Prentice Hall's Health Question and Answer Review for the Medical Assistant

A trusted resource for passing the Medical Assistant certification exam. Q&A Review for the Medical Assistant by Tom and Hilda Palko now includes: Thousands of practice questions, a CD-ROM with exam simulations to build comfort level and confidence, answers and rationales for all answers to build understanding, a NEW “Basic Anatomy Review”. Students looking to pass the CMA and RMA exams to enter into the Medical Assisting field.

The purpose of this sixth edition of Prentice Hall Health's Q&A Review for the Medical Assistant is to prepare the user to perform well on the Medical Assistant Certifying Examination (CMA or RMA) tests. The principle guides used throughout this revision have been the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) Certification Examination Content Outline and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) Certification Examination Content Summary. The AAMA Certification Examination Content Outline is based on the AAMA Role Delineation Study, which is outlined on the Medical Assistant Role Delineation Chart (MARDC). The MARDC has defined the job entry-level skills and knowledge base that are necessary for a person to function effectively as a medical assistant in today's complex medical practice. Copies of the Medical Assistant Role Delineation Chart and the Registered Medical Assistant Certification Examination Content Summary are also included in this edition. The questions, answers, and rationales in this revised edition reflect the current knowledge, tasks, and procedures most often required of the medical assistant.

The book is divided into four major parts: General Information, Administrative Procedures, Clinical Procedures, and Practice Test. Both the CMA and RMA examinations cover the same first three areas.

Using this book should help you diagnose your strengths and weaknesses. This book is not meant to be a substitute for comprehensive medical assistant textbooks or for work experience. It is meant, as the title implies, to serve as a guide in the review process. A comprehensive review of any subject matter is a good way to locate your areas of strength as well as your areas of weakness. Areas of weakness may need to be corrected by referring to one or more of the current medical assisting books that are referenced in this edition (see page xxi). The comprehensive reference section of this edition should make it easier for you to locate any review materials needed. You will probably recognize several titles on this list that you used in your medical assistant program.

We are very grateful to the many individuals who provided assistance in the various areas of their expertise. We would like to give a special thanks to our contributors and reviewers. Their collective contributions have certainly strengthened the book. We would like to acknowledge the registered pharmacists, Gary Denton, PD, and Michael D. Smith, PD, for their contributions to the pharmacology section, and Lisa Marie Perks, AS, CMA, for her assistance in checking reference pages. We would also like to thank Mark Cohen and Barbara Krawiec, Acquisitions Editors; Robin Lazrus, Series Editor; and Melissa Kerian and Mary Ellen Ruitenberg, Editorial Assistants, for their help, support, and patience during the entire revision process.

We sincerely hope that this book helps many examination candidates in their certification endeavors. We would also appreciate comments from the users of this book.

Tom and Hilda Palko