Click Study Flashcards above to open the flashcard hub — hundreds of RMA cards you can flip, match, type, or quiz yourself on. Every card is drawn from the three AMT work areas, so you study exactly what the Registered Medical Assistant exam tests.[1]
Pair them with our free practice questions and study guide. Want extra insurance for exam day? Capital Prep’s RMA premium study materials come with an RMA exam pass guarantee: your money back if you don’t pass, plus up to $150 toward your retake fee — and Career Employer students get a special discount.
RMA Flashcard Study Modes
Start in Flip mode to read both sides at your own pace, then use Match to race term-to-definition pairings against the clock. Type mode hides the term and asks you to spell it from the definition, so a prompt like Gray tube tests? has to come back from memory. Quiz mode builds multiple choice questions from the same 271 cards.

Why Flashcards Work for the RMA Exam
Clinical Medical Assisting is the largest domain in the deck at 138 cards, and it carries the hands-on vocabulary you use at the chairside and in the lab. The cards drill patient positioning, specimen handling, tube color conventions, and emergency recognition, so you meet prompts like Sims’ position? alongside the card that asks CBC measures? and the comparison front Serum vs plasma?. Expect assessment and skin terms as well, including the card that asks What is a wheal?, which rewards precise wording rather than a general idea.
General Medical Assisting holds 87 cards and covers the language and legal ground sitting under everything else. Word-part cards come fast here, with prompts like Suffix -itis means? and Prefix hypo- means?, and they pay off whenever an unfamiliar term shows up somewhere else in the deck. The domain also drills privacy and liability, so the card that asks What is HIPAA? sits beside prompts like What is negligence? and physiology fronts such as What is homeostasis?.
Administrative Medical Assisting is the smallest slice at 46 cards, but it is dense with insurance and billing terms that sound alike under time pressure. Prompts like What is a deductible? and What is coinsurance? force you to separate close neighbors, while the card that asks What is an EOB? and coding fronts such as CPT codes describe? connect the paperwork back to the patient record. It is a short domain with quick wins once the vocabulary separates cleanly in your head.
That matters on the RMA, where facts like the order of draw, normal vital-sign ranges, injection angles, and medical word parts must be instantly available. Used alongside our practice questions and study guide, flashcards turn review time into measurable progress.
RMA Flashcards by Work Area
The cards are organized by the three AMT work areas. Weight your study toward the heaviest one — Clinical Medical Assisting is 55% of the exam:[1]
| AMT work area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Clinical Medical Assisting | 55% (115 items) |
| General Medical Assisting | 31% (65 items) |
| Administrative Medical Assisting | 14% (30 items) |
How to Get the Most Out of These Flashcards
- Start with the clinical block. At 138 cards, Clinical Medical Assisting is the biggest part of the deck, so early passes there move your overall recall more than anything else you can drill.
- Type-drill the exact answers. Use Type mode on cards where precise wording matters, such as Gray tube tests? and Serum vs plasma?, since recognizing a right answer is far easier than producing one.
- Use Match for word parts. Run it on the General Medical Assisting prefix and suffix cards, like Suffix -emia means?, where speed on short definitions is exactly what the game rewards.
- Move to the practice test. Once Quiz scores hold steady across all three domains, switch to the practice test to see these terms inside longer scenarios, and use the study guide for gaps.
- Keep sessions small. With 271 cards total, work one domain at a time and fold the 46 administrative cards into clinical days so billing terms like What is a premium? stay warm.
RMA Flashcards FAQ
Hundreds of free RMA flashcards, organized across the three AMT work areas tested on the Registered Medical Assistant exam — General Medical Assisting, Administrative Medical Assisting, and Clinical Medical Assisting. They're free to use with no account required.
Yes. Flashcards use active recall — retrieving an answer from memory — which research shows is one of the most effective ways to make information stick, especially in short sessions over several days. That matters for facts like normal vital-sign ranges, the order of draw, injection angles, and medical word parts.
Every AMT work area: Clinical Medical Assisting (the largest — infection control, lab and specimens, vital signs, physical exams and EKG, pharmacology, first aid), General Medical Assisting (body systems, medical terminology, law and ethics, human relations), and Administrative Medical Assisting (insurance, ICD-10-CM and CPT coding, scheduling, and records).
