As an EMT, it is important that you be able to do all of the following EXCEPT

As an EMT, it is important that you be able to do all of the following EXCEPT

a. control your own emotions when dealing with patients who say upsetting things to you.
b. provide counseling and advice to patients with personal problems.
c. ensure your safety and that of others at the scene.
d. deal with a wide variety of emotions and behaviors.


Answer: b. provide counseling and advice to patients with personal problems.

You have responded to a call about a "psychiatric patient" to find a 24-year-old woman talking to herself in her home. She is rocking back and forth and you can see from a distance that she is perspiring profusely. You also see an empty medication bottle on the floor. She does not acknowledge your presence. When you attempt to speak to her, she continues to talk to herself as if you were not there. Which of the following should be included in your actions at the scene?

You have responded to a call about a "psychiatric patient" to find a 24-year-old woman talking to herself in her home. She is rocking back and forth and you can see from a distance that she is perspiring profusely. You also see an empty medication bottle on the floor. She does not acknowledge your presence. When you attempt to speak to her, she continues to talk to herself as if you were not there. Which of the following should be included in your actions at the scene?

a. Distract her so your partner can look around the house.
b. Look through the house with your partner to try to find some clues to the patient's problem.
c. Ensure that law enforcement is responding and wait for its arrival.
d. Shake the patient's shoulder to check for responsiveness to physical stimuli.


Answer: c. Ensure that law enforcement is responding and wait for its arrival.

When dealing with a psychiatric emergency, which one of the following would generally be inappropriate behavior on your part?

When dealing with a psychiatric emergency, which one of the following would generally be inappropriate behavior on your part?

a. Be as hurried as you can. It is extremely important to resolve the call and get the patient to the hospital as soon as possible.
b. Act in a calm manner, giving the patient time to gain control of his emotions.
c. Let the patient know that you are listening to what he is saying, and explain things to the patient honestly.
d. Stay alert for sudden changes in behavior.




Answer: a. Be as hurried as you can. It is extremely important to resolve the call and get the patient to the hospital as soon as possible.

You are dispatched to a local fast-food restaurant for a "nature unknown" call. You arrive on-scene and find a 47-year-old male in front of the counter repeatedly singing "Happy Birthday" to himself. Police are on-scene and the scene is safe. Which of the following would be considered appropriate care?

You are dispatched to a local fast-food restaurant for a "nature unknown" call. You arrive on-scene and find a 47-year-old male in front of the counter repeatedly singing "Happy Birthday" to himself. Police are on-scene and the scene is safe. Which of the following would be considered appropriate care?

a. Quickly approach the patient and take charge. Tell him he has to come with you to be evaluated.
b. Quietly and carefully evaluate the situation and keep your emotions under control. Be as unhurried as you can.
c. Have the police take charge, restrain the patient, and have him brought into your ambulance.
d. Have your partner join you in approaching the patient and explain to him that he has to stop singing or you will have him arrested.


Answer: b. Quietly and carefully evaluate the situation and keep your emotions under control. Be as unhurried as you can