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Exams · Certifications · Licensing

Phlebotomy Technician Certification

Scenarios: practice questions

Our Phlebotomy bank has 44 questions on this topic. Here are 5 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.

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Question 1

After the draw, a gauze is stuck to the site and the patient has an allergy to adhesive. What should you use?

  1. A regular adhesive bandage pressed on firmly
  2. Nothing ever
  3. A paper tape or self-adhering wrap
  4. Super glue
Show the answer

C. A paper tape or self-adhering wrap — Ask about allergies, including latex.

Question 2

A patient tells you they take warfarin. What should you do after the draw?

  1. Apply pressure longer and check the site for bleeding before bandaging
  2. Bandage immediately
  3. Use a tourniquet afterwards
  4. Massage the site
Show the answer

A. Apply pressure longer and check the site for bleeding before bandaging — Anticoagulants prolong bleeding.

Question 3

What should you do with a specimen that needs to be kept at room temperature but the lab is closed?

  1. Leave it in your car overnight and drop it off in the morning
  2. Throw it away
  3. Freeze it
  4. Follow the lab's after-hours storage procedure
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D. Follow the lab's after-hours storage procedure — Each test has stability requirements.

Question 4

A patient has an AV fistula in the left arm for dialysis. What should you do?

  1. Never use the fistula arm; draw from the other arm
  2. Use the left hand
  3. Draw from the fistula
  4. Put the tourniquet on the fistula arm, since its vein is larger
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A. Never use the fistula arm; draw from the other arm — Damaging a fistula is serious.

Question 5

A patient pulls their arm away when the needle is inserted. What should you do first?

  1. Hold the arm down forcibly
  2. Push the needle further
  3. Leave the needle in
  4. Release the tourniquet, remove the needle safely and apply pressure
Show the answer

D. Release the tourniquet, remove the needle safely and apply pressure — Reassure the patient before trying again.

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