Free Medical Law & Ethics Practice Questions

1. A medical assistant performs a procedure that is within the physician's scope of practice but outside the MA's scope. The patient is harmed. Under the legal doctrine of respondeat superior, who may be held liable?

• Both the employing physician and the medical assistant
• Only the medical assistant who performed the procedure
• Only the employing physician since the MA was acting under their direction
• Neither party if the MA had good intentions

2. A physician decides to terminate the physician-patient relationship with a noncompliant patient. To avoid a claim of patient abandonment, the physician must:

• Provide written notice with a reasonable timeframe (typically 30 days), continue providing emergency care during that period, and assist in transferring records to a new provider
• Simply stop scheduling appointments and let the patient find a new provider on their own
• Notify the patient verbally during an office visit that they are no longer welcome
• Send a text message to the patient informing them the relationship is terminated effective immediately

3. A medical assistant notices bruises in various stages of healing on a 4-year-old patient during an exam. The parent explains the child is "clumsy." The physician is not currently available. What is the MOST appropriate IMMEDIATE action?

• Wait for the physician to return before taking any action
• Confront the parent about the suspicious injuries
• Document the findings objectively and report to the appropriate child protective agency
• Ask the child directly if the parent is abusing them

4. A patient asks the MA for medical advice about whether they should stop taking their blood pressure medication because they "feel fine." The MA should:

• Explain that she cannot give medical advice and that the patient should discuss medication changes with the provider
• Advise the patient to continue taking the medication since stopping could be dangerous
• Tell the patient it is safe to stop since their blood pressure is now controlled
• Suggest the patient reduce the dose by half as a compromise

5. A physician instructs a medical assistant to administer an intramuscular injection. The MA administers the injection but hits the sciatic nerve, causing permanent damage. In a malpractice lawsuit, the physician could be held liable under which legal doctrine, even though the physician did not personally administer the injection?

• Res ipsa loquitur
• Respondeat superior
• Assumption of risk
• Contributory negligence