RN Nursing · Medical and Surgical Asepsis · Practice question
Which PPE is first removed by the phlebotomist after drawing blood from a patient in an isolation room?
-
✓
Gloves
-
Surgical mask
-
Gown
-
N95 mask
Answer & explanation
Correct: Gloves
When exiting an isolation room, the correct sequence for removing personal protective equipment (PPE) requires that gloves be removed first. Gloves are considered the most contaminated piece of PPE because they have had direct contact with the patient, the venipuncture site, and potentially blood or body fluids throughout the procedure. By removing gloves first, the phlebotomist prevents the spread of pathogens from the glove surfaces to other PPE or to clean surfaces. After gloves are removed and hand hygiene is performed, the gown is removed next (touching only the inside), followed by eye protection if worn, and then the mask or respirator last. The mask is removed last because it protects the respiratory tract; keeping it in place until the very end minimizes inhalation exposure to any airborne or droplet particles that may still be present near the doorway. Removing the surgical mask or N95 before the gloves would expose the phlebotomist to contaminated glove surfaces while reaching up to the face, which is precisely the type of self-inoculation the PPE removal sequence is designed to prevent. This sequence is established by the CDC and is a core element of standard and transmission-based precaution protocols.
Practise Medical and Surgical Asepsis questions
Work through full question sets with instant rationales, timed exams, and progress tracking.
Start practising freeRelated practice questions
- A nurse is caring for a client who has a peritoneal catheter that requires a dressing change. Identify the sequence of actions the nurse should take. (Move the steps into the box on the right, placing them in the order of performance. Use all the steps.)
- A nurse is evaluating an assistive personnel (AP) who is changing a client's bed linens. Which of the following actions by the AP demonstrates medical asepsis?
- A nurse is wearing gloves in preparation for performing a sterile procedure. Which of the following objects can the nurse touch without breaching sterile technique?( Select all that apply )
- When entering a client's room to change a surgical dressing, a nurse notes that the client is coughing and sneezing. Which of the following actions should the nurse take when preparing the sterile field?