Reasoning & Problem Solving
24%of exam
Medical Devices
23%of exam
Patient MonitoringTherapeutic DevicesTest EquipmentDiagnostic Tools
Safety in Healthcare
16%of exam
Electrical SafetyGas Color CodesPPELOTO
Electronics Fundamentals
14%of exam
Ohm's LawCircuit BasicsComponentsESD Protection
Healthcare IT
13%of exam
NetworkingComputer HardwareCybersecurityHIPAA
Anatomy & Physiology
10%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- CABT
- Credential
- ACI Biomedical Tech Associate
- Questions
- 100 MC
- Time
- 2 hours
- Pass
- 75/100
- Format
- Online proctored
- Level
- Entry-level
- Blueprint
- 2025 ACI handbook
Unit Conversions
- 1 L
- 1,000 mL
- 1 kW
- 1,000 watts
- Body temp
- 37°C = 98.6°F
- F formula
- (C×9/5)+32
- C formula
- (F−32)×5/9
- OL reading
- Open circuit, infinite resistance
Troubleshooting Logic
- Process of elimination
- Rule out simplest cause first
- Flowchart
- Follow branches step by step
- Service manual
- Manufacturer troubleshooting reference
- Systematic approach
- Simple causes before complex
- Re-test loop
- Repair then verify pass
- Graph spike
- Investigate before replacing
Pulse Oximeter vs Capnography
Pulse Oximeter
- Measures SpO2
- Light through tissue
- Fingertip sensor
Capnography
- Measures EtCO2
- Exhaled breath CO2
- Confirms tube placement
Oxygen vs carbon dioxide
Device Symptom to Likely Cause
- Cuff inflates, won't deflate→Check deflation valve/solenoid
- Blank display, device powers on→Check cable connection
- Air-in-line alarm sounds→Remove air from tubing
- Multimeter reads OL on fuse→Replace the fuse
- ECG shows 60 Hz noise→Check grounding first
- Defib energy below tolerance→Remove device, escalate repair
Patient Monitoring Devices
- Pulse oximeter
- Measures SpO2
- NIBP
- Non-invasive blood pressure
- ECG/EKG
- Heart electrical activity
- Capnography
- EtCO2 in exhaled breath
- Telemetry
- Wireless vital sign transmit
- Normal SpO2
- 95-100%
Therapeutic & Test Devices
- Defibrillator
- Shocks heart to normal rhythm
- Infusion pump
- Delivers precise IV fluids
- Air-in-line alarm
- Air bubble detected
- ESA
- Tests leakage current, grounding
- Multimeter
- Measures voltage, current, resistance
- Suction unit
- Clears airway secretions
Medical Gas Colors
Oxygen Green, Nitrous Blue, Air Yellow, CO2 Gray
O2: greenN2O: blueAir: yellowCO2: gray
Microshock vs Macroshock
Microshock
- Direct cardiac pathway
- Under 1 mA lethal
- Bypasses skin resistance
Macroshock
- Over 100 mA threshold
- Through intact skin
- Skin resistance protects
Direct heart vs skin path
Safety Hazard to Correct Response
- Direct cardiac lead present→Treat as microshock risk
- Mercury thermometer breaks→Ventilate, follow spill procedure
- Servicing de-energized equipment→Apply lock and tag
- Splash exposure risk→Wear gloves gown mask shield
- X-ray source nearby→Maximize distance, use shielding
- Chemical hazard question→Check the SDS
Electrical Safety Thresholds
- Microshock
- Under 1 mA direct to heart
- Macroshock
- Over 100 mA through skin
- LOTO
- De-energize before service
- Hospital-grade plug
- Green dot, stricter grounding
- Ground wire color
- Green or bare copper
- Radiation cardinal rules
- Time, distance, shielding
Shock Threshold Order
Microshock under 1 mA; Macroshock over 100 mA
Micro: direct heartMacro: through skinMicro needs far less current
Lock vs Tag (LOTO)
Lock
- Physically de-energizes
- Prevents re-activation
- Removed by owner
Tag
- Identifies who/why
- Warns other workers
- Never a substitute
Prevent vs inform
Gas Color Codes & PPE
- Oxygen
