Question

A patient arrives at the clinic with a tick bite on his leg. The provider asks a medical assistant to help remove the tick. Which of the following actions should the assistant take?

A. Grasp the tick at a point furthest from the skin
B. Squeeze the body of the tick firmly to remove it
C. Use tweezers to pull the tick away from the skin slowly
D. Discard the tick in the trash can

Answer 1

To remove a tick, use blunt tweezers to gently pull near the site of attachment until the tick releases its hold on the skin. Avoid crushing the tick's body and do not handle it with bare fingers. Kill the tick by drowning it or freezing it.

Step-by-step explanation:

The medical assistant should use blunt tweezers to gently pull near the site of attachment until the tick releases its hold on the skin. Avoid crushing the tick's body and do not handle the tick with bare fingers. This could release bacterial pathogens and actually increase your exposure.

The tick can be killed by drowning in water or alcohol, or frozen if it may be needed later for identification and analysis.