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Free NREMT practice questionsFree EMT practice questions · Patient Treatment and Transport

6 free EMT practice questions: Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat

These are real questions from the same bank the app draws from. Each one is written to the NREMT EMT content specifications and kept inside the EMT scope of practice. Pick an answer and you get the full rationale, including why the other three options are wrong.

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Question 1 of 6

A patient has a nontraumatic nosebleed with no signs of head injury. Which position and technique should the EMT use to control the bleeding?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Sit the patient up leaning forward and pinch the fleshy part of the nostrils together

This patient has an anterior nosebleed, which is bleeding from the front of the nose. With no injury to the head, the bleeding is most likely coming from the soft part of the nose near the septum. Sit the patient up and lean the patient forward. Leaning forward lets the blood run out of the nose instead of down the back of the throat. Blood in the throat can be swallowed or breathed into the lungs. Pinch the soft part of the nostrils together. Pinching presses the bleeding vessels against the septum and stops the flow where it starts. Keep watching for bleeding that does not stop. Continued bleeding may be coming from farther back in the nose, and that patient needs transport for more care.

Why the others are wrong

Lay the patient supine and apply an ice pack to the forehead: Ice can help narrow the blood vessels in a nosebleed. Lying the patient flat lets blood pool in the throat instead of draining out the nose. The patient can swallow the blood, vomit, or breathe the blood in. Position protects the airway first, before ice does anything.

Sit the patient up leaning back and pinch the bridge of the nose: Sitting up is right, and leaning back can feel natural. Tilting the head back sends the blood down the back of the throat, and aspiration is the risk you are trying to avoid. Pinching the hard bridge of the nose also misses. The vessels bleed from the soft septum, so pressure on the bony bridge does not stop anything.

Place the patient in the recovery position and pack the nostril with dry gauze: The recovery position is for an unresponsive or vomiting patient whose airway needs to drain. A patient who is alert with only a nosebleed does not need it. Packing the nose with dry gauze is not taught at the EMT level. Dry gauze can irritate the lining of the nose or pull off a clot that is forming.

Question 2 of 6

An EMT is irrigating a patient's eye to remove a small foreign object lying on the surface of the conjunctiva. In which direction should the EMT direct the saline flow?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · From the nose side of the eye toward the outside

Direct the saline from the nose side of the eye toward the outside. The object is lying on the surface of the conjunctiva, so the saline can wash it off. Start the saline at the inner corner of the eye, next to the bridge of the nose. Let the saline run across the eye and out past the outer corner. The runoff carries the object and the dirty fluid away from the nose. Flushing in this direction stops the runoff from crossing the nose into the uninjured eye.

Why the others are wrong

From the outside of the eye toward the nose: Flushing from the outside toward the nose runs the saline the wrong way. The runoff carries the object and the dirty fluid across the bridge of the nose. From there it can run into the other eye.

Directly onto the center of the cornea: A stream aimed at the center of the cornea does not start at the nose side, so nothing controls where the runoff goes. Some of the runoff can spill across the nose into the other eye. The saline needs to start at the inner corner and sweep outward.

From the top of the eye downward across the pupil: Pouring from the top of the eye down across the pupil does not start at the nose side either. A top to bottom stream does nothing to steer the runoff away from the nose and the other eye.

Question 3 of 6

A 67-year-old patient with a history of hypertension calls EMS for a nosebleed that started suddenly while the patient was resting at home. The patient reports mild dizziness. The EMT notes active bleeding from both nostrils and blood trickling down the back of the patient's throat. What is the EMT's most appropriate initial action?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Have the patient lean forward and apply direct, firm pressure to the soft part of the nose with a damp cloth

This patient has a nosebleed, called epistaxis. Both nostrils are actively bleeding, and blood is trickling down the back of the throat. Leaning forward lets the blood run out of the nose instead of down the throat. Swallowed blood can make the patient vomit. Blood running down the throat can also slip past the epiglottis into the airway. Most nosebleeds come from a group of blood vessels in the front of the nose, under the soft part. Firm pressure on the soft part of the nose squeezes those bleeding vessels shut. Leaning forward with firm pressure comes first because it controls the bleeding and protects the airway before you move on to anything else.

Why the others are wrong

Have the patient tilt the head back and pinch the firm, bony bridge of the nose until the bleeding stops: Tilting the head back is common first aid for a nosebleed. This patient already has blood trickling down the throat. Tilting back sends even more blood into the throat and stomach, and the risk of vomiting and aspiration goes up. Pinching the bony bridge also misses the bleeding vessels, which sit under the soft part of the nose.

Pack both nostrils tightly with rolled dry gauze and keep the patient supine on the stretcher during transport: Packing the nose with gauze is an advanced skill outside EMT scope. Blood is already draining into this patient's throat. Packing both nostrils and keeping the patient supine raises the aspiration risk from that blood.

Lay the patient flat and apply ice packs to the back of the neck to constrict the bleeding blood vessels: Ice packs on the back of the neck are not standard EMT care for a nosebleed. Cold on the neck does not reach the vessels in the nose. Laying the patient flat lets the blood in the throat pool toward the airway instead of draining forward out of the nose.

