EMT Exam For Dummies with Online Practice

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 2 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part I: Making Sense of the EMT Exam 5 Chapter 1: Becoming an Emergency Medical Technician 7 Understanding What Being an EMT Means 7 What does an EMT do? 7 Where do EMTs work? 8 Can you use EMT training for other purposes? 9 Walking through the Steps of Becoming an EMT 9 Finding and completing a class 9 Passing the National Registry Exam 9 Finishing the process 10 Maintaining Your EMT Certification 10 Chapter 2: Taking an EMT Course and Registering for the EMT Exam 13 Enrolling in and Completing an EMT Course 13 Finding a course that fits your needs 13 Being prepared for the course 14 Meeting the course requirements 16 Getting the most out of your instructors 16 Signing Up for the EMT Exam 16 Chapter 3: Getting to Know the EMT Exam 19 Checking Out the Cognitive Exam 19 Breaking down the exam 19 Airway, respiration, and ventilation 20 Cardiology and resuscitation 20 Medical and obstetrics/gynecology 20 Trauma 21 EMS operations 21 Getting a grip on computer adaptive testing 22 Scoring the exam and getting your results 22 Completing the Practical Exam Portion 23 Part II: Test-Taking Tips and Strategies 25 Chapter 4: The Anatomy of the Multiple-Choice Question 27 Looking at the Parts 27 The stem 28 Distractors and the answer 28 Noting the importance of high-quality distractors 28 Aiming for the best answer 29 Breaking Down a Question Step by Step 29 Looking at the stem and answering it 29 Eliminating what’s not right 30 Choosing which answer is best 31 Chapter 5: Checking Out Computer Adaptive Testing 33 Understanding How Computer Adaptive Testing Works 33 How does CAT adapt? 34 Who judges the questions’ difficulty, anyway? 35 What makes CAT better? 35 Adapting to Computer Adaptive Testing 36 Chapter 6: Preparing for the Exam 37 Gearing Up to Study 37 Setting the stage 37 Staying on schedule 38 Making the Most Out of Studying 39 Using objectives 39 Studying with buddies 39 Trying a few tips for retaining info 40 Giving your brain a break 40 Picking Out Other Pointers for Success 41 Having the right mindset 41 Making a few final plans before exam day 41 Chapter 7: Doing Your Best During the Exam 43 Knowing What to Expect in a Nutshell 43 Staying Focused and Positive During the Exam 44 Answering one question at a time 44 Maintaining a positive attitude 45 Getting Your Results and Moving Ahead 45 Part III: Assessing What You Know and Reviewing Essential Information 47 Chapter 8: Taking a Preassessment with Answers and Explanations 49 Going through the Preassessment Questions 49 Looking at the Preassessment Answers and Figuring Out How to Proceed 61 Chapter 9: The Air way, Respiration, and Ventilation 69 Getting an Overview of the Respiratory System 69 Knowing the Airway and Breathing Issues to Look for When You Assess Patients 72 Understanding when breathing is (and isn’t) normal 72 Deciding when to oxygenate 73 Recognizing when to ventilate 73 Taking Action on Potential Airway and Breathing Problems 74 Upper airway conditions 74 Lower airway conditions 76 Nonrespiratory conditions 78 Practice Questions about the Airway, Respiration, and Ventilation 79 Answers and Explanations 82 Chapter 10: Cardiology and Resuscitation Essentials 85 Checking Out the Cardiovascular System 85 Surveying major structures 85 Understanding blood pressure 88 Knowing the Cardiovascular Issues to Look for When You Assess Patients 88 Recognizing normal cardiovascular findings 88 Noting when cardiovascular findings aren’t normal 89 Distinguishing acute coronary syndrome from everything else 90 Acting on Potential Cardiovascular Problems 91 Pump problems 91 Pipe problems 92 Fluid problems 94 Managing a cardiac arrest 95 Practice Questions about Cardiology and Resuscitation 96 Answers and Explanations 100 Chapter 11: Medical and Obstetrics/Gynecology Fundamentals 103 Introducing the Body’s Main Systems 103 Feeling Out the Nervous System 104 Moving through the Gastrointestinal System 107 Fighting Invaders with the Immune System 110 Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis 110 Infectious diseases 111 Taking Control with the Endocrine System 112 