NHA CCMA STUDY HUB

🫀⚡ EKG FRIDAY — NHA CCMA STUDY TIME! ⚡🫀

Future Medical Assistants, let’s review some EKG basics! 📚💪🏾

📌 EKG QUICK FACTS

🫀 P Wave = Atrial depolarization
🫀 QRS Complex = Ventricular depolarization
🫀 T Wave = Ventricular repolarization

⏱️ Normal heart rate: 60–100 beats/min

📏 EKG Paper Basics
➡️ 1 small box = 0.04 seconds
➡️ 1 large box = 0.20 seconds
➡️ 5 large boxes = 1 second

⚡ IMPORTANT: Before placing EKG electrodes, make sure the patient’s skin is clean and dry. Hair may need to be clipped if it prevents good electrode contact.

❓ QUESTION OF THE DAY

Which part of the EKG tracing represents ventricular depolarization?

A. P wave
B. QRS complex
C. T wave
D. PR interval

👇🏾 Drop your answer in the comments!

⭐ BONUS: What does the P wave represent?

💜🖤💛 Study a little every day — we’re getting NHA CCMA certified! 🎓🩺

🩺 Medical Infection-Control Tips

* Standard precautions: Treat blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes as potentially infectious, regardless of a patient’s diagnosis.
* Transmission-based precautions: Use Contact, Droplet, or Airborne precautions when a specific infection requires additional protection.

* PPE sequence matters: Put PPE on and remove it carefully to avoid contaminating yourself. Removing contaminated PPE incorrectly can spread organisms to your clothes, skin, or face.

* Sterile vs. clean technique: Know the difference. Sterile technique aims to prevent microorganisms from entering a sterile field, while clean technique reduces contamination

* Catheter-associated infections: Avoid unnecessary urinary catheters and maintain proper catheter care because they can increase the risk of CAUTIs.

* Central-line infections: Proper insertion and maintenance of central venous catheters helps prevent CLABSIs.

* Surgical-site infections: Proper skin preparation, sterile technique, appropriate antibiotic timing, and wound care can reduce SSIs.

* Antibiotic stewardship 💊: Antibiotics should be used appropriately because unnecessary or incorrect antibiotic use contributes to antimicrobial resistance.

* Respiratory hygiene: Patients with
respiratory symptoms may need masking, separation from others, and appropriate precautions depending on the suspected infection.

* Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs): Infection control isn’t only about protecting patients—it also protects healthcare workers, visitors, and other patients.

📚🩺 MEDICAL TERM MONDAY 🩺📚

💡 MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY TIP OF THE DAY!

Did you know you can often figure out the meaning of a medical word by breaking it into smaller parts? 🧠

Most medical terms can contain:

🔹 PREFIX – comes at the beginning
🔹 ROOT WORD – gives you the main meaning
🔹 SUFFIX – comes at the end and often tells you the condition, procedure, or specialty

🧠 HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT WORD PARTS TO KNOW:

🔵 Hyper- = Above / excessive
Example: Hypertension = high blood pressure

🔵 Hypo- = Below / deficient
Example: Hypotension = low blood pressure

🔵 Brady- = Slow
Example: Bradycardia = slow heart rate

🔵 Tachy- = Fast
Example: Tachycardia = fast heart rate

🔵 -itis = Inflammation
Example: Arthritis = inflammation of a joint

🔵 -ectomy = Surgical removal
Example: Appendectomy = surgical removal of the appendix

🔵 -algia = Pain
Example: Neuralgia = nerve pain

🔵 -ology = Study of
Example: Cardiology = study of the heart

📝 CCMA STUDY TIP:

Don’t try to memorize every medical term as one giant word!

👉 BREAK IT DOWN!

If you recognize the prefix, root, and suffix, you can often figure out what an unfamiliar medical term means—even if you’ve never seen the word before. 💜

❓ QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What does the suffix “-itis” mean?

A. Pain
B. Inflammation
C. Surgical removal
D. Study of

👇 DROP YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS!

🩺📚 NHA CCMA STUDY GROUP
Learn it. Practice it. Remember it. Become the Medical Assistant you’re working toward becoming! 💜

📚🩺 MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY OF THE DAY

Today we’re practicing how to break down medical words! 🧠

🔍 TERM OF THE DAY: DYSPNEA

Dyspnea = Difficulty or discomfort when breathing; shortness of breath.

Let’s break it down:

🔹 Dys- = Difficult, painful, abnormal
🔹 -pnea = Breathing

🧠 Memory Tip:
Think DYS = Difficult + PNEA = Breathing
➡️ DYSPNEA = Difficult breathing

❓ QUESTION OF THE DAY

A patient tells the medical assistant, “I feel like I can’t catch my breath.”

Which medical term best describes this symptom?

A. Apnea
B. Dyspnea
C. Bradycardia
D. Tachycardia

👇 COMMENT YOUR ANSWER BELOW!

