CPC Clinician Wellness and Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A community paramedic begins experiencing intrusive thoughts about a patient who died despite resuscitation efforts. This symptom is MOST consistent with which condition?
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (Correct answer)
- Compassion satisfaction
- Occupational burnout
Correct answer: Post-traumatic stress disorder
Intrusive, unwanted thoughts or flashbacks following a traumatic event are hallmark symptoms of PTSD.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'moral injury' in the context of EMS providers?
- Physical injury sustained during a patient lift
- Emotional distress from acting against one's moral beliefs or witnessing moral transgressions (Correct answer)
- Burnout caused by excessive documentation requirements
- Compassion fatigue from repeated patient contact
Correct answer: Emotional distress from acting against one's moral beliefs or witnessing moral transgressions
Moral injury results from perpetrating, witnessing, or failing to prevent acts that violate deeply held moral beliefs.
Question 3: A community paramedic program implements mandatory peer support check-ins after mass casualty events. This is BEST classified as which type of intervention?
- Tertiary prevention
- Secondary prevention (Correct answer)
- Primary prevention
- Acute crisis management
Correct answer: Secondary prevention
Peer support after a critical incident is secondary prevention, targeting those already exposed to reduce long-term harm.
Question 4: When lifting a patient using proper body mechanics, the community paramedic should keep the load closest to which body part?
- Shoulders
- Knees
- Center of gravity/core (Correct answer)
- Chest
Correct answer: Center of gravity/core
Keeping the load close to the body's center of gravity minimizes leverage forces and reduces lumbar spine stress.
Question 5: A CP notices a colleague who has become increasingly cynical, calls patients 'frequent flyers' derogatorily, and arrives late to shifts. These behaviors MOST suggest which condition?
- Secondary traumatic stress
- Burnout (Correct answer)
- Compassion satisfaction
- Vicarious resilience
Correct answer: Burnout
Depersonalization, reduced sense of accomplishment, and emotional exhaustion are the three core dimensions of burnout.
Question 6: Which of the following is a recognized protective factor against EMS-related occupational stress?
- Working extended overtime to stay occupied
- Avoiding discussion of traumatic events with colleagues
- Strong social support networks inside and outside of work (Correct answer)
- Relying solely on alcohol to decompress after difficult shifts
Correct answer: Strong social support networks inside and outside of work
Robust social support is consistently identified in research as a major buffer against occupational stress and PTSD in first responders.
Question 7: A community paramedic is exposed to a patient with suspected active tuberculosis without using appropriate respiratory precautions. The FIRST action should be to:
- Self-monitor for symptoms for 30 days without reporting
- Report the exposure to the supervisor and occupational health immediately (Correct answer)
- Begin prophylactic antibiotics without physician order
- Obtain a chest X-ray on the way home
Correct answer: Report the exposure to the supervisor and occupational health immediately
Occupational exposures must be reported immediately so that post-exposure protocols, testing, and prophylaxis can be initiated appropriately.
CPC Clinician Wellness and Safety 2
A community paramedic begins experiencing intrusive thoughts about a patient who died despite resuscitation efforts.
This symptom is MOST consistent with which condition?