Ace the Certified Medical Assistant Exam 2025 – Your Path to Medical Mastery!

When a patient reports chest pain, the priority is always to assess the patient's vital signs. This step is crucial as it helps to determine the severity of the situation and the overall stability of the patient. By checking vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation, a medical assistant can gather important information that guides the subsequent actions in a clinical emergency.

Assessing vital signs allows healthcare providers to monitor for any immediate threats to the patient's life. For example, if the vital signs show signs of distress or instability, emergency protocols can be quickly activated. This initial assessment lays the groundwork for making informed decisions about further treatment or interventions.

Other actions, such as calling for emergency assistance, administering aspirin, or performing CPR, are indeed critical and may follow depending on the findings from the initial assessment. However, understanding the current physiological status of the patient is essential for deciding the most appropriate course of action next.