CMAC cheat sheet

Prefixes modify meaning: brady- means slow, tachy- means fast, hypo- means below, and hyper- means above.

Suffixes often denote a procedure or condition: -ectomy is excision, -otomy is incision, -ostomy is opening, and -itis is inflammation.

Common roots include cardi- for heart, pulmon- for lung, nephr- for kidney, and hepat- for liver.

A combining vowel, usually o, connects a root to a suffix beginning with a consonant and is omitted before a vowel suffix.

Common abbreviations: bid means twice daily, tid means three times daily, qid means four times daily, and prn means as needed.

Dys- means difficult or painful, a- or an- means without, post- means after, and pre- means before.

Directional terms: proximal is closer to the trunk, distal is farther away, medial is toward the midline, and lateral is away from the midline.

Plural rules: -a changes to -ae, -is changes to -es, -um changes to -a, and -us changes to -i.

Body planes: the sagittal plane divides left and right, the coronal plane divides anterior and posterior, and the transverse plane divides upper and lower.

The four primary tissue types are epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous tissue.

The adult skeleton has 206 bones: 80 axial bones and 126 appendicular bones.

Heart chambers are the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and left ventricle; the left ventricle has the thickest wall.

Respiratory airflow follows nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli.

Digestive tract order is mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus.

The nephron is the functional unit of the kidney, and blood filtration begins in the glomerulus.

Blood components are plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Normal adult vital signs: blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg, heart rate 60 to 100 beats per minute, respiratory rate 12 to 20 breaths per minute, and oral temperature about 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit.

Blood pressure cuff bladder width should be about 40 percent of arm circumference, and bladder length should cover about 80 percent of the arm.

Temperature routes: rectal is closest to core temperature, oral is common, axillary is least accurate, and tympanic or temporal is noninvasive.

Pulse sites: radial is most common in adults, apical is used for infants or irregular rhythms, and brachial is used for blood pressure.

Height measurement: patient stands without shoes, heels together, and head level with the measuring device.

Sterile technique: the outer one-inch border of a sterile field is unsterile, and sterile items must not touch it.

Positions: supine is flat on the back, Fowler is semi-sitting, Trendelenburg is head down, and lithotomy is used for pelvic examination.

Specimen labeling occurs at the bedside and includes patient name, date of birth, time, and collector.

The chain of infection has six links: pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host.

Hand hygiene with soap and water lasts at least 20 seconds; alcohol-based rub also lasts about 20 seconds and is not used when hands are visibly soiled.

Soap and water is required after contact with C. difficile spores because alcohol does not reliably kill them.

PPE donning order is gown, mask, goggles, and gloves; removal begins with gloves, then goggles, gown, and mask, followed by hand hygiene.

Standard precautions apply to all patients; transmission-based precautions add contact, droplet, or airborne protections.

An N95 respirator is used for airborne precautions, while a surgical mask is used for droplet precautions.

Disinfection reduces pathogens on surfaces, while sterilization destroys all microorganisms including bacterial spores.

After a needlestick, wash the site with soap and water, report immediately, and follow the post-exposure protocol.

The six rights are right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation.

Routes include PO oral, IM intramuscular, SC subcutaneous, IV intravenous, SL sublingual, and PR rectal.

Common abbreviations: qd means daily, qhs means at bedtime, ac means before meals, and pc means after meals.

Dose calculation: desired dose divided by dose on hand, multiplied by quantity, equals the amount to administer.

Metric conversions: 1 kg equals 2.2 lb, 1 g equals 1000 mg, 1 mg equals 1000 mcg, and 1 L equals 1000 mL.

Insulin is measured in units using a U-100 insulin syringe, not a tuberculin syringe.

Controlled substances require a DEA number, secure storage, and a count log documenting receipt, administration, waste, and disposal.

Verify patient allergies before administration and document any reaction.

A medical record includes demographics, progress notes, laboratory results, imaging reports, consent forms, and billing information.

A SOAP note contains Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan sections.

Chart corrections use a single line, initials, and date; do not erase or use correction fluid, and add an addendum for later changes.

HIPAA's Privacy Rule protects protected health information and requires use or disclosure of only the minimum necessary information.

New patient appointments generally require more time than established patient visits; verify insurance and reason for visit when scheduling.

Filing systems include alphabetic, numeric, and terminal digit; terminal digit filing uses the last two digits first.

Release of information generally requires signed patient authorization, except for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.

Electronic health record functions include e-prescribing, health information exchange, and clinical decision support.

Venipuncture order generally begins with blood cultures, then non-additive tubes, coagulation tubes, and additive tubes.

Needle gauge is inverse to size: a larger gauge number means a smaller needle; 21-gauge is common for adult venipuncture.

A tourniquet should remain on no longer than 1 minute and is released before needle withdrawal.

Capillary puncture: wipe away the first drop and avoid squeezing the site to reduce hemolysis and tissue fluid contamination.

Urinalysis commonly uses a midstream clean-catch specimen that is labeled and transported promptly.

Specimens may be rejected if unlabeled, hemolyzed, clotted, insufficient in volume, or collected in the wrong tube.

Normal adult fasting glucose is about 70 to 99 mg/dL, and hemoglobin A1c below 5.7 percent is considered normal.

ECG lead V1 is at the fourth intercostal space at the right sternal border, and V2 is at the same level on the left.

HIPAA protects protected health information; patients have rights to access their records and to receive a notice of privacy practices.

Informed consent includes diagnosis, procedure, risks, benefits, alternatives, and the right to refuse.

Negligence requires four elements: duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages.

Mandatory reporting includes suspected abuse, neglect, and specified communicable diseases as defined by state law.

Scope of practice limits performance to tasks permitted by training, certification, and state regulations.

Confidentiality may be breached for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, legal requirements, and public health reporting.

Advance directives include a living will and a durable power of attorney for healthcare.

Professional boundaries prohibit personal relationships with patients and disclosure of patient information on social media.