A medical assistant is administering epinephrine to a patient. The assistant should recognize that the epinephrine will cause which of the following effects in the patient's body?

A. Obtain a regular referral: If the cardiologist consultation has not been initiated, the medical assistant should obtain or process the referral to ensure the patient sees the specialist as required.
B. Have the patient obtain a second opinion: This action is unnecessary and might be premature if the original referral was not processed.
C. Initiate a referral to a different cardiologist: There is no need to refer to a different cardiologist unless there is a specific issue with the initial referral or cardiologist.
D. Send the patient to the emergency department for evaluation: Sending the patient to the emergency department is not appropriate unless the patient has an urgent issue. The issue here is with the referral process, not an emergency.

Correct answer: A
A. Ensure the otoscope is in the room. Ensuring that the otoscope and other necessary equipment are in the room is an important step in preparing the room for a physical examination.
B. Replace the half-full sharps containers. Sharps containers should be replaced when they are three-quarters full, not necessarily when they are half-full. This action, while important, is not specific to preparing for a general physical examination.
C. Obtain preauthorization from insurance. Preauthorization is an administrative task that is not directly related to preparing an examination room.
D. Sterilize counter surfaces in the room. Cleaning and disinfecting counter surfaces is important for infection control but typically would have been done after the last patient. This action is less directly related to preparing for a general physical exam compared to ensuring the necessary equipment is present.