Yes. Every card is written to the official AMT RMA examination competencies — Clinical Medical Assisting (55%), General Medical Assisting (31%), and Administrative Medical Assisting (14%) — and to official guidance from the NIH, CDC, and OSHA, so you study exactly what the exam tests.
Mix the modes: flip to learn, type to test recall, match for speed, and quiz to check yourself. Spend the most time on Clinical Medical Assisting — at 55% it is by far the largest work area — and make the order of draw, vital-sign ranges, and injection angles automatic.
Yes — 100% free, all four study modes, no paywall.
RMA flashcard bank
All 271 cards, by topic
A reference copy of every card in this deck. Each answer stays hidden until you choose to show it. To study with Flip, Match, Type and Quiz modes and track what you have mastered, use Study Flashcards at the top of the page.
Clinical Medical Assisting (138)
- Six links of the chain of infection?
Show answerHide answer
Agent, reservoir, portal of exit, transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host.
- Most effective way to break the chain of infection?
Show answerHide answer
Hand hygiene.
- What are standard precautions?
Show answerHide answer
Treating all patients' blood/body fluids as potentially infectious.
- What does sterilization destroy?
Show answerHide answer
ALL microorganisms, including bacterial spores.
- What does disinfection destroy?
Show answerHide answer
Most pathogens on inanimate objects (not all spores).
- What is sanitization?
Show answerHide answer
Reducing microbes to a safe level — the cleaning step done first.
- How does an autoclave sterilize?
Show answerHide answer
Steam under pressure (~121°C, 15 psi, 15–20 minutes).
- Medical asepsis vs surgical asepsis?
Show answerHide answer
Medical = clean technique (reduce microbes); surgical = sterile technique (eliminate all).
- Items that penetrate tissue must be?
Show answerHide answer
Sterilized (critical items).
- OSHA standard for bloodborne pathogens?
Show answerHide answer
29 CFR 1910.1030 — PPE, safety sharps, no recapping, free HBV vaccine.
- Example of an OSHA engineering control?
Show answerHide answer
A self-sheathing safety needle and puncture-resistant sharps container.
- Vaccine OSHA requires employers to offer free?
Show answerHide answer
The hepatitis B vaccine.
- How are used needles handled?
Show answerHide answer
Dropped point-first into the sharps container — never recapped by hand.
- TB requires which transmission precautions?
Show answerHide answer
Airborne precautions (N95 respirator, negative-pressure room).
- Order of donning PPE?
Show answerHide answer
Gown, mask/respirator, eye protection, gloves.
- Order of doffing PPE?
Show answerHide answer
Gloves, eye protection, gown, mask — then hand hygiene.
- Order of draw (venipuncture)?
Show answerHide answer
Culture → light blue → red/gold (SST) → green → lavender → gray.
- Light blue tube tests?
Show answerHide answer
Coagulation (PT/INR, aPTT). Additive: sodium citrate.
- Lavender tube tests?
Show answerHide answer
CBC and HbA1c. Additive: EDTA.
- Gray tube tests?
Show answerHide answer
Glucose and lactate. Additive: sodium fluoride + oxalate.
- Green tube tests?
Show answerHide answer
Plasma chemistry and stat electrolytes. Additive: heparin.
- Red/gold (SST) tube tests?
Show answerHide answer
Serum chemistry and serology. Additive: clot activator (± gel).
- Why is EDTA drawn near the end?
Show answerHide answer
EDTA carryover falsely raises potassium and lowers calcium.
- Routine adult venipuncture needle gauge?
Show answerHide answer
21 gauge.
- Maximum tourniquet time?
Show answerHide answer
No more than 1 minute (longer causes hemoconcentration).
- Preferred venipuncture vein?
Show answerHide answer
The median cubital vein in the antecubital fossa.
- What is a CLIA-waived test?
Show answerHide answer
A simple, low-risk test an office may run under a Certificate of Waiver.
- Examples of CLIA-waived tests?
Show answerHide answer
Urine dipstick, fingerstick glucose, rapid strep, urine pregnancy, FOBT.
- What does CLIA stand for?
