Do You Know As Much As a Paramedic?

By: Ariana Perez
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Do You Know As Much As a Paramedic?
Image: simonkr / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a paramedic? You need to be trained and read to give emergency medical care to patients who are seriously ill and to stabilize them before they reach a hospital. Basically, you are responsible for the life of a human being. A paramedic’s goal is to assist and aid a person who is in serious need of medical attention. 

As a paramedic, you will care for the sick or injured in emergency medical settings. The life of the patient the paramedic is attending to depends on the quick reaction and competent care provided by these individuals. You will also be responsible for responding to emergency calls, performing medical services and transporting patients to medical facilities for further help. But before you do any of this, you need to be prepared. Becoming a paramedic typically involves completing a postsecondary educational program. In all 50 states, paramedics must be licensed. Keep in mind that requirements vary by state, so you may need further licenses or training. You will be educated on physiology, cardiology, pharmacology and respiratory interventions, to name a few. Do you think you know as much as a paramedic? Take a moment to complete this quiz and find out!

What does ECG stand for?
Exercise control group
Emergency coordination group
Electrical chemical group
Electrocardiogram
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

ECG stands for electrocardiogram. Sometimes it’s also abbreviated as EKG. A doctor might suggest you get an electrocardiogram to check for signs of heart disease.

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You receive a call about a 25-year-old victim who has fallen down the stairs after accidentally tripping. What is the best way to open the victim’s airway?
Modified jaw thrust
Jaw thrust maneuver
Vagal maneuver
Head tilt, chin lift
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For this case, you’ll use the jaw thrust maneuver technique. If there is a possible spinal injury, you might want to open the jaw without moving the head too much.

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Early in the morning you are assigned to attend the scene of a shooting. Just as you arrive, you see a young girl, no more than 2 years old. As an EMT, what would be the right first action to take in this situation?
Park and call 911
Keep driving
Immediately pick up the girl and call 911
Asses for and identify any possible threats to your personal safety
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You would identify any possible threats first. We all want to help someone in need right away, but in order to do so, you need to be safe (and alive).

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You are working on treating someone with a “crushed” portion of their skull, with the bone depressed in toward the brain. What would your treatment be?
Use a bulky dressing to fill in the depressed section and secure it around the head.
Place a helmet on the patient’s head.
Backboard the patient.
Cover the impacted area with moist, sterile dressing.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You would cover the impacted area with moist, sterile dressing. It’s likely that the area is open and therefore susceptible to infection.

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If a paramedic is treating a patient with decreased blood flow through arteries directly connected to the heart and uses the term “ACS,” what is he/she referring to?
Access control server
Abdominal compartment syndrome
Acute coronary syndrome
American College of Surgeons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The paramedic is referring to acute coronary syndrome. This is a syndrome caused by decreased blood flow in the coronary arteries, affecting heart function.

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How would you abbreviate "milligram"?
mlg
mil
mm
mg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You would abbreviate "milligram" as “mg.” 1 mg is equal to 1/1,000 of a gram.

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A patient sustains an injury in the abdomen. When writing the report, how would you write “left upper quadrant”?
Left UQ
LUQ
LU quadrant
LUPQ
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You would abbreviate it as LUQ. You can always write out the words, but keeping things simple is usually better (and easier).

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You are treating a patient who has a blocked nasal airway (also called the nasopharyngeal airway), and you have to act quickly. Which shortened term would you use to refer to this part of the body?
Nasal Pharyn G
BNA
NPA
NA
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You would say the patient has a blocked NPA.

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Which of the following is NOT considered to be a facet of your wellness?
Nutritional
Emotional
Mental
Physical
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Though important, nutritional wellbeing is not considered a dimension of wellness. Emotional, mental and physical are all component of your wellness.

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Which of the following is a NOT a sign that you have adequate placement of an endotracheal tube?
The patient has equal and bilateral chest rise and fall.
You cannot hear absent sounds over the epigastrium during auscultation.
The colorimetric device turns yellow.
The bulb of the ET tube placement detector does not inflate when placed onto the port.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When using an esophageal detector device, the detection bulb should inflate to indicate that you are in the patient's trachea.

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You are treating a patient who has excessive accumulation of dark scar tissue expanding beyond the original borders of a wound. What is this known as?
Hypertrophic scar
Keloid
Wound with scarred tissue
Closure wound
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A keloid is a growth of excessive scar tissue over the site of a healed wound. Any injury that can cause a scar could result in the formation of a keloid.

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When a paramedic says “KO,” what are they referring to?
Knockout
Keep open
Kilo octet
Kemetic Orthodoxy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No, it’s not a knockout. In paramedic terms, KO stands for “keep open."

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If a paramedic needs to write “do not resuscitate” in a patient's record, they’re likely to write:
Do not RES
No resuscitation
DNR
DNRes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Abbreviations should always be kept simple. Therefore, a paramedic will write down “DNR."

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Which of the following stands for “reporting or responsible party”?
Rep.
LMP
SIDS
RP
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

RP. That simple!

