Medical Assistant Patient & Communications Practice Test 2024: Try our free Medical Assistant exams (like CMA, RMA, CCMA, NCMA, CMAC) Patient Communications review question answer. You can also download it in PDF format for any Medical Assistant exams.
An essential component of medical assistance is ensuring effective communication. You will need to convey information and converse with patients, families, and other health care providers. Much of your job will involve communication skills. You will communicate both verbally and in writing via face-to-face encounters, telephone messages, email messages, and patient documentation and reports. You must also be able to communicate nonverbally.
Medical Assistant Patient & Communications Practice Test
Q1. Which of the following actions, if performed by the medical assistant, does NOT promote effective therapeutic communication?
- (A) Making direct eye contact with the patient
- (B) Siting down and taking notes during a patient interview
- (C) Looking at watch while the patient answers a question
- (D) Rephrasing the patient’s statements and restating them
- (E) Noding head in agreement with a patient’s statement
Q2. A mother brings her three-year-old into the office for a checkup and immunization. To assist the child and improve communication, the medical assistant should
- (A) ask the mother to wait in the waiting room while the child is given the immunization
- (B) offer the child a lollipop when he arrives to keep the child distracted
- (C) tell the child that the shot won’t hurt and to be brave
- (D) give the child information on immunizations and risks of childhood diseases
- (E) let the child hold your stethoscope and listen to his own heartbeat so he understands what you are going to do
Q3. A new patient from the Middle East comes to the office for her first exam. Her husband fills out all of the health forms and comes into the exam room during the medical assistant’s interview. The patient sits calmly while her husband answers all of the medical assistant’s questions. This is likely an example of
- (A) domestic violence
- (B) cultural diversity
- (C) a deaf patient
- (D) male domination
- (E) stereotyping
Q4. On his way home, a medical assistant sees a blind woman walking with a guide dog. The guide dog is walking toward a puddle. Which of the following actions should the assistant take?
- (A) Take the woman by the arm at the elbow and direct her.
- (B) Reach down and gently move the dog away from the puddle.
- (C) In a loud voice say, “Hey, you are about to step in a puddle!”
- (D) No action is needed; the dog is trained to handle this situation.
- (E) Tell the woman that he will help her cross the street to avoid the puddle.
Q5. Which of the following is the best way to explain the concept of empathy?
- (A) Feeling the same feelings as the patient
- (B) Observing a patient’s gestures
- (C) Acknowledging a patient’s emotional state and the meaning this has to her
- (D) Being nice to your patients
- (E) Paraphrasing the patient’s statements and reflecting them back during an interview
Q6. A medical assistant is on the phone with a patient when another call comes into the switchboard. The MOST appropriate action would be to
- A. request the second caller to “Please hold” and complete the first call.
- B. put the first caller on hold and answer the second call.
- C. only answer the second call after finishing the first call.
- D. put both callers on hold and ask for help.
Q7. A 4-year-old child is in the office for allergy testing. The BEST way to prepare the child for this procedure is to
- A. ignore the child and speak to the parents.
- B. use role-playing to demonstrate the procedure to the child.
- C. have the parents read an illustrated brochure about the procedure to the child.
- D. show the child a video of the procedure.
Q8. An elderly male patient comes into the office after the recent loss of his wife. His personal grooming has been neglected and he moves slowly and is noncommittal in responses. He tells the medical assistant he often wonders if life is still worth living. Which of the following would be the most sensitive response to the patient?
- A. “Your feelings are very normal after the loss of a spouse.”
- B. “I hear you. I’ve felt that way sometimes.”
- C. “Please discuss this with the physician.”
- D. “You need to get your act together.”
Q9. The medical assistant may repeat back a patient’s statements as a way to encourage open communication. Which technique is this?
- A. Active listening
- B. Focusing
- C. Encoding
- D. Reflecting
- E. Decoding
Q10. The medical assistant is asked to compose a business letter. To make the letter more interesting to the reader, the medical assistant should increase the variety of the wording and use synonyms. Which of the following reference books would she consult?