Show answerHide answer
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988.
- Run before patient testing on an instrument?
Show answerHide answer
Quality control (QC).
- Normal pH of fresh urine?
Show answerHide answer
About 4.6 to 8.0 (slightly acidic, ~6).
- Clean-catch midstream urine purpose?
Show answerHide answer
Reduce contamination from skin/genital flora.
- What does hematocrit measure?
Show answerHide answer
The percentage of whole blood volume made of red blood cells.
- Capillary fingerstick site?
Show answerHide answer
The side of the fingertip pad of the middle or ring finger.
- Infant heel-stick site?
Show answerHide answer
The medial or lateral plantar surface of the heel (avoid the bone).
- Normal adult temperature?
Show answerHide answer
About 98.6°F (37°C).
- Normal adult pulse?
Show answerHide answer
60–100 beats per minute.
- Normal adult respirations?
Show answerHide answer
12–20 breaths per minute.
- Normal adult blood pressure?
Show answerHide answer
Less than 120/80 mm Hg.
- Hypertension threshold (ACC/AHA)?
Show answerHide answer
130/80 mm Hg or higher.
- Normal oxygen saturation (SpO₂)?
Show answerHide answer
95–100% on room air.
- Tachycardia means?
Show answerHide answer
A resting pulse over 100 bpm.
- Bradycardia means?
Show answerHide answer
A resting pulse under 60 bpm.
- First Korotkoff sound on a manual BP is?
Show answerHide answer
The systolic pressure.
- Wrong cuff size effect on BP?
Show answerHide answer
A cuff too small falsely raises the reading.
- How to calculate BMI?
Show answerHide answer
Weight in kilograms ÷ height in meters squared.
- Normal adult BMI range?
Show answerHide answer
18.5 to 24.9.
- Most common adult pulse site?
Show answerHide answer
The radial pulse (wrist).
- Where is the apical pulse heard?
Show answerHide answer
5th intercostal space, left midclavicular line.
- Pounds-to-kilograms conversion?
Show answerHide answer
Divide pounds by 2.2 (1 kg = 2.2 lb).
- Supine position?
Show answerHide answer
Flat on the back, face up — for front-of-body exams.
- Fowler's position?
Show answerHide answer
Sitting up (head raised 45–90°) — for breathing difficulty.
- Dorsal recumbent position?
Show answerHide answer
On the back, knees bent, feet flat — genital/urinary exams.
- Lithotomy position?
Show answerHide answer
On the back, feet in stirrups — pelvic/vaginal exams.
- Sims' position?
Show answerHide answer
Left side-lying, right knee drawn up — enemas/rectal procedures.
- Trendelenburg position?
Show answerHide answer
Supine with head lower than feet — for shock.
- Prone position?
Show answerHide answer
Lying face down.
- Chart for distance visual acuity?
Show answerHide answer
The Snellen chart (20/20 is normal).
- What does 20/40 vision mean?
Show answerHide answer
Sees at 20 ft what normal vision sees at 40 ft.
- Four methods of physical examination?
Show answerHide answer
Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation.
- 12-lead EKG limb electrodes?
Show answerHide answer
RA, LA, LL, and RL (right leg = ground, records nothing).
- Einthoven's triangle is formed by?
Show answerHide answer
Right arm, left arm, and left leg electrodes.
- EKG: what does the P wave represent?
Show answerHide answer
Atrial depolarization.
- EKG: what does the QRS complex represent?
Show answerHide answer
Ventricular depolarization.
- EKG: what does the T wave represent?
Show answerHide answer
Ventricular repolarization.
- V1 chest-lead placement?
Show answerHide answer
4th intercostal space, right sternal border.
- V4 chest-lead placement?
Show answerHide answer
5th intercostal space, left midclavicular line.
- Holter monitor purpose?
Show answerHide answer
Records the heart's rhythm continuously over 24–48 hours.
- Spirometry (PFT) measures?
Show answerHide answer
Lung function — how much and how fast air is exhaled.
- Intradermal injection angle?
Show answerHide answer
10–15° (bevel up) — e.g. TB/PPD test.
- Subcutaneous injection angle?
Show answerHide answer
45° (or 90° with a short needle and pinched skin).