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How would you abbreviate “weight” on a written report?
WEIT
w/m
W/T
wt.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When writing weight on a report, you would abbreviate it as “wt.” Nothing too fancy.

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What does “temp.” stand for in paramedic terms?
Temporary
Temperature
Template
Temperance
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

“Temp.” is an abbreviation paramedics use for temperature. It comes in handy when writing long reports.

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What is hypovolemic shock?
The result of at least 20 percent intravascular fluid loss.
The result of 30 to 40 percent intravascular fluid loss.
The result of 50 to 60 percent intravascular fluid loss.
The result over 60 percent intravascular fluid loss.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hypovolemic shock occurs when a person loses at least 20 percent of the blood or fluids in their body. This requires immediate assistance.

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A child is born with one or both nostrils blocked by bony tissue. What is this condition referred to as?
Newborn asphyxia
Esophageal atresia
Micrognathia
Choanal atresia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Choanal atresia is a condition in which a child is born with one or both nostrils blocked by bony tissue. If both nostrils are blocked, the baby may be unable to breath right after birth and may need to be resuscitated.

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When applying the standard three limb leads to a patient, which surface of the heart will the red lead be facing?
Septal
Lateral
Inferior
Anterior
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The red lead on a standard system is also known as the left leg. The red lead should be facing the inferior surface of the heart.

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When you have just administered norepinephrine to a cardiac patient, you should expect all of the following reactions EXCEPT:
Increased heart rate
Vasoconstriction
Increased peripheral resistance
Decreased heart workload
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Norepinephrine is helpful in that it can get the blood pressure up when treating a hypotensive patient. Therefore, you should expect all of the above reactions except a decrease in the heart’s workload.

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Which of the following structures forms part of the upper airway?
Oropharynx
Trachea
Bronchioles
Bronchi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The oropharynx is part of the upper airway. This is the posterior part of the mouth, making it the only part listed above that forms part of the upper airway.

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A 4-year-old has recently been diagnosed with strep throat. The child is in respiratory distress and says she cannot swallow properly. She has to sit upright to breathe comfortably and is drooling. What does the child most likely have?
Anaphylaxis
Epiglottitis
Laryngitis
Croup
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The sitting position and drooling give it away. These are all signs of laryngitis.

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If a patient's systolic blood pressure is below 100 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), they should not be given nitroglycerin. This situation is an example of what?
Untoward effect
Side effect
Overdose
Contraindication
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A contraindication is a condition or situation that would make it unsafe to give a patient a certain treatment. In other words, it’s enough reason to not administer the medication.

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Which of the following is not considered to be a traditional parenteral route of administering a medication?
Rectal
Intravenous
Transdermal
Subcutaneous
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The rectum is not considered to be a traditional parenteral route of medication administration. Rectal administration is considered to be an enteral route, because the rectum belongs to the digestive tract.

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When placing an intravenous line, which is considered to pose the most immediate and life-threatening complication?
Thrombophlebitis
Catheter shearing
Pyrogenic reaction
Vasovagal reaction
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is a major risk because a piece of the catheter can get stuck and block an artery.

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During mitral valve regurgitation, into which of the following structures does blood flow?
Right ventricle
Right atrium
Left ventricle
Left atrium
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The blood will flow into the left atrium. There are no ventricles involved.

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Which of the following is true about myocardial contraction?
Myocytes polarize and the cell potential becomes more positive.
Myocytes depolarize and the cell potential becomes more positive.
Myocytes depolarize and the cell potential becomes neutral.
Myocytes polarize and the cell potential becomes more negative.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When myocytes depolarize, this means the potential gets closer to 0 mV. During myocardial contraction, the cell potential is overall more positive.

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You are performing a bone marrow aspiration on a patient. Suddenly, there is a decrease in resistance while inserting the needle into the bone, but you are unable to aspirate any bone marrow or blood with a syringe. What should you do next?
Administer mouth-to-mouth
Pull back on the needle and aspirate a second time
Flush the needle with saline and observe for infiltrate
Run an ECG report
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you can’t aspirate blood or bone marrow after a sudden decrease in resistance, this might not necessarily have anything to do with a needle misplacement; it's possible the needle. Therefore, you should flush the needle with saline and observe for infiltrate, or a buildup of foreign substance.

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You are attending a patient who's gone into cardiac arrest and shows a pulseless third-degree heart block. Which of the following is NOT an appropriate treatment for this patient?
Epinephrine every 3 to 5 minutes
Continuous CPR
Treat the reversible causes.
Pace the patient's heart at a rate of 80 BPM.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There is no pulse. Therefore, there is nothing to pace. Use other measures to help the patient.

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Which organelle is responsible for more than 80 percent of a cell’s energy production?
SER
Mitochondria
Golgi apparatus
RER
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The primary job of the mitochondria is to produce large amounts of energy to power the cell. This energy is created from oxygen and nutrients.

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You Got:
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