Certified Clinical Medical Assistant CCMA Practice Test

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Prepare for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Exam. Practice with multiple-choice questions, detailed explanations, and comprehensive study material. Perfect your skills and ace your test!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

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An MA is using a scale with a height bar to measure a patient's height. Which of the following actions should the assistant take?

Place the patient on the scale without adjusting the height bar.
Ask the patient to stand with raised arms while measuring height.
Lower the horizontal bar gently so that it rests on the top of the patient's head.
Measure the height while the patient is seated.

The correct answer is: Lower the horizontal bar gently so that it rests on the top of the patient's head.

The correct action for the medical assistant to take when measuring a patient's height with a scale that includes a height bar is to lower the horizontal bar gently so that it rests on the top of the patient's head. This method ensures an accurate measurement because it allows the height bar to make contact with the highest point of the head, typically considered to be the crown. Accurate height measurement is important for various health assessments, including calculating body mass index, determining dosage for medications, and assessing growth patterns in children. Taking the measurement correctly is essential for maintaining the integrity of clinical data. The other options do not provide the level of accuracy or safety needed for proper height measurement. For instance, not adjusting the height bar could lead to an inaccurate reading, while asking the patient to raise their arms might create inconsistencies as it could alter the position of the head in relation to the bar. Measuring while the patient is seated is not advisable since it will not provide the true standing height, which is the standard practice in medical settings.