- Intramuscular injection angle?
Show answerHide answer
90° into a large muscle.
- Common IM injection sites?
Show answerHide answer
Deltoid, vastus lateralis, ventrogluteal.
- Z-track technique used for?
Show answerHide answer
Irritating IM medications — seals the drug in the muscle.
- Abbreviation PO means?
Show answerHide answer
By mouth (orally).
- Abbreviation bid means?
Show answerHide answer
Twice a day.
- Abbreviation tid means?
Show answerHide answer
Three times a day.
- Abbreviation qid means?
Show answerHide answer
Four times a day.
- Abbreviation gtt means?
Show answerHide answer
Drops.
- Abbreviation OD / OS / OU mean?
Show answerHide answer
Right eye / left eye / both eyes.
- Abbreviation ac / pc mean?
Show answerHide answer
Before meals / after meals.
- Abbreviation prn means?
Show answerHide answer
As needed.
- Dosage formula (desired over have)?
Show answerHide answer
(Desired dose ÷ dose on hand) × quantity per unit.
- 0.5 g equals how many mg?
Show answerHide answer
500 mg (1 g = 1,000 mg).
- Give 500 mg from 250-mg tablets — how many?
Show answerHide answer
2 tablets.
- Schedule II controlled substances?
Show answerHide answer
High abuse potential with accepted medical use (e.g. morphine, oxycodone).
- Six rights of medication administration?
Show answerHide answer
Right patient, drug, dose, route, time, and documentation.
- Parenteral route means?
Show answerHide answer
Given by injection (not through the GI tract).
- Adult CPR compression rate?
Show answerHide answer
100–120 compressions per minute.
- Adult CPR compression depth?
Show answerHide answer
At least 2 inches (5 cm), no more than 2.4 inches.
- Adult CPR compression-to-ventilation ratio?
Show answerHide answer
30:2 (one or two rescuers).
- First step for a collapsed unresponsive adult?
Show answerHide answer
Check responsiveness, call for help, start CPR, apply an AED.
- What does an AED do?
Show answerHide answer
Analyzes the rhythm and delivers a shock for a shockable rhythm.
- Managing a fainting (syncope) patient?
Show answerHide answer
Stop, lay them flat, elevate the legs, monitor.
- Controlling external bleeding?
Show answerHide answer
Apply firm direct pressure with gauze.
- RICE for a sprain stands for?
Show answerHide answer
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
- Cold pack vs hot pack for a new injury?
Show answerHide answer
Cold pack first (reduces swelling); heat later for stiffness.
- Signs of shock?
Show answerHide answer
Low blood pressure, rapid weak pulse, pale cool clammy skin.
- Universal sign of choking?
Show answerHide answer
Hands clutched to the throat.
- Choking adult intervention?
Show answerHide answer
Abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver).
- Instrument to clamp a blood vessel?
Show answerHide answer
A hemostat.
- Instrument that holds the suture needle?
Show answerHide answer
A needle holder.
- Instrument used to grasp tissue?
Show answerHide answer
Forceps.
- Scissors used to remove sutures?
Show answerHide answer
Suture (stitch) removal scissors.
- Otoscope is used to examine?
Show answerHide answer
The ear canal and tympanic membrane.
- Ophthalmoscope is used to examine?
Show answerHide answer
The interior of the eye (retina).
- Sphygmomanometer measures?
Show answerHide answer
Blood pressure.
- Sterile field rule?
Show answerHide answer
Keep items above the waist and within the sterile boundary; the 1-inch edge is non-sterile.
- Durable medical equipment (DME) examples?
Show answerHide answer
Wheelchair, walker, hospital bed, crutches.
- Normal fasting blood glucose range?
Show answerHide answer
About 70–99 mg/dL.
- Frontal/anterior surface temperature method?
Show answerHide answer
Temporal artery (forehead) scan.
- Tympanic temperature is taken where?
Show answerHide answer
In the ear canal.
- Rectal temperature compared to oral?
Show answerHide answer
About 1°F higher than oral.
- Axillary temperature compared to oral?
Show answerHide answer
About 1°F lower than oral.
- Pulse points besides radial?
