ASCP MLA Exam: Practice Questions

Prepare for the ASCP BOC Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) exam with this unofficial book of practice questions.This book contains: 300 multiple-choice questions divided into the five content areas of the examInformation about the ASCP MLA exam. You'll learn what topics you need to study, what to bring on exam day, and how to get your exam results.The questions in this book are designed to emulate the real exam questions as closely as possible. Just like the real ASCP MLA exam, the questions are based on five content areas: Patient registration and specimen collectionSpecimen preparation and processingSupport for clinical testingWaived and point-of-care testingLaboratory operationsAll answers to the questions can be found at the end of each content area.To give you an idea of what the questions are like, below are five questions from the book: 1) PATIENT REGISTRATION AND SPECIMEN COLLECTIONYou draw a patient's blood. Five minutes later, the patient is still bleeding from the venipuncture site. What should you do?a. Apply a pressure bandage to the patientb. Give the patient an anti-inflammatory medicationc. Notify the patient's nursed. Stop applying pressure to the venipuncture siteAnswer: c) Notify the patient's nurseSome patients, particularly patients on anticoagulant therapy, may take longer to stop bleeding. If the bleeding continues after five minutes, you should notify the appropriate personnel. 2) SPECIMEN PREPARATION AND PROCESSINGWhen a blood specimen in a grey-top tube is centrifuged, what does it separate into?a. Plasma, buffy coat and red blood cellsb. Plasma, buffy coat and white blood cellsc. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and plateletsd. Serum, buffy coat and red blood cellsAnswer: a) Plasma, buffy coat and red blood cellsGrey-top tubes contain sodium oxalate or potassium oxalate. This chemical prevents blood samples from clotting. When blood samples in grey-top tubes are centrifuged, they separate into plasma (the liquid that remains when clotting is prevented with the addition of an anticoagulant), buffy coat and red blood cells. 3) SUPPORT FOR CLINICAL TESTINGWestergren tubes are used for which test?a. Differentialb. Erythrocyte sedimentation ratec. Hematocritd. MicrohematocritAnswer: b) Erythrocyte sedimentation rateThe Westergren tube is a type of sedimentation rate tube. 4) WAIVED AND POINT-OF-CARE TESTINGA routine glucose tolerance test (GTT) requires: a. a blood sample and a urine sampleb. one blood samplec. one urine sampled. two or more blood samplesAnswer: d) two or more blood samplesA glucose tolerance test (GTT) is to see if the patient has diabetes. First, the phlebotomist takes a baseline blood sample from the patient. Then, the patient drinks a glucose solution. After this, the phlebotomist takes more blood samples at intervals to see how the patient's body reacts to the glucose. 5) LABORATORY OPERATIONSWhat is the single most important method of preventing infection?a. Proper handwashingb. Sneezing into your armc. Thorough cleaning of equipmentd. Wearing a lab coatAnswer: a) Proper handwashing