- Green cylinder
- Nitrous oxide
- Blue cylinder
- Air
- Yellow cylinder
- Carbon dioxide
- Gray cylinder
- SDS Section 4
- First-aid measures
- Splash PPE
- Gloves gown mask face shield
Radiation Safety Rules
Time, Distance, Shielding: the three protection principles
Time: minimize exposureDistance: maximize distanceShielding: use barriers
US Wiring Colors
Black hot, White neutral, Green ground
Black: hotWhite: neutralGreen: ground
Fuse vs Circuit Breaker
Fuse
- Melts once
- Single-use device
- Cheap replacement
Circuit Breaker
- Trips, resets
- Reusable device
- Manual reset switch
Replace vs reset
Electronics Fault to Test Tool
- Suspect blown fuse→Multimeter resistance test
- Need voltage from V=IR→Multiply current by resistance
- Board handling required→Wear ESD wrist strap
- Repeated circuit trips→Check breaker, not fuse
- Battery reads 0V DC→Check meter mode first
- Need device leakage check→Use electrical safety analyzer
Ohm's Law & Circuit Basics
- Ohm's Law
- V = I × R
- Current formula
- I = V / R
- Resistance formula
- R = V / I
- Series voltage
- Sum of drops
- AC
- Alternating direction current
- DC
- One-direction current
AC vs DC
AC
- Alternating direction
- Wall outlet power
- Changes polarity
DC
- One direction only
- Battery power
- Constant polarity
Alternating vs direct
Components & Protection
- Fuse
- Melts, opens on overcurrent
- Circuit breaker
- Resettable overcurrent protection
- Capacitor
- Stores electrical charge
- Transformer
- Changes voltage level
- ESD strap
- Grounds technician, protects chips
- Hot wire color
- Black (US standard)
LAN vs WAN
LAN
- Local network
- Single building/site
- Faster, closer
WAN
- Wide-area network
- Multiple sites
- Connects LANs together
Local vs wide area
Networking Basics
- LAN
- Local network
- WAN
- Wide-area network
- VLAN
- Segmented virtual network
- VPN
- Encrypted remote tunnel
- Firewall
- Filters network traffic
- Network cable
- Ethernet/RJ-45 connector
Computer Hardware & Security
- CPU
- Processes instructions
- RAM
- Temporary working memory
- SSD
- Solid-state storage
- USB
- Universal peripheral connector
- HIPAA
- Protects patient health data
- Phishing
- Fake message steals credentials
Body Systems
- Respiratory system
- Lungs exchange oxygen, CO2
- Circulatory system
- Heart pumps blood
- Nervous system
- Brain controls body signals
- Blood
- Carries oxygen, nutrients
- Blood vessels
- Arteries, veins, capillaries
- Skin
- Body's protective barrier
Major Organs
- Heart
- Pumps blood, 4 chambers
- Lungs
- Gas exchange organ
- Kidneys
- Filter blood, make urine
- Brain
- Controls nervous system
- Normal HR
- 60-100 bpm adult
- Normal EtCO2
- 35-45 mmHg
Common Traps
Microshock ≠ Macroshock
Microshock: direct heart, tiny current ≠ Macroshock: skin path, large current
Fuse ≠ Circuit Breaker
Fuse melts, single use ≠ Breaker trips, resettable
Pulse Oximeter ≠ Capnography
Oximeter measures blood oxygen ≠ Capnography measures exhaled CO2
Lock ≠ Tag (LOTO)
Lock physically prevents power ≠ Tag only identifies, warns
AC ≠ DC
AC alternates direction constantly ≠ DC flows one direction
LAN ≠ WAN
LAN is local, single-site ≠ WAN connects distant sites
Last Minute
- 1.Weights 24-23-16-14-13-10%
- 2.Ohm's Law: V = I×R
- 3.Microshock: under 1 mA, heart
- 4.Macroshock: over 100 mA, skin
- 5.Oxygen green; nitrous oxide blue
- 6.LOTO needs lock plus tag
- 7.Normal SpO2 is 95-100%
- 8.Fuse melts; breaker resets itself
- 9.SDS Section 4 is first-aid
- 10.100 Qs, 2 hrs, pass 75
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