Show answerHide answer
Carotid, brachial, femoral, popliteal, apical, temporal.
- Why count respirations discreetly?
Show answerHide answer
Awareness changes the rate; count without telling the patient.
- Pulse deficit means?
Show answerHide answer
A difference between the apical and radial pulse rates.
- What is a wheal?
Show answerHide answer
A small raised area from an intradermal injection (TB/allergy test).
- Ventrogluteal site landmarks?
Show answerHide answer
The greater trochanter, anterior superior iliac spine, and iliac crest.
- Most common subcutaneous insulin site?
Show answerHide answer
The abdomen (also upper arm, thigh).
- Standard subcutaneous needle gauge?
Show answerHide answer
25–27 gauge, short needle.
- PPD (TB) test is read when?
Show answerHide answer
48–72 hours after placement.
- Where is a PPD measured?
Show answerHide answer
The diameter of induration (firmness), not redness.
- What is hemolysis?
Show answerHide answer
Rupture of red cells — pink serum; falsely raises potassium, LDH, AST.
- Serum vs plasma?
Show answerHide answer
Serum = liquid after clotting (no fibrinogen); plasma = anticoagulated (has fibrinogen).
- CLIA-waived rapid strep specimen?
Show answerHide answer
A throat (pharyngeal) swab.
- Normal adult hemoglobin (male)?
Show answerHide answer
About 13.5–17.5 g/dL.
- CBC measures?
Show answerHide answer
Red cells, white cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets.
- Sanitize an instrument before sterilizing because?
Show answerHide answer
Debris/bioburden shields microbes from the sterilant.
- Autoclave indicator confirms?
Show answerHide answer
That sterilization conditions (temp/pressure/time) were met.
- Critical vs semicritical vs noncritical items?
Show answerHide answer
Critical penetrate tissue (sterilize); semicritical touch mucosa (high-level disinfect); noncritical touch skin.
- First aid for a chemical splash to the eye?
Show answerHide answer
Flush the eye with water for at least 15 minutes.
- First aid for a minor burn?
Show answerHide answer
Cool with running water; do not apply ice or butter.
- Recovery position is used for?
Show answerHide answer
An unconscious patient who is breathing (prevents aspiration).
- Suture removal — where to cut?
Show answerHide answer
Close to the skin, then pull toward the wound (never across it).
- Wound healing by primary intention?
Show answerHide answer
Clean wound edges approximated (sutured) heal with minimal scarring.
- Sterile gloving compared to clean gloving?
Show answerHide answer
Sterile gloves keep the outside contamination-free for invasive procedures.
- Allen test checks?
Show answerHide answer
Adequate collateral circulation before a radial arterial puncture.
General Medical Assisting (87)
- Functional filtering unit of the kidney?
Show answerHide answer
The nephron — filtration begins in the glomerulus.
- Where does gas exchange occur in the lungs?
Show answerHide answer
The alveoli — tiny air sacs where O₂ and CO₂ are exchanged.
- Which gland is the 'master gland'?
Show answerHide answer
The pituitary gland — it controls other endocrine glands.
- Hormone that regulates blood calcium?
Show answerHide answer
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) from the parathyroid glands.
- Universal red-cell donor blood type?
Show answerHide answer
O-negative (O−).
- Universal plasma donor blood type?
Show answerHide answer
AB-positive.
- Where does the Krebs cycle occur?
Show answerHide answer
In the mitochondrion of the cell.
- Structure that equalizes middle-ear pressure?
Show answerHide answer
The Eustachian (auditory) tube.
- Joint type in the shoulder and hip?
Show answerHide answer
Ball-and-socket joint — widest range of motion.
- Part of the neuron that receives signals?
Show answerHide answer
The dendrites.
- Largest organ of the body?
Show answerHide answer
The skin (integumentary system).
- Functional unit of the nervous system?
Show answerHide answer
The neuron.
- What does systole mean?
Show answerHide answer
The contraction phase of the cardiac cycle; the top blood-pressure number.
- What does diastole mean?
Show answerHide answer
The relaxation phase of the cardiac cycle; the bottom blood-pressure number.
- Heart layer responsible for pumping?
Show answerHide answer
The myocardium (cardiac muscle layer).
