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CRCST Professional Development and Human Relation Skills practice questions

Professional communication and service recovery, decision-making and teamwork, HIPAA, medical and surgical terminology, and continuing education and career growth. This domain is about 8% of the exam. Try each question, then open the answer.

Read the Professional Development and Human Relation Skills study guide

Question 1

A technician answers the sterile processing department phone. Which greeting is most professional?
  1. "SPD, what do you need? We're really busy right now."
  2. "Sterile Processing."
  3. "Hi, this is Jordan. What can I do for you?"
  4. "Sterile Processing, this is Jordan. How may I help you?"
Show answer

Answer: D. "Sterile Processing, this is Jordan. How may I help you?"

A professional phone greeting names the department and the person answering and offers help. This tells the caller they reached the right place and starts the call on a courteous note. A calm, clear tone matters as much as the words.

Source: HSPA Sterile Processing Technical Manual, 9th ed. (2023), Ch. 23, Success Through Effective Communication and Human Relations Skills

Question 2

An OR nurse calls, upset that a tray arrived without an instrument the surgeon needs. Which response best shows service recovery?
  1. Explain that the tray was assembled on another shift, so it is not your error
  2. Tell the nurse to file a written complaint with the department manager
  3. Point out that the count sheet was signed, so the tray must have been complete
  4. Listen, apologize, get the instrument there fast, and report the error
Show answer

Answer: D. Listen, apologize, get the instrument there fast, and report the error

Service recovery means listening to the customer, apologizing, solving the immediate problem quickly and following up. Reporting the error lets the department find the cause so it does not happen again. The focus is on the patient and the customer, not on blame.

Source: HSPA Sterile Processing Technical Manual, 9th ed. (2023), Ch. 23, Success Through Effective Communication and Human Relations Skills (topic: customer service)

Question 3

At the end of the shift, a printed OR schedule listing patient names and procedures is no longer needed. How should it be discarded?
  1. Kept in a desk drawer in SPD in case questions come up later
  2. In a secure shredding or confidential waste bin
  3. In the open paper recycling bin
  4. Torn in half and placed in the regular trash
Show answer

Answer: B. In a secure shredding or confidential waste bin

Papers with patient names and procedures are protected health information under HIPAA. They must be disposed of securely, such as in a locked shredding bin, so no one can read them. Facility policy sets the exact method.

Source: HHS HIPAA Privacy Rule, 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164; HSPA Sterile Processing Technical Manual, 9th ed. (2023), Ch. 23, Success Through Effective Communication and Human Relations Skills (topic: patient privacy)

Question 4

A technician receives several requests at the same time. Which should be handled first?
  1. Restocking a supply cart that is needed tomorrow morning
  2. Assembling trays for cases scheduled next week
  3. Returning a call about a routine invoice question
  4. An instrument needed for a surgery already in progress
Show answer

Answer: D. An instrument needed for a surgery already in progress

Priorities are set by patient need and urgency. An instrument for a case already in progress affects a patient on the table right now, so it comes first. Scheduled work and routine tasks follow in order of when they are needed.

Source: HSPA Sterile Processing Technical Manual, 9th ed. (2023), Ch. 23, Success Through Effective Communication and Human Relations Skills (topic: decision-making and prioritizing)

Question 5

Which term literally means an incision into the abdomen?
  1. Laparoscopy
  2. Gastrostomy
  3. Laparotomy
  4. Abdominoplasty
Show answer

Answer: C. Laparotomy

Lapar refers to the abdomen and -otomy means incision. A laparotomy is an open incision into the abdomen. A laparoscopy uses small ports and a scope, and its name refers to the visual exam.

Source: HSPA Sterile Processing Technical Manual, 9th ed. (2023), Ch. 2, Medical Terminology for Sterile Processing Technicians

Question 6

To reduce case cart errors, a group is formed with members from sterile processing, the OR, materials management and infection prevention. What type of team is this?
  1. A single-department work team
  2. A self-directed shift team
  3. A cross-functional team
  4. An informal social group
Show answer

Answer: C. A cross-functional team

A cross-functional team brings together people from different departments or functions to solve a shared problem. Case cart errors involve several departments, so each one needs a voice in finding causes and fixes.

Source: HSPA Sterile Processing Technical Manual, 9th ed. (2023), Ch. 23, Success Through Effective Communication and Human Relations Skills (topic: teams)

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