DaVita Annual Competency Questions with Verified
Answers.
1. Albumin is an important test that tells about the patient ____ status - ANS Nutritional
2. During a hemodialysis treatment the technician responds to a low venous pressure
alarm. The most likely cause for this alarm is: - ANS Disconnection of the bloodline
3. All of the following are phosphate binders EXCEPT: - ANS Vitamin B12
4. A semipermeable membrane is a porous barrier that: - ANS Allows for only certain
sized particles to cross
5. Abnormal levels of this electrolyte can cause cardiac arrhythmias and even death. -
ANS Potassium
6. Before a hemodialysis treatment, the technician removes the cap from the fistula
needle and accidentally touches the chair with the tip of the needle. Which of these
actions should the technician take first? - ANS discard the needle
7. A 58- year old patient who is blind comes to treatment accompanied by his wife.
Which of these approaches should the dialysis technician use when interacting with
the patient? - ANS Describe the activities in the immediate environment
8. A patient complains of pain at the venous needle site. The dialysis technician
observes there is swelling distal to the venous needle site and that the venous
pressure is rising. The dialysis technician should suspect... - ANS an infiltration
9. A rapid pulse of 104 beats/minute would indicate that the patient has: - ANS
tachycardia (fast heart rate)
10. A rise in Tran’s membrane pressure in a low flux dialyzer during hemodialysis is an
indicative of: - ANS Clotting of the extracorporeal circuit
11. During pre-dialysis data collection, it would be best for the technician to ask the
patient which of these questions? - ANS How have you been since your last TX
12. Dialysate that is too hot will cause - ANS hemolysis
13. During hemodialysis, the air detector on Ms. Foster's machine alarms and foam is
visible in the venous drip chamber. The immediate action of the dialysis technician
should be to: - ANS Clamp venous line
14. A female dialysis technician has been caring for a male patient for several months.
The patient tells the dialysis technician that he is lonely and depressed. He asked the
dialysis technician to go out to dinner with him. In addition to politely declining the
patient's invitation, which of these actions, if any, should the dialysis technician take?
- ANS Refer to a social worker
15. A teammate asks you to document the normal saline he just gave to Mr. Smith. You
would: - ANS never document someone else’s.
16. Asepsis is defined as: - ANS the absence of disease producing organism
P a g e 1 | 11
, 17. AAMI standard for conventional dialysate requires the total microbial count be less
than - ANS 100 cu/ml
18. A nephron is made up of: - ANS glomerulus and tubule
19. During a hemodialysis treatment, a patient's venous needle infiltrates. Which of these
actions should the dialysis technician take first? - ANS stop the blood pump
20. Bio hazardous waste includes any material exposed to: - ANS blood
21. All of the following may be signs and symptoms of an infected access EXCEPT: -
ANS numbness and tingling
22. A dialysis technician observes all of the below on the treatment floor, which one
poses an environmental risk?
A. About one ounce (30ml) liquid is on the floor
B. A patient's family member is present during initiation of treatment
C. Charts are lying on bed side tables
D. The wheels of the hemodialysis machine are locked. - ANS About one ounce
(30ml) liquid on the floor
23. The AAMI standard for endotoxin level sin conventional dialysate is: - ANS Less than
0.50 EU/ml
24. Excess fluid is forced out of the blood and into the dialysate during dialysate by which
principle? - ANS Ultrafiltration
25. ESKD specific tests such as BUN, Creatinine, and URR are - ANS
hemoglobin/democrat
26. During a hemodialysis treatment, a patient says to the technician, "Three hours of
time have passed according to the clock on the wall, but the machine shows that only
2.5 hours have passed. What could be the problem? The technician should
understand that the - ANS the machine was in bypass for 30 minutes.
27. A dialysis technician observes a drop of blood on the surface of a patient's
hemodialysis machine. Which of these actions should the technician take? - ANS
Clean immediately
28. A true aneurysm can be dangerous because it: - ANS may rupture and cause the
patient to bleed profusely
29. During a hemodialysis treatment a patient goes into cardiac arrest. The first action for
the dialysis technician is: - ANS call for assistance
30. A fistula connects: - ANS an artery and a vein
31. During the treatment, a patient complains of feeling chilled. In addition to getting the
patient a blanket, which of these actions should the technician take? - ANS Take pt.
temp
32. Germicide rebound occurs due to - ANS Inadequate dialyzer priming
33. Acceptable interdialytic weight gains are: - ANS 3-5% of TW
P a g e 2 | 11
Answers.