Getting the Scoop on the Hematologic System (Blood) 115 Considering the Urinary System 116 Cycling through Obstetrics and Gynecology 117 Obstetrics 119 The normal delivery 121 Abnormal deliveries 123 Resuscitating a newborn 125 Gynecology 125 Boning Up on the Musculoskeletal System 126 Understanding Toxicology 127 Handling Psychiatric Disorders and Behavioral Emergencies 128 Practice Questions about Medical and Obstetrics/Gynecology Fundamentals 130 Answers and Explanations 135 Chapter 12: Trauma Basics 139 Relating the Mechanism of Injury to Injury Patterns 139 Connecting MOI and force 139 Differentiating blunt from penetrating MOI 140 Blunt MOI 140 Penetrating MOI 142 Blast MOI 142 Matching obvious injuries to hidden injuries 142 Investigating Injuries That Affect the Airway and Breathing 144 Injuries that block the airway 144 Injuries that make breathing difficult 145 Assessing Injuries That Affect Circulation 146 Pump, pipes, and fluid: How circulation works 147 Injuries to the heart 147 Injuries to the vasculature 148 Evaluating Spinal Cord Injuries 150 Managing Trauma Step by Step 151 Practice Questions about Trauma 152 Answers and Explanations 157 Chapter 13: The Scoop on Pediatrics 159 Sorting Out What Makes Children Different from Adults 159 Developmental differences 159 Anatomical differences 161 Physiological differences 162 Managing the Pediatric Patient 163 Assessment tips 164 Medical situations 165 Trauma situations 168 Head, brain, and spinal injuries 168 Chest and abdominal injuries 169 Falls and burns 169 Disaster management for multiple patients 169 Practice Questions about Pediatrics 171 Answers and Explanations 174 Chapter 14: EMS Operations 177 Maintaining Medical Legal Standards 177 Grasping the basic legal tenets of medical practice 177 Avoiding negligence 178 Getting the proper consent 178 Understanding slander and libel 179 Dealing with refusals of care and/or transport 179 Maintaining confidentiality 179 Respecting advanced directives 179 Steering clear of abandonment 180 Complying with mandatory reporting 180 Coping with crime scenes 180 Documenting your cases 180 Staying Healthy, Sane, and Safe 181 Being fit for the job 181 Handling the stress of the profession 182 Knowing that safety is job one 182 Communicating Well with Others During an Emergency 183 Working on a team 183 Interacting with others on the scene 184 Understanding Emergency Vehicle Operations 184 Maintaining equipment levels and vehicle readiness 185 Driving an ambulance 185 Using air medical services 186 Performing light rescue 187 Managing Large Incidents 187 Triage 188 Hazardous incidents 189 Practice Questions about EMS Operations 190 Answers and Explanations 194 Part IV: Putting Your Knowledge into Practice 197 Chapter 15: Practice Exam 1 199 Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 1 201 Questions 203 Chapter 16: Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations 217 Answers and Explanations 217 Answer Key 227 Chapter 17: Practice Exam 2 229 Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 2 231 Questions 233 Chapter 18: Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations 247 Answers and Explanations 247 Answer Key 257 Part V: The Part of Tens 259 Chapter 19: Ten Assessment Tips for EMTs 261 Looking at the Whole Patient 261 Assessing the ABCs before Anything Else 261 Deciding Whether to Oxygenate or Ventilate 262 Determining Shock 262 Searching for the Signs of Beck’s Triad 262 Checking for Cushing’s Triad 263 Recognizing That Not All Wheezes Are Asthma 263 Listing the Causes of Altered Mental Status 263 Understanding That Not All Myocardial Infarctions Have Chest Pain as a Symptom 264 Knowing That Crying is a Good Sign in Pediatric Patients 264 Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Per forming EMT Procedures 265 Practice, Practice, Practice 265 Closely Evaluate Breathing 265 Palpate Firmly and Steadily 266 Improve the Volume of Lung Sounds 266 Immobilize the Patient’s Spine at the Correct Time 266 Control Bleeding Immediately 267 Splint an Angulated Fracture the Way You Found It (If Possible) 267 Perform a Focused Physical Exam 267 Make an Abdominal Exam More Accurate 267 Provide Consistent Medical Documentation 268 Index 269