AMCA PCTC cheat sheet

Homeostasis: maintenance of stable internal conditions via negative feedback loops (e.g., insulin lowers blood glucose; glucagon raises it).

Body planes: sagittal divides left/right; frontal (coronal) divides anterior/posterior; transverse divides superior/inferior.

Abdominal quadrants: RUQ (liver, gallbladder), LUQ (stomach, spleen), RLQ (appendix, cecum), LLQ (sigmoid colon).

Blood flow through heart: right atrium → tricuspid valve → right ventricle → pulmonary valve → pulmonary artery → lungs → pulmonary veins → left atrium → mitral valve → left ventricle → aortic valve → aorta.

Normal vital sign ranges (adult): HR 60-100 bpm; RR 12-20/min; BP <120/<80 mmHg; Temp 36.5-37.5°C (97.7-99.5°F); SpO2 ≥95%.

Cardiac output = heart rate × stroke volume; average adult CO ≈ 5 L/min.

pH of arterial blood 7.35-7.45; below 7.35 = acidosis, above 7.45 = alkalosis.

Neuron parts: dendrites receive, soma integrates, axon transmits, axon terminals release neurotransmitter.

Kidney nephron: glomerulus filters blood; tubules reabsorb water/glucose and secrete waste; urine exits via ureter → bladder → urethra.

Six rights of medication administration: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time, right documentation.

Enteric-coated and extended-release tablets must not be crushed or chewed unless specifically ordered.

Parenteral routes: intradermal (5-15° angle, forearm), subcutaneous (45-90°, abdomen/thigh), intramuscular (90°, deltoid/ventrogluteal), intravenous (vein).

Peak and trough levels: trough drawn just before next dose; peak drawn after absorption (timing varies by drug).

Common antidotes: naloxone for opioids, flumazenil for benzodiazepines, acetylcysteine for acetaminophen, vitamin K for warfarin.

High-alert medications (e.g., insulin, heparin, opioids, chemotherapy) require independent double-check.

First-pass effect: oral drugs metabolized by liver before reaching systemic circulation, reducing bioavailability.

Therapeutic index = toxic dose / therapeutic dose; narrow index drugs (e.g., digoxin, lithium) need close monitoring.

Chain of infection: infectious agent → reservoir → portal of exit → mode of transmission → portal of entry → susceptible host; break any link to prevent spread.

Standard precautions apply to all patients: hand hygiene, gloves, gown, mask, eye protection based on exposure risk.

Hand hygiene: soap and water for 20 seconds; alcohol-based rub if hands not visibly soiled (except C. difficile or norovirus-use soap and water).

Transmission-based precautions: contact (MRSA, C. diff), droplet (influenza, pertussis), airborne (TB, measles, varicella) with N95 respirator.

Needlestick injury: wash with soap and water, report immediately, seek post-exposure prophylaxis evaluation.

Fire safety RACE: Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish/Evacuate; PASS for extinguisher: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep.

Fall prevention: bed low, brakes locked, call light within reach, non-skid footwear, hourly rounding.

Sterile field: never turn back; keep field above waist; avoid reaching across; consider 1-inch border contaminated.

Informed consent elements: patient must be competent, receive adequate information (diagnosis, risks, benefits, alternatives), and consent voluntarily.

HIPAA Privacy Rule protects individually identifiable health information; minimum necessary standard applies to disclosures.

Mandatory reporting: suspected child abuse, elder abuse, certain communicable diseases, and gunshot wounds (varies by state).

Good Samaritan laws protect laypersons and sometimes healthcare workers who provide emergency care without expectation of compensation.

Scope of practice: only perform tasks permitted by state law and employer policy; delegation must be appropriate.

Advance directives: living will specifies desired treatments; durable power of attorney for healthcare designates a surrogate decision-maker.

Negligence elements: duty, breach, causation, damages; malpractice is professional negligence.

Confidentiality exceptions: patient authorization, legal requirement, public health reporting, and imminent threat to self/others.

Vital signs: count respirations for 30 seconds and multiply by 2 (or full 60 seconds if abnormal); measure BP with arm at heart level.

Body mechanics: feet shoulder-width apart, bend at knees, keep load close, avoid twisting; push rather than pull.

Patient transfer: assess weight-bearing status, use gait belt, lock wheelchair, raise bed to working height.

Range of motion: active (patient moves), passive (caregiver moves), active-assistive (patient assists); stop if pain.

Wound care: clean from least contaminated to most contaminated; use sterile technique for open wounds.

Specimen collection: label at bedside, verify patient identity, use appropriate container and transport promptly.

Intake and output: 1 mL = 1 cc; 1 oz = 30 mL; 1 cup = 240 mL; record all fluids and outputs (urine, emesis, drainage).

Oxygen safety: no smoking, avoid petroleum-based products, secure cylinders, check flow rate and humidifier.

Positioning: supine (flat), Fowler's (45-60°), semi-Fowler's (30°), Trendelenburg (head down), lateral (side-lying).

Word parts: prefix (location, time, number), root (core meaning), suffix (procedure, condition, disease).

Common suffixes: -itis (inflammation), -ectomy (removal), -otomy (incision), -ostomy (opening), -algia (pain), -emia (blood condition), -uria (urine condition).

Common prefixes: hyper- (above), hypo- (below), tachy- (fast), brady- (slow), dys- (difficult), poly- (many), a-/an- (without).

Directional terms: anterior (front), posterior (back), superior (above), inferior (below), medial (toward midline), lateral (away from midline), proximal (near origin), distal (far from origin).

Abbreviations: NPO (nothing by mouth), PRN (as needed), PO (by mouth), IM (intramuscular), IV (intravenous), STAT (immediately), BID (twice daily), TID (three times daily), QID (four times daily).

Roots: cardi/o (heart), pulmon/o (lung), gastr/o (stomach), nephr/o (kidney), hepat/o (liver), neur/o (nerve), derm/o (skin), oste/o (bone).

Plural forms: -a → -ae (vertebra → vertebrae), -is → -es (diagnosis → diagnoses), -um → -a (datum → data), -us → -i (bronchus → bronchi).

Common lab abbreviations: CBC (complete blood count), BMP (basic metabolic panel), UA (urinalysis), PT/INR (prothrombin time/international normalized ratio).

Terms for positions: prone (face down), supine (face up), lithotomy (supine with legs in stirrups).