- Primary function of the lymphatic system?
Show answerHide answer
Returns leaked fluid to the bloodstream and supports immunity.
- What is osteoporosis?
Show answerHide answer
A condition of decreased bone density that makes bones porous and fragile.
- Smallest blood vessels (gas/nutrient exchange)?
Show answerHide answer
The capillaries.
- What is homeostasis?
Show answerHide answer
The body's maintenance of a stable internal environment.
- Three main body planes?
Show answerHide answer
Sagittal, frontal (coronal), and transverse.
- Anatomical term for 'toward the front'?
Show answerHide answer
Anterior (ventral).
- Anatomical term for 'toward the back'?
Show answerHide answer
Posterior (dorsal).
- Largest part of the brain?
Show answerHide answer
The cerebrum — controls higher functions.
- Brain part that coordinates voluntary movement/balance?
Show answerHide answer
The cerebellum.
- Primary function of red blood cells?
Show answerHide answer
Carry oxygen via hemoglobin.
- Suffix -itis means?
Show answerHide answer
Inflammation (e.g. dermatitis).
- Suffix -ectomy means?
Show answerHide answer
Surgical removal (e.g. appendectomy).
- Suffix -ostomy means?
Show answerHide answer
Creating a new opening (e.g. colostomy).
- Suffix -otomy means?
Show answerHide answer
A cutting/incision (e.g. tracheotomy).
- Suffix -emia means?
Show answerHide answer
Blood condition (e.g. anemia).
- Suffix -megaly means?
Show answerHide answer
Enlargement (e.g. cardiomegaly).
- Suffix -ology means?
Show answerHide answer
The study of (e.g. cardiology).
- Suffix -pathy means?
Show answerHide answer
Disease (e.g. neuropathy).
- Prefix tachy- means?
Show answerHide answer
Fast (tachycardia = fast heart rate).
- Prefix brady- means?
Show answerHide answer
Slow (bradycardia = slow heart rate).
- Prefix hyper- means?
Show answerHide answer
Excessive / above normal.
- Prefix hypo- means?
Show answerHide answer
Deficient / below normal.
- Prefix dys- means?
Show answerHide answer
Difficult or painful (e.g. dyspnea).
- Root 'cardi/o' means?
Show answerHide answer
Heart.
- Root 'hepat/o' means?
Show answerHide answer
Liver.
- Root 'nephr/o' / 'ren/o' mean?
Show answerHide answer
Kidney.
- Root 'derm/o', 'dermat/o' mean?
Show answerHide answer
Skin.
- What is a combining vowel?
Show answerHide answer
A vowel (usually 'o') linking a root to another word part (cardi-o-logy).
- Three parts of a medical term?
Show answerHide answer
Prefix (front), root (core meaning), and suffix (end).
- Abbreviation 'STAT' means?
Show answerHide answer
Immediately.
- Abbreviation 'NPO' means?
Show answerHide answer
Nothing by mouth (nil per os).
- What is HIPAA?
Show answerHide answer
The federal law protecting patients' protected health information (PHI).
- What is PHI?
Show answerHide answer
Protected health information — any individually identifiable health data.
- HIPAA document given to patients?
Show answerHide answer
The Notice of Privacy Practices.
- Releasing records to a non-authorized party requires?
Show answerHide answer
The patient's written authorization first.
- Action when served a subpoena for records?
Show answerHide answer
Verify with the provider or legal counsel before releasing anything.
- Informed consent means?
Show answerHide answer
The patient understands the procedure, its purpose, and its risks.
- Implied consent means?
Show answerHide answer
Consent inferred from behavior (extending an arm) or an emergency.
- Expressed consent means?
Show answerHide answer
Explicit verbal or written agreement.
- What is an advance directive?
Show answerHide answer
A legal document stating a patient's healthcare wishes in advance.
- What is a living will?
Show answerHide answer
An advance directive specifying which treatments a patient wants or refuses.
- Durable power of attorney for healthcare?
Show answerHide answer
Names a person to make medical decisions if the patient cannot.
- Medical assistant's scope of practice?
Show answerHide answer
Delegated clinical/administrative tasks — never diagnosing, prescribing, or interpreting.
