MFA exit exam questions and answers — Set 20 — Medical First Aid
Set 20 of the Medical First Aid (MFA) exit exam bank — 30 of 675 questions, with the correct option marked and a one-line explanation for every one. Read it end to end, jump to a single set, or search it — then sit the same bank as a timed paper. The real DG Shipping exit exam is 30 marks with 15 to pass.
These are the bank's original groupings. Practising deals the whole bank out again every time you reshuffle, so a practice “Set 3” is a different 30 questions each time — the set numbers below are the source file's, and are only used here so the key stays navigable. Options are listed in their original order with fixed letters; when you practise, those move too.
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Set 20 — 30 MFA exit exam questions with answers
1. Which site is recommended for an intramuscular injection into the buttock?
- A. Upper outer quadrant
- B. Lower outer quadrant
- C. Lower inner quadrant
- D. Centre of the buttock
2. Apart from the buttock, which sites are commonly used for intramuscular injections?
- A. The palm of the hand and the sole of the foot
- B. The front of the neck
- C. The deltoid muscle of the upper arm and the outer side of the thigh
- D. The abdomen around the navel
3. A subcutaneous injection is given:
- A. Into a vein
- B. Deep into a large muscle at 90 degrees
- C. Into the fatty tissue just under the skin, usually at about 45 degrees
- D. Into the spinal canal
4. Before giving a course of penicillin injections on board, why is a test dose given and the patient observed?
- A. To find the correct needle size
- B. To detect an allergic reaction, which can lead to life-threatening anaphylaxis
- C. To check whether the patient has eaten
- D. To check the patient's blood group
5. Which drug from the ship's medicine chest is the first-line treatment for anaphylactic shock?
- A. Paracetamol tablets
- B. Adrenaline (epinephrine) by intramuscular injection
- C. Oral antibiotics
- D. Morphine
6. What is the maximum total dose of paracetamol for a healthy adult in 24 hours?
- A. 1 gram
- B. 4 grams
- C. 10 grams
- D. 2 grams
7. Aspirin should NOT be given to:
- A. An adult with suspected heart attack who is not allergic
- B. Adults with a headache
- C. Children under 16 years and persons with bleeding stomach ulcers
- D. Any person over 60
8. A serious side effect of morphine that must be watched for after it is given is:
- A. Hair loss
- B. Increased bleeding
- C. High fever
- D. Depression of breathing
9. Which drug counteracts an overdose of morphine or other opioids?
- A. Aspirin
- B. Atropine
- C. Adrenaline
- D. Naloxone
10. On a prescription or medicine label, the abbreviation 't.d.s.' means:
- A. Three times a day
- B. When required
- C. Once daily
- D. Twice daily
11. A patient on antibiotics feels better after two days. What should he be told?
- A. Stop the tablets immediately
- B. Take double the dose to finish sooner
- C. Give the remaining tablets to another crew member
- D. Complete the full course as prescribed
12. Crew members taking antihistamines or anti-seasickness tablets should be warned that:
- A. They must be taken with alcohol
- B. They may cause drowsiness, which can affect watchkeeping and machinery operation
- C. They cure all allergies permanently
- D. They will cause a high fever
13. Before injecting a drug intramuscularly, the plunger is gently drawn back. If blood appears in the syringe, the person giving the injection should:
- A. Inject the drug quickly
- B. Withdraw the needle and inject at another site with a fresh needle
- C. Inject air first
- D. Inject half the dose
14. Oral rehydration salts (ORS) from the medicine chest are mainly used to treat:
- A. Fractures
- B. Burns of the eye
- C. Bleeding wounds
- D. Dehydration caused by diarrhoea and vomiting
15. Before giving any medicine to a crew member, the most important questions to ask include:
- A. His nationality
- B. Whether he has any allergies and what other medicines he is taking
- C. His rank
- D. His next port of joining
16. The term 'side effect' of a medicine means:
- A. The main intended action of the drug
- B. The effect of taking it with food
- C. An unwanted effect that may occur in addition to the intended action
- D. The date the drug expires
17. What is the difference between sterilisation and disinfection?
- A. Sterilisation only removes visible dirt
- B. Disinfection destroys all spores, sterilisation does not
- C. Sterilisation destroys all micro-organisms including spores, while disinfection reduces or kills most but not necessarily spores
- D. There is no difference
18. What must be done to surgical instruments BEFORE they are sterilised or disinfected?
- A. They must be thoroughly cleaned to remove blood and tissue debris
- B. They should be oiled
- C. They should be wrapped while still dirty
- D. Nothing, they go straight into the steriliser
19. A standard cycle for sterilising instruments by steam under pressure in an autoclave is:
- A. 121°C for 15 minutes
- B. 60°C for 5 minutes
- C. 200°C for 1 second
- D. 100°C for 1 minute
20. Why is boiling instruments in water not regarded as true sterilisation?
- A. It takes too long to cool
- B. Boiling water is always contaminated
- C. Some bacterial spores can survive at 100°C
- D. It damages all metal instruments
21. Which is the correct use of an antiseptic as compared with a disinfectant?
- A. Antiseptics are only used on decks
- B. Disinfectants are safe to drink
- C. Both are only used on instruments
- D. Antiseptics are applied to living tissue such as skin; disinfectants are used on inanimate objects and surfaces
22. For disinfecting skin or small instruments, which strength of alcohol is most effective?
- A. 100% absolute alcohol
- B. Any strength is equally effective
- C. About 70%
- D. About 10%
23. Disposable single-use needles and syringes, after use, should be:
- A. Placed immediately, without recapping, in a puncture-proof sharps container
- B. Recapped by hand and thrown in the garbage
- C. Kept in the medicine chest for the next patient
- D. Boiled and reused
24. Before opening a sterile dressing or instrument pack, you should check that:
- A. The pack is intact, dry and within its expiry date
- B. The pack is warm
- C. The pack has been opened before
- D. The pack is large enough to use twice
25. The single most important measure to prevent the spread of infection when treating a casualty is:
- A. Wearing a uniform
- B. Thorough hand washing before and after patient contact, together with wearing gloves
- C. Taking antibiotics yourself
- D. Opening portholes
26. Dry heat sterilisation in a hot-air oven is commonly carried out at:
- A. 100°C for 10 minutes
- B. 160°C for about 2 hours
- C. 60°C for 2 hours
- D. 300°C for 5 seconds
27. Sterile instruments, once removed from their pack, should be:
- A. Placed on any clean-looking surface
- B. Wiped with a cloth before use
- C. Handled only with sterile gloves or forceps and kept on a sterile field
- D. Washed in tap water
28. Autoclave indicator tape on an instrument pack shows:
- A. The name of the patient
- B. The exact number of bacteria killed
- C. That the pack has been exposed to sterilising conditions
- D. The expiry date of the instruments
29. According to WHO guidance, effective hand washing with soap and water should last about:
- A. 40-60 seconds
- B. 5 minutes
- C. 5 seconds
- D. 10 seconds
30. Reusable items such as a resuscitator face mask, after use on a casualty, should be:
- A. Only wiped with a dry cloth
- B. Stored immediately without cleaning
- C. Washed and disinfected according to the manufacturer's instructions before being returned to service
- D. Thrown overboard
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