CCMA cheat sheets
19 one-page reference sheets for the highest-yield CCMA topics. Each page here previews the start of the sheet; the full sheets are in the app, offline.
- Order of Draw and Tube Guide
Venous order of draw is blood cultures, light blue citrate, serum, heparin, EDTA, then gray fluoride/oxalate, the same for tube holder…
- Normal Vital Signs by Age
Heart rate and breathing rate fall as children grow; children's blood pressure is judged against percentiles, and adolescents 13 and older…
- Adult Blood Pressure Categories (2025 AHA/ACC)
The 2025 AHA/ACC guideline kept the 2017 adult categories (normal, elevated, stage 1, stage 2); what changed was risk estimation…
- 12-Lead EKG Electrode Placement and Artifacts
Ten electrodes make a 12-lead EKG: four on the limbs and six across the chest, V1 and V2 in the 4th intercostal space and V4-V6 level with…
- Injection Routes: Angles, Needles, Volumes and Sites
Intradermal goes in at 5-15 degrees, subcutaneous at 45 (90 if there is enough fat), and intramuscular at 90; needle length and site…
- Medical Math Formulas and Conversions
Convert to the same units first, then apply the formula; round only the final answer.
- PPE Donning and Doffing Sequence
Put on gown, mask or respirator, eye protection, then gloves; take off gloves first and the mask or respirator last, then perform hand…
- Standard vs Transmission-Based Precautions
Standard precautions apply to every patient; contact, droplet and airborne precautions are added for specific infections.
- Hand Hygiene Rules
Alcohol-based hand rub is the preferred method when hands are not visibly soiled; wash with soap and water when hands are visibly soiled…
- Sharps Safety and Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure (OSHA)
After a needlestick or splash: wash or flush right away, report immediately, and the employer must provide a confidential medical…
- HIPAA Key Rules and Permitted Disclosures
PHI may be used for treatment, payment and operations without authorization; most other uses need the patient's written authorization…
- Medical Abbreviations and the Do-Not-Use List
Know the common abbreviations, but never use the Joint Commission 'Do Not Use' items; write the full word instead.
- Medical Terminology: Top 80+ Prefixes, Roots and Suffixes
Break a term into prefix, root and suffix: hyper (excessive) + tension (pressure) = high blood pressure.
- Coding Basics: CPT, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS and Modifiers
ICD-10-CM codes say why the patient was seen (diagnosis); CPT and HCPCS codes say what was done or supplied.
- Capillary (Dermal) Puncture Sites and Depth Limits
Infants are punctured on the medial or lateral plantar surface of the heel; older children and adults on the side of the fingertip of the…
- Specimen Handling: Temperature, Light and Transport
Some analytes must be chilled, some kept at body temperature and some protected from light; every specimen travels in a leakproof, labeled…
- Point-of-Care and CLIA-Waived Tests: Normal Values
Waived tests are simple tests with low risk of a wrong result; the lab must hold a Certificate of Waiver and follow the manufacturer's…
- Immunization Basics for the Medical Assistant
Give the current VIS before every vaccine, store vaccines in range, use the right route and needle, document the lot, and watch the…
- Vision and Hearing Screening
Snellen distance testing is done at 20 feet one eye at a time; 20/20 is normal, and the bottom number is the distance at which a normal…