- What is negligence?
Show answerHide answer
Failure to act with the care a reasonable person would, causing harm.
- What is the standard of care?
Show answerHide answer
The level of care a reasonably prudent professional would provide.
- Battery in a medical setting means?
Show answerHide answer
Touching or treating a patient without consent.
- What is the Good Samaritan law?
Show answerHide answer
Protects those who give reasonable emergency aid in good faith.
- Beneficence (ethics) means?
Show answerHide answer
Acting in the patient's best interest.
- Patient autonomy means?
Show answerHide answer
The patient's right to make their own healthcare decisions.
- Confidentiality means?
Show answerHide answer
Keeping patient information private and need-to-know.
- Best approach with an irate patient?
Show answerHide answer
Use a calm voice, listen actively, and offer to help.
- Translator for a patient with limited English?
Show answerHide answer
A qualified medical interpreter — never a family member.
- Confirming a patient understood instructions?
Show answerHide answer
Use the teach-back method.
- Communicating with a hearing-impaired patient?
Show answerHide answer
Face them, speak clearly, and use written materials as needed.
- Therapeutic communication relies on?
Show answerHide answer
Active listening, empathy, and open-ended questions.
- Nonverbal communication includes?
Show answerHide answer
Body language, eye contact, tone, and facial expression.
- Combining form 'gastr/o' means?
Show answerHide answer
Stomach.
- Combining form 'pneum/o', 'pulmon/o' mean?
Show answerHide answer
Lung.
- Combining form 'oste/o' means?
Show answerHide answer
Bone.
- Combining form 'my/o' means?
Show answerHide answer
Muscle.
- Prefix 'a-/an-' means?
Show answerHide answer
Without / absence of.
- Prefix 'peri-' means?
Show answerHide answer
Around (pericardium = around the heart).
- Prefix 'intra-' means?
Show answerHide answer
Within (intramuscular = within a muscle).
- Suffix '-algia' means?
Show answerHide answer
Pain (e.g. neuralgia).
- Suffix '-rrhea' means?
Show answerHide answer
Flow or discharge (e.g. diarrhea).
- Plural of 'diagnosis'?
Show answerHide answer
Diagnoses.
- Body cavity containing the heart and lungs?
Show answerHide answer
The thoracic cavity.
- Largest artery in the body?
Show answerHide answer
The aorta.
- Normal adult body temperature in Celsius?
Show answerHide answer
37°C.
- Wellness factor: recommended daily activity?
Show answerHide answer
Regular physical activity plus a balanced, nutritious diet.
- Vitamin needed for blood clotting?
Show answerHide answer
Vitamin K.
- Mineral needed for healthy red blood cells?
Show answerHide answer
Iron.
Administrative Medical Assisting (46)
- ICD-10-CM codes describe?
Show answerHide answer
The diagnosis — the patient's condition or reason for the visit.
- CPT codes describe?
Show answerHide answer
The procedure or service the provider performed.
- HCPCS Level II codes cover?
Show answerHide answer
Supplies, equipment, and services not in CPT (e.g. DME).
- Who maintains CPT codes?
Show answerHide answer
The American Medical Association (AMA).
- Form for physician professional claims?
Show answerHide answer
The CMS-1500 form.
- Form for institutional/hospital claims?
Show answerHide answer
The UB-04 (CMS-1450) form.
- What is an EOB?
Show answerHide answer
Explanation of benefits — the insurer's statement of how a claim was processed (not a bill).
- What is a copay?
Show answerHide answer
A fixed amount the patient pays for a covered service.
- What is a deductible?
Show answerHide answer
The amount a patient pays before the plan begins to share costs.
- What is coinsurance?
Show answerHide answer
The percentage of costs the patient shares after the deductible.
- What is a premium?
Show answerHide answer
The amount paid (usually monthly) to keep an insurance plan active.
- What does an HMO require?
Show answerHide answer
A primary care physician and referrals to see specialists.
- How does a PPO differ from an HMO?
Show answerHide answer
Allows out-of-network care without a referral, at higher cost.
- What is a referral?
Show answerHide answer
A PCP's authorization for a patient to see a specialist.
- What is prior authorization?
