8 free AEMT practice questions: AEMT Scope of Practice and Medical Direction

That the AEMT specifically intended to harm the patient: Intent to harm belongs to intentional tort claims, like assault or battery. Negligence is about carelessness, meaning the AEMT failed to act the way a reasonably careful AEMT would. The patient does not have to prove the AEMT meant to cause harm.

That the AEMT had a prior history of disciplinary action: A disciplinary record might come up during discovery or affect the AEMT's credibility. A past record is still not one of the four elements the patient has to prove.

That a supervisor was physically present during the call: Whether a supervisor was on scene is a question of oversight and staffing policy. A supervisor being there or not does not prove causation or damages.

Negligence, because a duty to act was breached: Negligence is a breach of the standard of care that causes the patient harm. Leaving without arranging for someone to continue care is a termination of care. Ending care that way is the definition of abandonment, not negligence.

A lawful transfer of care, since the patient was not left completely alone: A lawful transfer of care means handing the patient off to a provider with equal or greater training. Nobody like that took over here. A patient who is not left completely alone has still not been handed off to anyone qualified.

Nothing actionable, as long as the patient's condition was stable: Whether the patient was stable does not decide this. Abandonment is defined by the act of ending care without making sure care continues. A stable patient left without a qualified provider has still been abandoned.

Contact online medical direction for authorization first: Online medical direction is for when you need a real-time order before you can act. This patient meets every criterion on the standing order, so the order is already in hand. Calling first only delays the epinephrine.

Give epinephrine by slow intravenous push: At the AEMT level, intravenous epinephrine belongs to cardiac arrest. Pushing epinephrine into a vein to raise the blood pressure of a patient with a pulse is paramedic scope. This patient has a pulse, and the standing order names the intramuscular route.

Start an isotonic crystalloid bolus and reassess: An isotonic crystalloid bolus is for low blood pressure that is still there after intramuscular epinephrine and airway care. Starting with fluid delays the drug that treats the reaction itself.

Repeat the order back and then intubate the patient: Repeating an order back is a good habit. Read-back is how you catch a misheard drug or dose. Getting the words right does not change what your certification allows. An out-of-scope order repeated back correctly is still out of scope.

Intubate while the physician stays on the radio: Having the physician listen in feels like a middle ground between doing the intubation and refusing a physician outright. Supervision over the radio does not move a skill into your scope. Intubation is still outside AEMT scope with the physician listening.

Intubate and document that a physician ordered it: Documenting who gave the order feels like it moves the responsibility to the physician. The chart only shows that the intubation happened. You are still the provider who did the intubation.

An online medical direction order issued in advance of the call: An online order means a physician is on the radio or phone with you during the call, giving direction in real time. The words "issued in advance" borrow standing order language. The question says no physician is called at all. Only an offline, written standing order fits that.

A credentialing agreement between the provider and the state office: Credentialing is the medical director deciding that one provider has proven they can perform a skill or give a medication. The decision is tied to that provider's training file. Nothing about credentialing lets you treat without a call. The question describes the written instruction, not the provider's approval to use it.

A quality improvement guideline applied when reviewing finished calls: Quality improvement guidelines are used after a call is over, when someone reviews the run report against protocol. That review happens after treatment, not before or during it. A review cannot be what lets you give the medication without calling a physician.

The receiving hospital has been notified about the patient by radio: Notifying the receiving hospital by radio is a required part of handoff. The notification lets the emergency department get ready for your patient. Telling the hospital you are coming does not authorize any treatment.

The medical director is reachable by phone for the length of the call: A medical director you can reach by phone is the setup for online medical direction. Online direction is used when a treatment is outside the written protocol. Being reachable is not an order. You still have to make the call and get a spoken order before you treat.

A paramedic supervisor on scene has approved the planned treatment: A paramedic supervisor's approval may carry clinical weight on scene. Authorization to treat at the AEMT level still comes from the medical director, through protocol or a live order. Another provider's rank or presence on scene does not give that authorization.

Waveform capnography interpretation during transport: Waveform capnography interpretation is one of the skills the national model adds at the AEMT level. The AEMT uses the carbon dioxide tracing to confirm placement and follow ventilation over time, not just read a number.

Insertion of a supraglottic airway device: Inserting a supraglottic airway device is the main airway skill the model adds for the AEMT. A supraglottic airway like a King tube or i-gel goes in blindly. The device seals the airway for ventilation without laryngoscopy. CPAP only applies pressure through a sealed mask, and no device goes in. That is why the model left CPAP at the EMT level and put the supraglottic airway at the AEMT level.

Suctioning through an existing endotracheal tube: an AEMT addition. The AEMT passes a catheter down a tube another provider placed, without knocking the tube out of place. An EMT suctions the mouth and throat, not a tube already in place.

It transfers unchanged with the AEMT's certification: Your National Registry certification does go with you when you move. Certification is not a license. Certification gives you no legal right to perform any skill. The new state's license and the new medical director decide what you can do.

It is set nationally by NHTSA and is the same everywhere: The National EMS Scope of Practice Model is published by NHTSA. The model describes what an AEMT is educated and nationally certified to do. The model is not a law, and NHTSA does not license anyone. Your legal authority comes from the state license and the medical director's protocols.

It is defined by the National Registry certification held: National Registry certification proves you met a national standard of knowledge and skill. Certification gives you no right to practice anywhere. Only the state license and the medical director's protocols set what you can do in the new state.