expect. The assistant should be aware that, according to the infant’s developmental stage, a lack of achievement of the tasks of that stage can result in which of the following negative outcomes?
(A) Suspiciousness
(B) Anger with self
(C) Inadequacy
(D) Guilt
(A) Suspiciousness
A medical assistant is talking with an older patient who expresses frustration about having looked forward to retirement but finds himself with “too much time on my hands.” Before responding, the assistant should consider that which of the following is one of the developmental tasks for this patient’s age group?
(A) Serving the community
(B) Making good decisions
(C) Having a sense of self-worth
(D) Finding mutual self-respect
(C) Having a sense of self-worth
A medical assistant is preparing a patient for the Mini-Mental-State Examination. The examiner names three objects and asks the patient to repeat them. In doing so, the examiner is asking the patient to perform a task in which of the following areas?
(A) Orientation
(B) Registration
(C) Attention and calculation
(D) Language
(B) Registration
A medical assistant is collecting initial data for an older adult patient at a clinic visit. Which of the following should suggest to the assistant that the patient needs a mental status evaluation?
(A) The patient has lost a significant amount of weight
(B) The patient reports a decrease in energy
(C) The patient repeatedly asks the same question
(D) The patient states that she is not sleeping well
(C) The patient repeatedly asks the same question
A medical assistant is talking with a young adult patient who says he has found a partner he loves but cannot seem to make a commitment to their relationship. The assistant should identify that the developmental crisis this patient is experiencing is which of the following?
(A) Ego integrity vs. despair
(B) Intimacy vs. isolation
(C) Generativity vs. stagnation
(D) Identity vs. role confusion
(B) Intimacy vs. isolation
A medical assistant is talking with a patient whose brother died of heart disease 1 month ago. The patient tells the assistant that she blames herself because she should have persuaded her brother to take better care of himself. The assistant should identify that the patient is in which of the following of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief?
(A) Denial
(B) Anger
(C) Bargaining
(D) Depression
(D) Depression
A medical assistant is observing a patient who is undergoing the Mini-Mental-State-Examination. To test the patient’s ability to perform tasks in the area of language, the examiner asks the patient to do which of the following?
(A) Copy a geometric design
(B) Identify the city she is in
(C) Spell her first name backward
(D) Name the three objects stated earlier
(A) Copy a geometric design
A medical assistant is talking with a patient who just learned that she has advanced breast cancer. The patient says, “It’s just an infection. I’m way too young to have cancer!” Which of the following actions should the assistant take to help this patient during this stage of grief?
(A) Encourage the patient to express sadness
(B) Redirect the patient’s attention away from angry feelings
(C) Reinforce education about the patient’s disease process
(D) Refer the patient to a support group
(C) Reinforce education about the patient’s disease process
The parent of a 5-year-old child tells a medical assistant that his daughter has begun sucking her thumb. He states, “She hasn’t done that since she was a baby.” The assistant should identify that the child is using which of the following defense mechanisms?
(A) Rationalization
(B) Regression
(C) Suppression
(D) Sublimation
(B) Regression
A patient who uses a wheelchair arrives at the office for an appointment and is visibly upset. Which of the following methods should the medical assistant use to establish positive therapeutic communication with the patient?
(A) Face the patient at eye level
(B) Speak in a quiet voice
(C) Hold the patient’s hand
(D) Maintain a closed posture
(A) Face the patient at eye level