Show answerHide answer
The insurer's approval of a planned service before it is provided.
- What is medical necessity?
Show answerHide answer
Services appropriate for the diagnosis — the ICD code must support the CPT code.
- What is Medicare Part A?
Show answerHide answer
Hospital (inpatient) insurance.
- What is Medicare Part B?
Show answerHide answer
Medical (outpatient/physician) insurance.
- What is Medicaid?
Show answerHide answer
Joint federal-state coverage for low-income individuals.
- What is a fee schedule?
Show answerHide answer
The list of allowed amounts an insurer pays per service.
- What is an audit trail in an EHR?
Show answerHide answer
A record tracking who accessed or changed a document and when.
- SOAP note — S stands for?
Show answerHide answer
Subjective — what the patient reports (symptoms, history).
- SOAP note — O stands for?
Show answerHide answer
Objective — measurable data (vital signs, exam findings).
- SOAP note — A stands for?
Show answerHide answer
Assessment — the provider's diagnosis or impression.
- SOAP note — P stands for?
Show answerHide answer
Plan — next steps (treatment, tests, follow-up).
- Best practice for documenting symptoms?
Show answerHide answer
Use the patient's exact words for accuracy.
- Documenting in the EHR should be done?
Show answerHide answer
Promptly and accurately, never falsified or delayed in bulk.
- Consecutive (straight numeric) filing?
Show answerHide answer
Filing records in straight numerical order by record number.
- What is a tickler/recall system?
Show answerHide answer
A reminder system for follow-up appointments and tasks.
- Wave scheduling means?
Show answerHide answer
Several patients booked at the start of each hour, seen in order arriving.
- Double-booking scheduling means?
Show answerHide answer
Two patients scheduled for the same slot.
- Cluster (grouping) scheduling means?
Show answerHide answer
Grouping similar appointments or procedures together.
- Most important factors in transcription?
Show answerHide answer
Accuracy and confidentiality.
- Sending a fax with PHI requires?
Show answerHide answer
Confirming the recipient and using a confidentiality cover sheet.
- Inventory management of office supplies aims to?
Show answerHide answer
Maintain par levels — reorder before stock runs out.
- First step in the billing cycle?
Show answerHide answer
Patient registration / collecting demographics and insurance.
- What is the claim adjudication step?
Show answerHide answer
The insurer's review that approves, denies, or adjusts a claim.
- Aging report in billing shows?
Show answerHide answer
Outstanding balances grouped by how long they've been unpaid.
- What is the encounter form / superbill?
Show answerHide answer
A form listing the services and codes for a patient visit.
- What is a remittance advice (RA)?
Show answerHide answer
The insurer's explanation of payment sent to the provider.
- What is accounts receivable (A/R)?
Show answerHide answer
Money owed to the practice for services rendered.
- What is a clean claim?
Show answerHide answer
A claim with no errors that can be processed without extra information.
- Open-hours (open-access) scheduling?
Show answerHide answer
Patients arrive without set appointments and are seen in order.
- Matrix in appointment scheduling?
Show answerHide answer
Blocking off times the provider is unavailable before booking patients.
- Most secure way to protect EHR access?
Show answerHide answer
Unique logins, strong passwords, and role-based access.
- What is the National Provider Identifier (NPI)?
Show answerHide answer
A unique 10-digit ID number for healthcare providers.
References
- 1.American Medical Technologists (AMT). “Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) Certification Examination Competencies.” americanmedtech.org. ↑
- 2.National Institutes of Health / National Library of Medicine. “StatPearls & MedlinePlus (anatomy, vital signs, injections, EKG).” NIH/NLM. ↑
- 3.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Infection Control & Standard Precautions.” cdc.gov. ↑

Career Employer
Career Employer is the ultimate resource to help you get started working the job of your dreams. We cover topics from general career information, career searching, exam preparation with free study materials, career interviewing, and becoming successful in your career of choice.
All PostsCareer Employer’s Editorial Process
Here at Career Employer, we focus a lot on providing factually accurate information that is always up to date. We strive to provide correct information using strict editorial processes, article editing, and fact-checking for all of the information found on our website. We only utilize trustworthy and relevant resources. To find out more, make sure to read our full editorial process page here.