💜 Don’t just memorize medical terms—learn how to break them apart! This makes unfamiliar terms much easier to understand on the NHA CCMA exam. 🩺📚

💊📚 NHA CCMA QUESTION OF THE DAY ❓📚💊

Alright future Medical Assistants, let’s see what you know! 👀🩺

💊 TODAY’S QUESTION:

A patient is prescribed a medication that is given sublingually. How should the medication be administered?

A. 💊 Swallowed with water
B. 💊 Placed under the tongue
C. 💊 Injected into the muscle
D. 💊 Applied to the skin

👇🏾 Drop your answer below!

No Googling! 😂 Let’s see who’s got this one!

🩺 BONUS: What does the word “sublingual” mean?

Let’s study together and get ready to pass that NHA CCMA exam! 🎓💪🏾

❓ QUESTION OF THE DAY:

A medical assistant is preparing to examine a patient. When should the MA perform hand hygiene?

A. Only after the examination
B. Only when the patient’s hands are visibly dirty
C. Before and after patient contact
D. Only after removing gloves

👇 COMMENT YOUR ANSWER BELOW!

💜 NHA CCMA STUDY GROUP
Keep studying. Keep practicing. Keep pushing toward that certification! 🩺

🦠 CCMA STUDY TIP: INFECTION CONTROL 🩺

One of the MOST important things a Medical Assistant needs to understand is infection control!

🧼 STANDARD PRECAUTIONS

Standard Precautions should be used with ALL patients, regardless of whether you know they have an infection.

Remember to protect yourself and your patients by using:

🧤 Gloves – when contact with blood, body fluids, mucous membranes, or non-intact skin is possible.

😷 Masks & Eye Protection – when splashes or sprays could occur.

🧼 Hand Hygiene – before and after patient contact and after removing gloves.

🗑️ Sharps Safety – NEVER recap a used needle unless a specific procedure requires it and an approved safety technique is used. Dispose of sharps immediately in an appropriate sharps container.

❤️ Cardiovascular Medical Terms (1–10)

These are great terms to know for the NHA CCMA exam.

1. Bradycardia

Meaning: A heart rate that is slower than normal (less than 60 beats per minute in adults).

Breakdown:

* Brady- = Slow
* -cardia = Heart rate

Example: The patient’s pulse was 52 BPM, indicating bradycardia.

⸻

2. Tachycardia

Meaning: A heart rate that is faster than normal (more than 100 beats per minute in adults).

Breakdown:

* Tachy- = Fast
* -cardia = Heart rate

Example: Anxiety or exercise can cause tachycardia.

⸻

3. Hypertension

Meaning: High blood pressure.

Breakdown:

* Hyper- = Above normal
* -tension = Pressure

Example: A blood pressure of 150/95 mmHg may indicate hypertension.

⸻

4. Hypotension

Meaning: Low blood pressure.

Breakdown:

* Hypo- = Below normal
* -tension = Pressure

Example: A patient who feels dizzy when standing may have hypotension.

⸻

5. Arrhythmia

Meaning: An irregular heartbeat that may be too fast, too slow, or uneven.

Breakdown:

* A- = Without
* Rhythm = Regular heartbeat
* -ia = Condition

Example: An EKG can help detect an arrhythmia.

⸻

6. Myocardial Infarction (MI)

Meaning: A heart attack caused by a blockage that prevents blood flow to part of the heart muscle.

Breakdown:

* Myo- = Muscle
* Cardial = Heart
* Infarction = Tissue death due to loss of blood supply

Example: Chest pain radiating to the left arm may be a sign of a myocardial infarction.

⸻

7. Angina

Meaning: Chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.

Example: Angina often occurs during physical activity or emotional stress.

⸻

8. Edema

Meaning: Swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in body tissues.

Example: Swollen ankles can be a sign of edema.

⸻

9. Dyspnea

Meaning: Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Breakdown:

* Dys- = Difficult
* -pnea = Breathing

Example: A patient with asthma may experience dyspnea.

⸻

10. Apnea

Meaning: A temporary stop in breathing.

Breakdown:

* A- = Without
* -pnea = Breathing

Example: People with sleep apnea experience repeated episodes of apnea while sleeping.

📚 Medical Terms of the Day

❤️ Cardiovascular

1. Bradycardia
2. Tachycardia
3. Hypertension
4. Hypotension
5. Arrhythmia
6. Myocardial Infarction
7. Angina
8. Edema

Who can tell me what these Medical terms mean? Drop your answer in the comments😊💜

🩺 CCMA MEDICAL TERM Question of the Day😊

Which of the following best describes bradycardia?

A. Heart rate greater than 100 BPM
B. Heart rate less than 60 BPM
C. High blood pressure
D. Fast breathing

⏳ Comment your answer before checking below!