Chrissy Durrough Lugge
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Hi Alex,
Not necessarily. Breathing is regulated by the brainstem; as long as the brainstem is intact, the person will likely be able to breathe independently. Many patients in a coma are dependent on mechanical ventilation – but being in a state of unarousable unconsciousness (coma) does not necessarily mean the person cannot breathe independently. People in vegetative states (or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome) can often breathe on their own.Hi Liping,
Thanks for bringing this to my attention! This question was written when the cut-off for falls risk on the BBS was 45/56. I’ve updated the question to have one correct answer.Hi Hardeep,
Thank you for this question! As an NCS, orthopedics is not my specialty, so I referred back to some digging I did a couple years ago. The website below does a nice job of explaining the difference between “exiting” and “traversing” nerve roots at each spinal level. At the L4-L5 level, the L4 nerve root is exiting the spinal column while the L5 nerve root is crossing the disc to exit at the next level below. In the lumbar spine, disc herniations tend to affect the traversing nerve root due to the most common direction of herniations (posterolateral). In the cervical spine, disc herniations usually affect the exiting nerve root (lateral herniations).
Hope this helps!
Chrissy
You’re absolutely right! I edited the question to indicate that FGA scores <23/30 suggest an increased risk of falling and changed the FGA score in option A to be within falls risk range.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention and best of luck on your exam! Let me know if you need anything else.
According to our GCS Advantage instructor, who just took his GCS exam last year, you should get both the generic and brand names on the test.
Body functions are defined as the physiological functions of body systems. Body structures are the anatomical parts of the body such as organs, limbs and their components. Problems with body functions and structures are impairments such as muscle weakness or sensory loss.
Activities are when individuals execute tasks. Difficulty executing a task is a limitation. For example, performing a sit-to-stand transfer or walking are activities.
Participation is defined as how an individual experiences life situations, such as fulfilling roles in their family, completing recreational activities, and working.
Per our GCS Advantage instructor, who just sat for his exam last year, you should see both the generic and brand name on the test.
You can have up to a 10-minute break after sections 1 and 3. A longer 30-minute break is allowed after section 2.
The PCS exam consists of four 50-question blocks.
This is from the ABPTS website:
There are 200 questions on the exam. The 7-hour testing session consists of an online tutorial (up to 5 minutes), four 1 ½ -hour test periods, optional breaks after each section (up to 10 minutes after section 1, up to 30 minutes after section 2, and up to10 minutes after section 3), and a post-test survey if time is available within testing sessions.You can review this site for more exam day specifics:
https://specialization.apta.org/become-a-specialist/exam-specialty-resources/exam-dayThe average scores on our practice exams are listed below. Over 98% of our participants report passing their ABPTS exam. So, if you are scoring somewhere near the range of our average scores, you are likely on track for your exam.
Subsequent attempts means repeated attempts on the same exam. The average scores are consistent across all our practice exams.
PCS Advantage
First attempt: 70-80%
Subsequent attempts: 85-88%Hi Alex,
FES can stimulate the quadriceps during terminal swing to facilitate more normal knee extension in individuals who demonstrate excessive knee flexion in terminal swing.For AFOs: If the person has increased knee flexion during mid-terminal swing due to a steppage gait pattern stemming from foot drop, an AFO can allow reduced knee flexion during the later parts of swing phase to set the individual up for a more natural initial contact.
This is also a test-taking strategy question. If you know two answers are correct and you can choose an “all of the above” answer, then the third must also be correct.
Chrissy
Hi Alex,
My recommendation is to have a general idea of significant values for the big outcome measures (like the Core Outcomes). For example, for the FGA, I’d know that <23/30 is the falls risk cut-off and 4-6 points represents a meaningful change.I wouldn't try to memorize everything for all the outcome measures. You should be in good shape if you can generally interpret how a patient is doing by looking at the scores.
Hi Claudia,
Any videos that appear on the NCS exam will likely be pretty straightforward.Torsion is circular/rotational movement. Video 1 shows upbeating nystagmus with a torsional component. The fast phase of the is counter-clockwise, or to the patient’s right. Picking one point on the eye helps with analyze nystagmus characteristics.
Chrissy
Hi Marissa,
I don’t have a good memorization strategy for this one – but I wouldn’t spend a ton of time trying to memorize all the terminal branches. If you have a solid grasp of the major cerebral, cerebellar, and spinal arteries, you’re probably in good shape. I’d know the expected clinical presentations for stroke/injury to the main arteries that are outlined in the stroke and spinal cord lectures.
Chrissy
