Which of the following actions should a medical assistant take when a patient is in shock?

Correct answer: A
A. Ensure the otoscope is in the room. Ensuring that the otoscope and other necessary equipment are in the room is an important step in preparing the room for a physical examination.
B. Replace the half-full sharps containers. Sharps containers should be replaced when they are three-quarters full, not necessarily when they are half-full. This action, while important, is not specific to preparing for a general physical examination.
C. Obtain preauthorization from insurance. Preauthorization is an administrative task that is not directly related to preparing an examination room.
D. Sterilize counter surfaces in the room. Cleaning and disinfecting counter surfaces is important for infection control but typically would have been done after the last patient. This action is less directly related to preparing for a general physical exam compared to ensuring the necessary equipment is present.

A. Place a pulse oximeter on the patient's earlobe: A pulse oximeter measures oxygen saturation and pulse but is not used for manually palpating the pulse.
B. Palpate the patient's radial artery: The radial artery, located at the wrist, is commonly palpated to manually obtain the pulse.
C. Place a pulse oximeter on the patient's finger: A pulse oximeter measures pulse rate and oxygen saturation but does not involve manual palpation.
D. Palpate the patient's popliteal artery: The popliteal artery is located behind the knee and is less commonly used for routine pulse measurement compared to the radial artery.