CMA Basics Flashcards: 80 Practice Questions & Answers

**Trust vs. Mistrust** (0-12 months). The infant is learning if the world is a secure place. Stranger anxiety typically peaks between 6-12 months. **MA Strategy:** Keep the parent in view, use a soft voice, and perform the least invasive parts of the exam first (e.g., auscultation) while the child is in the parent's lap. **AAMA Tip:** Recognize that establishing trust in this stage is foundational for all future healthcare interactions. Distractor: Autonomy vs. Shame applies to toddlers (1-3 years).

**Formal Operational Stage** (11+ years). Adolescents develop the ability to think abstractly, use deductive reasoning, and understand hypothetical outcomes/future consequences. **MA Strategy:** Provide detailed educational materials and involve the patient directly in decision-making and goal setting. **AAMA Tip:** Distinguish this from the *Concrete Operational* stage (7-11 years), where logic is limited to physical, observable objects. Adolescents require why and how explanations.

**Bargaining**. In the Kubler-Ross model, this stage involves the patient attempting to negotiate with a higher power or fate to delay the inevitable or gain more time. **MA Strategy:** Listen empathetically without judgment. Recognize this as a defense mechanism used to regain a sense of control. **AAMA Tip:** Remember the DABDA acronym (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance). Patients do not always move through these linearly and may cycle back to previous stages.

**Generativity vs. Stagnation** (40-65 years). The primary task is contributing to the next generation, career, or community. Stagnation occurs when individuals feel unproductive or disconnected. **MA Strategy:** Acknowledge the patient's feelings and encourage health goals that support their long-term family or community roles. **AAMA Tip:** Clinical questions often focus on the patient's need for meaning or legacy during middle adulthood.

**Physiological and Safety Needs**. Maslow’s hierarchy dictates that basic survival needs (food, shelter, safety) must be met before a patient can focus on higher-level needs like health education or self-actualization. **MA Strategy:** Prioritize social service referrals or immediate safety concerns before attempting chronic disease education. **AAMA Tip:** You cannot effectively educate a patient who is in physical pain, hungry, or lacks basic security. Compliance is often a reflection of unmet basic needs.