1. Albumin is an important test that tells about the patient ____ status - ANS Nutritional
2. During a hemodialysis treatment the technician responds to a low venous pressure
alarm. The most likely cause for this alarm is: - ANS Disconnection of the bloodline
3. All of the following are phosphate binders EXCEPT: - ANS Vitamin B12
4. A semipermeable membrane is a porous barrier that: - ANS Allows for only certain
sized particles to cross
5. Abnormal levels of this electrolyte can cause cardiac arrhythmias and even death. -
ANS Potassium
6. Before a hemodialysis treatment, the technician removes the cap from the fistula
needle and accidentally touches the chair with the tip of the needle. Which of these
actions should the technician take first? - ANS discard the needle
7. A 58- year old patient who is blind comes to treatment accompanied by his wife.
Which of these approaches should the dialysis technician use when interacting with
the patient? - ANS Describe the activities in the immediate environment
8. A patient complains of pain at the venous needle site. The dialysis technician
observes there is swelling distal to the venous needle site and that the venous
pressure is rising. The dialysis technician should suspect... - ANS an infiltration
9. A rapid pulse of 104 beats/minute would indicate that the patient has: - ANS
tachycardia (fast heart rate)
10. A rise in Tran’s membrane pressure in a low flux dialyzer during hemodialysis is an
indicative of: - ANS Clotting of the extracorporeal circuit
11. During pre-dialysis data collection, it would be best for the technician to ask the
patient which of these questions? - ANS How have you been since your last TX
12. Dialysate that is too hot will cause - ANS hemolysis
13. During hemodialysis, the air detector on Ms. Foster's machine alarms and foam is
visible in the venous drip chamber. The immediate action of the dialysis technician
should be to: - ANS Clamp venous line
14. A female dialysis technician has been caring for a male patient for several months.
The patient tells the dialysis technician that he is lonely and depressed. He asked the
dialysis technician to go out to dinner with him. In addition to politely declining the
patient's invitation, which of these actions, if any, should the dialysis technician take?
- ANS Refer to a social worker
15. A teammate asks you to document the normal saline he just gave to Mr. Smith. You
would: - ANS never document someone else’s.
16. Asepsis is defined as: - ANS the absence of disease producing organism
P a g e 1 | 11
, 17. AAMI standard for conventional dialysate requires the total microbial count be less
than - ANS 100 cu/ml
18. A nephron is made up of: - ANS glomerulus and tubule
19. During a hemodialysis treatment, a patient's venous needle infiltrates. Which of these
actions should the dialysis technician take first? - ANS stop the blood pump
20. Bio hazardous waste includes any material exposed to: - ANS blood
21. All of the following may be signs and symptoms of an infected access EXCEPT: -
ANS numbness and tingling
22. A dialysis technician observes all of the below on the treatment floor, which one
poses an environmental risk?
A. About one ounce (30ml) liquid is on the floor
B. A patient's family member is present during initiation of treatment
C. Charts are lying on bed side tables
D. The wheels of the hemodialysis machine are locked. - ANS About one ounce
(30ml) liquid on the floor
23. The AAMI standard for endotoxin level sin conventional dialysate is: - ANS Less than
0.50 EU/ml
24. Excess fluid is forced out of the blood and into the dialysate during dialysate by which
principle? - ANS Ultrafiltration
25. ESKD specific tests such as BUN, Creatinine, and URR are - ANS
hemoglobin/democrat
26. During a hemodialysis treatment, a patient says to the technician, "Three hours of
time have passed according to the clock on the wall, but the machine shows that only
2.5 hours have passed. What could be the problem? The technician should
understand that the - ANS the machine was in bypass for 30 minutes.
27. A dialysis technician observes a drop of blood on the surface of a patient's
hemodialysis machine. Which of these actions should the technician take? - ANS
Clean immediately
28. A true aneurysm can be dangerous because it: - ANS may rupture and cause the
patient to bleed profusely
29. During a hemodialysis treatment a patient goes into cardiac arrest. The first action for
the dialysis technician is: - ANS call for assistance
30. A fistula connects: - ANS an artery and a vein
31. During the treatment, a patient complains of feeling chilled. In addition to getting the
patient a blanket, which of these actions should the technician take? - ANS Take pt.
temp
32. Germicide rebound occurs due to - ANS Inadequate dialyzer priming
33. Acceptable interdialytic weight gains are: - ANS 3-5% of TW
P a g e 2 | 11
