Phlebotomy Tech Prep: CPT Coming soon

Safety and Compliance practice questions for the CPT exam

Safety and Compliance is 26 of the 100 scored questions (26%) on the CPT exam. Try 8 free questions below: tap an answer to check it, then read why the other options are wrong and the sources.

8 questions. Tap an answer to check it, or open the explanation under each one.

Question 1

A coworker tells a phlebotomist that adding a splash of ammonia-based glass cleaner to diluted bleach makes a stronger wipe for the draw chairs. How should she respond?

  1. Decline, because the mixture releases a toxic gas
  2. Agree, if she rinses the chairs with water afterward
  3. Agree, if the mixture is used within one hour
  4. Agree, but only for chairs used by isolation patients
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Decline, because the mixture releases a toxic gas

Bleach and ammonia react to form chloramine gas, which irritates the eyes and lungs; cleaning products are used one at a time as their labels direct and are never combined.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. Agree, if she rinses the chairs with water afterward: Rinsing afterward does not undo the gas released while mixing.
  • C. Agree, if the mixture is used within one hour: A time limit does not stop the gas, which forms as soon as they are mixed.
  • D. Agree, but only for chairs used by isolation patients: The type of patient does not change the reaction between bleach and ammonia.

Sources

Question 2

Which abbreviations may a phlebotomist use when documenting in the patient record?

  1. Any she uses in her own notes
  2. Any common texting shortcut
  3. None; all abbreviations are banned in records
  4. Only those approved by the facility
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. Only those approved by the facility

Facility-approved, widely accepted abbreviations keep the record readable by everyone on the care team; personal shorthand and texting abbreviations can be misread.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Any she uses in her own notes: Personal shorthand can be misread by others.
  • B. Any common texting shortcut: Texting shortcuts are not approved medical abbreviations.
  • C. None; all abbreviations are banned in records: Approved abbreviations are allowed; unapproved ones are not.

Sources

Question 3

A phlebotomist printing labels on a computer-on-wheels in a patient's room is paged to the emergency department. The patient's electronic record is open on the screen. Which action best protects it?

  1. Leave it open, since only the patient is present
  2. Ask the patient to keep an eye on the cart
  3. Lock the workstation before leaving the room
  4. Push the cart to the wall with the screen inward
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Lock the workstation before leaving the room

Workstations that access electronic PHI need physical safeguards that restrict access to authorized users (45 CFR 164.310(c)); locking the session before walking away does that.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Leave it open, since only the patient is present: Visitors or other staff could view or use the open record.
  • B. Ask the patient to keep an eye on the cart: A patient is not an authorized user and cannot secure the record.
  • D. Push the cart to the wall with the screen inward: Anyone who turns the cart around can still use the open record.

Sources

Question 4

A patient's arm bleeds through the gauze the phlebotomist is pressing on a cut from a broken tube. What should she do with the soaked gauze?

  1. Remove it and press a clean pad on the cut
  2. Remove it to look at the wound
  3. Rinse it with saline and reapply it
  4. Leave it and add more gauze on top
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. Leave it and add more gauze on top

If blood seeps through the dressing, the first layer stays in place and another is added on top while pressure continues; removing it tears away the forming clot.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Remove it and press a clean pad on the cut: Pulling off the soaked gauze disturbs the clot that has started to form.
  • B. Remove it to look at the wound: Peeking at the wound interrupts pressure and restarts the bleeding.
  • C. Rinse it with saline and reapply it: Rinsing and reapplying means removing it, which disrupts the clot.

Sources

Question 5

A hospital laboratory uses hazardous chemicals on a non-production basis. Under OSHA's laboratory standard, which written plan must the employer develop and carry out?

  1. Quality control plan
  2. Chemical hygiene plan
  3. Specimen procedure manual
  4. Emergency action plan
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Chemical hygiene plan

OSHA's standard for laboratory use of hazardous chemicals requires a written chemical hygiene plan that sets out procedures, equipment, PPE and work practices to protect lab workers.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Quality control plan: Quality control plans address test accuracy, not chemical exposure.
  • C. Specimen procedure manual: The procedure manual is a CLIA testing requirement, not OSHA's chemical plan.
  • D. Emergency action plan: An emergency action plan covers evacuations and alarms, not the lab chemical standard.

Sources

Question 6

A new test system has not yet received a CLIA categorization. How is it treated until FDA categorizes it?

  1. As waived
  2. As high complexity
  3. As PPM
  4. As moderate complexity
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. As high complexity

FDA notes that test systems not yet CLIA categorized default to high complexity until categorized (42 CFR 493.17).

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. As waived: A test is waived only after it is categorized or listed as waived.
  • C. As PPM: PPM is a fixed list of microscopy procedures.
  • D. As moderate complexity: Moderate complexity is assigned by FDA's scoring, not by default.

Sources

Question 7

A man phones the hospital lab, says he is a police detective, and asks for the blood alcohol result of a patient drawn last night. The phlebotomist does not know him. What should the phlebotomist do?

  1. Route it per policy so his authority is checked
  2. Hang up, since police can never receive PHI
  3. Give the result, since police may receive PHI
  4. Give the result if he states the patient's birth date
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Route it per policy so his authority is checked

Before any permitted disclosure, a covered entity must verify the identity and authority of a requester it does not know (45 CFR 164.514(h)). Some disclosures to law enforcement are allowed only under specific conditions (45 CFR 164.512(f)), so the request goes to staff authorized to handle it.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. Hang up, since police can never receive PHI: Some disclosures to law enforcement are permitted, so a flat refusal is wrong.
  • C. Give the result, since police may receive PHI: Disclosures to police are allowed only in defined situations after verification.
  • D. Give the result if he states the patient's birth date: A birth date does not prove he is an officer with legal authority.

Sources

Question 8

A patient fainted during a draw and slid from the chair to the floor. Which entry in the patient's chart is written correctly?

  1. "Probably dehydrated; seemed to fake dizziness at first."
  2. "Fell due to the chair, which is too high for elders."
  3. "Fainted because tech B rushed; family may complain."
  4. "0910 slid to floor; alert in 1 min; RN notified."
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. "0910 slid to floor; alert in 1 min; RN notified."

A chart entry records what the writer observed, the care given and the patient's response, with times; blame, guesses about cause and predictions do not belong in the record.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. "Probably dehydrated; seemed to fake dizziness at first.": Guesses about cause and judgments about faking are opinions, not observations.
  • B. "Fell due to the chair, which is too high for elders.": Assigning the cause to the chair is speculation, not something she saw.
  • C. "Fainted because tech B rushed; family may complain.": Blaming a coworker and guessing about complaints are not observed facts.

Sources

Cheat sheets for this domain

Safety and Compliance terms

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