Question 4 of 6

A 6-year-old is brought to the EMT by their mother, who states that the child placed a small plastic bead into their left ear canal approximately 2 hours ago. The EMT can visualize part of the bead in the outer ear canal. The child is uncomfortable but alert and not in acute distress. Their hearing in the right ear is normal. There is no visible trauma or sign of infection in the affected ear. What is the EMT's most appropriate action?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Transport the child to the emergency department for evaluation and removal by a physician

Transport this child so a physician can remove the bead. The bead is partly visible in the outer ear canal after 2 hours, with no infection or trauma. Any attempt to grab the bead or flush it can push it deeper toward the eardrum, the tympanic membrane. The eardrum is thin enough to tear from pressure or from a tool at the wrong angle. Removing a foreign body from the ear canal is outside EMT scope of practice. Removal takes an otoscope and instruments that only a physician or an ear, nose, and throat provider has. Your job is to get the child to the emergency department, not to try to pull the bead out.

Why the others are wrong

Use a cerumen curette or small curved instrument to carefully remove the bead from the ear canal: A cerumen curette is made to scoop out soft earwax while you can see it. A curette is not made to grab a smooth plastic bead. Using one on this bead can push the bead deeper toward the eardrum. Removing the bead is outside EMT scope anyway.

Gently flush the ear canal with warm water to dislodge and remove the bead: Flushing with warm water is a real technique for some objects in the ear canal. Water pressure can wedge a smooth plastic bead deeper or push the bead against the eardrum and tear it. Irrigation is also outside EMT scope.

Observe and reassure the parent that the bead will likely work itself out within 1-2 weeks: A bead that has stayed in the ear canal for 2 hours has no way out on its own. Waiting with no plan to remove the bead can lead to the bead getting stuck, an infection, or hearing loss. The child needs to get to a provider who can take the bead out safely.

Question 5 of 6

A 52-year-old patient accidentally swallows a small fish bone while eating lunch. The patient reports mild throat discomfort at the point where the bone became lodged, is able to speak clearly, breathe without difficulty, and can swallow small sips of water. Airway is patent and vital signs are normal. The patient is anxious and asks if the EMT can remove the bone. What is the EMT's most appropriate action?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Place the patient NPO (nothing by mouth), reassure the patient, monitor the airway, and transport for physician evaluation

This patient has a fish bone stuck in the throat, and the airway is open. The patient speaks clearly, breathes without difficulty, and can swallow small sips of water. Those findings tell you air is moving and the airway is patent. Taking the bone out is a job for a physician at the hospital, who can see it and remove it safely. Your job is to keep the patient NPO, reassure the patient, and watch the airway on the way in. Nothing by mouth matters because the patient may need a procedure to get the bone out. This patient has normal vital signs and no trouble breathing, so oxygen is not needed.

Why the others are wrong

Attempt gentle removal of the bone using a tongue depressor and a penlight for direct visualization, since the patient can point to where it lodged: A gloved finger clears only an object you can see in the mouth. This bone is lodged in the throat. Probing for a lodged bone with a tongue depressor can push the bone deeper instead of out. A sharp bone can also tear the lining of the throat. This patient speaks and breathes without difficulty, so the bone can wait for a physician who can see it and remove it safely.

Advise the patient to swallow small amounts of soft food such as bread or rice during transport to help carry the bone down into the stomach: Bread or rice breaks the NPO rule this patient needs. Swallowing food over a sharp fish bone can push the bone deeper. The patient should take nothing by mouth until a physician sees the bone.

Perform a series of abdominal thrusts to dislodge the bone from the throat and help it pass down into the stomach: Abdominal thrusts are for a severe airway blockage, when the patient cannot speak or move air. This patient speaks clearly, breathes without difficulty, and swallows sips of water. Nothing is blocking the airway. Thrusts here only add the risk of more injury from the lodged bone.

Question 6 of 6

A patient develops a nontraumatic nosebleed. The patient is alert with stable vital signs. Which of the following is the most appropriate EMT action?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Have the patient lean forward and pinch the fleshy part of the nostrils

This is a nontraumatic nosebleed, called epistaxis, in a patient who is alert with stable vital signs. A bleed like this comes from the front of the nasal septum, from a group of vessels called Kiesselbach's plexus. Those vessels sit just inside the fleshy part of the nostrils. Pinching the nostrils together presses on those vessels directly, and that lets a clot form. Leaning forward keeps the blood from running down the back of the throat. Swallowed blood can cause vomiting, and the patient can aspirate it. Keep the patient leaning forward and pinching, and keep watching this stable patient on the way in.

Why the others are wrong

Position the patient supine with the head tilted back to slow the bleeding: Tilting the head back sounds like it should slow the bleeding. With a nontraumatic bleed in an alert, stable patient, all it does is send the blood into the throat. The patient swallows that blood, and swallowed blood can cause vomiting or aspiration. The bleeding does not stop any faster.

Pack both nostrils tightly with gauze to apply pressure from inside: Packing the inside of the nose is a real treatment for severe nosebleeds that will not stop, and it is done in the emergency department. This patient has stable vital signs and a simple nontraumatic bleed. Pinching the outside of the nostrils is the pressure you use in the field. Packing both nostrils tightly is beyond EMT scope and beyond what this patient needs.

Apply an ice pack to the back of the neck to constrict the bleeding vessels: Ice does have a place in nosebleed care. It goes over the bridge of the nose, where the cold makes the vessels there constrict. The back of the neck has no nose vessels to constrict, so ice there does nothing to slow this bleed.

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