- A. Dictionary
- B. Thesaurus
- C. Style manual
- D. Encyclopedia
Q11. The medical assistant will restate, reflect, or seek clarification of the patient’s statements to encourage effective communication. This is referred to as which of the following?
- A. Communicating
- B. Messaging
- C. Judging
- D. Acknowledging
- E. None of the above
Q12. The physician has been involved in handling an emergency and appointments are running behind schedule. An appropriate statement to each patient in the waiting room would be to say
- A. “Please be patient. We’ll get to you as soon as we can.”
- B. “Read one of our magazines. This will take some time.”
- C. “Dr. Brown has had to handle an emergency and will be about a half hour behind schedule. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”
- D. “Why don’t you go home and call us to reschedule?”
Q13. Effective methods of assisting visually impaired or blind patients include
- A. allowing the sighted caregiver to work with the patient.
- B. scheduling appointments at times convenient for transportation.
- C. informing the patient verbally in advance of all actions.
- D. assisting the patient in walking to the examination room.
- E. All of the above
Q14. A new patient comes into the office who obviously does not speak English. The most effective means of communication would be to
- A. speak slowly and loudly.
- B. ask closed-ended questions.
- C. maintain continuous eye contact.
- D. put messages to the patient in writing.
- E. encourage nonverbal communication.
Q15. A nonverbal method of displaying openness to communication would be
- A. sitting back with arms folded.
- B. frowning.
- C. looking down and avoiding eye contact.
- D. leaning forward, with eyes focused on the communicator.
- E. sighing.
Q16. Three of the elements required for communication are
- A. clarification, sender, feedback.
- B. message, feedback, body language.
- C. message, sender, receiver.
- D. sender, receiver, body language.
Q17. Which of the following is the best way to teach a patient how to perform a procedure for themselves, such as changing a dressing?
- A. Internet website
- B. Brochure
- C. Demonstration
- D. Verbal description
- E. Videotape
Q18. The relationship between an employee and employers, co-workers, and patients is influenced by a number of personal traits. Which of the following is the most important?
- A. Effectiveness in communication
- B. Genuineness
- C. Empathy with others’ problems
- D. Respect
Q19. Which of the following statements shows proper grammar?
- A. This was an incorrect diagnoses.
- B. The meetings was scheduled for 2 PM
- C. Review of systems were negative.
- D. Every doctor and nurse are coming to the meeting.
- E. There was no recurrence of the tumor.
Q20. Questions that can be answered with yes or no are called
- A. open-ended questions.
- B. closed-ended questions.
- C. direct statements.
- D. indirect statements.
Q21. When conducting a patient history, which of the following types of listening behaviors will be most effective?
- A. Passive
- B. Active
- C. Closed
- D. Selective
- E. Evaluative
Q22. You should use which of the following to have effective communication with a patient?
- A. Detailed medical terminology
- B. Defensive body language
- C. Condescending remarks and negative body language to get the patient’s attention
- D. Conversation at the patient’s social and education level
- E. A loud voice to get the patient’s attention
Q23. A patient in the medical office suffers from loss of memory. A technique useful in communicating with this patient is to
- A. speak loudly and slowly.
- B. use medical terminology.
- C. provide empathy about the patient’s condition.
- D. direct the patient to perform one task at a time.
- E. ask the patient closed-ended questions.
Q24. Which of the following is important for communication with a hearing-impaired patient?
- A. Speak slowly and distinctly, and ask for feedback.
- B. Talk very loudly and shout if necessary to be heard.
- C. Never try to call the patient on the telephone.
- D. Communicate only in writing.
Q25. In which of the following ways should a medical assistant communicate with a difficult patient?
- A. Maintain a diplomatic attitude.
- B. Display an air of authority.
- C. Require any complaints to be put in writing.
- D. State that you know the office is right and the patient is wrong
See also:
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