Hospital organization structure and functions of medical staff MCQs With Answer

Hospital organization structure and functions of medical staff MCQs With Answer
Understanding hospital organization structure and functions of medical staff is essential for B. Pharm students preparing for clinical, administrative, and regulatory roles. This introduction outlines core concepts—hospital hierarchy, departmental divisions (clinical, surgical, pharmacy, nursing), roles of medical staff (consultants, residents, attending physicians), committees, credentialing, clinical governance, and interprofessional collaboration. Familiarity with administrative functions, patient care pathways, staffing models, and reporting lines helps pharmacists support medication management, ensure compliance, and contribute to quality improvement. These MCQs focus on hierarchy, roles, duties, committees, and legal responsibilities to build practical knowledge for hospital pharmacy practice and safe patient outcomes. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which officer primarily provides clinical leadership and oversight of medical staff in most hospitals?

• Hospital Chief Executive Officer
• Chief Medical Officer
• Director of Nursing
• Pharmacy Director

Correct Answer: Chief Medical Officer

Q2. What document outlines the rights, responsibilities, and governance of the medical staff within a hospital?

• Medical Staff Bylaws
• Employee Handbook
• Hospital Mission Statement
• Pharmacy Formulary

Correct Answer: Medical Staff Bylaws

Q3. Which committee typically reviews and approves the hospital drug formulary?

• Infection Control Committee
• Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee
• Ethics Committee
• Finance Committee

Correct Answer: Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

Q4. Credentialing of physicians primarily verifies which of the following?

• Patient satisfaction scores
• Clinical privileges and qualifications
• Salary and benefits
• Research publications

Correct Answer: Clinical privileges and qualifications

Q5. Peer review in the medical staff context is mainly used to assess what?

• Billing accuracy
• Clinical performance and quality of care
• Hospital infrastructure
• Supply chain efficiency

Correct Answer: Clinical performance and quality of care

Q6. Which role usually has responsibility for hospital-wide medication safety initiatives?

• Chief Financial Officer
• Medication Safety Officer or Pharmacy Director
• Head of Housekeeping
• Medical Records Clerk

Correct Answer: Medication Safety Officer or Pharmacy Director

Q7. Which of the following best describes an attending physician?

• A trainee learning under supervision
• A fully credentialed physician responsible for patient care decisions
• An administrative staff member with no clinical duties
• A visiting pharmacist

Correct Answer: A fully credentialed physician responsible for patient care decisions

Q8. The hospital board’s primary responsibility related to medical staff is to:

• Direct daily clinical care
• Provide oversight and ensure accountability for governance
• Prescribe medications
• Perform surgical procedures

Correct Answer: Provide oversight and ensure accountability for governance

Q9. Which committee investigates adverse events, near misses, and quality issues to improve care?

• Quality Improvement or Patient Safety Committee
• Marketing Committee
• Capital Projects Committee
• Housekeeping Committee

Correct Answer: Quality Improvement or Patient Safety Committee

Q10. What is the primary purpose of clinical privileging?

• To assign uniforms
• To authorize specific clinical activities based on competence
• To set work schedules
• To determine cafeteria access

Correct Answer: To authorize specific clinical activities based on competence

Q11. In multidisciplinary rounds, the pharmacist’s key contribution is usually:

• Scheduling surgeries
• Medication review, dosing optimization, and interactions prevention
• Interpreting X-rays
• Cleaning equipment

Correct Answer: Medication review, dosing optimization, and interactions prevention

Q12. Which staff category typically handles immediate postoperative care and ongoing inpatient management under supervision?

• Consultants only
• Residents and registrars
• Hospital administrators
• Medical librarians

Correct Answer: Residents and registrars

Q13. The main function of an infection control committee involves:

• Managing hospital finances
• Developing policies to prevent and control infections
• Recruiting staff
• Designing hospital logos

Correct Answer: Developing policies to prevent and control infections

Q14. Which term best describes written authorization for a clinician to perform a specific procedure?

• Scope of practice
• Clinical privilege
• Employment contract
• Policy directive

Correct Answer: Clinical privilege

Q15. Who typically chairs the hospital’s morbidity and mortality (M&M) meetings?

• Chief Financial Officer
• Senior clinical leader or designated medical staff leader
• Head of Facilities
• Chief Information Officer

Correct Answer: Senior clinical leader or designated medical staff leader

Q16. A medical staff committee that sets standards for professional conduct is the:

• Ethics Committee
• Medical Records Committee
• Parking Committee
• Food Services Committee

Correct Answer: Ethics Committee

Q17. Which action is a pharmacist most likely to perform under hospital medication reconciliation processes?

• Performing surgery
• Comparing pre-admission and in-hospital medication lists to prevent errors
• Diagnosing infections
• Setting room temperatures

Correct Answer: Comparing pre-admission and in-hospital medication lists to prevent errors

Q18. What is the role of the Chief of Medicine in many hospitals?

• Overseeing clinical affairs within the medical department
• Managing cafeteria inventory
• Maintaining building HVAC systems
• Scheduling volunteers

Correct Answer: Overseeing clinical affairs within the medical department

Q19. Which of the following describes a “consultant” in hospital practice?

• A junior trainee
• A senior specialist providing expert opinion and leading care for complex cases
• An administrative assistant
• A patient transport worker

Correct Answer: A senior specialist providing expert opinion and leading care for complex cases

Q20. Which policy area directly involves both medical staff and pharmacy for safe practice?

• Uniform color policy
• Antimicrobial stewardship
• Parking allocation
• Building maintenance

Correct Answer: Antimicrobial stewardship

Q21. What is the primary aim of clinical governance in a hospital?

• Increase profits only
• Ensure accountability for quality and safety of patient care
• Organize social events
• Manage the gift shop

Correct Answer: Ensure accountability for quality and safety of patient care

Q22. Which process ensures physicians maintain skills and competence after initial credentialing?

• One-time hiring paperwork
• Recredentialing and ongoing performance review
• Annual holiday party
• Parking permit renewal

Correct Answer: Recredentialing and ongoing performance review

Q23. The function of an on-call roster for medical staff is to:

• Assign cafeteria shifts
• Ensure 24/7 clinical coverage and timely patient care
• Manage payroll
• Order office supplies

Correct Answer: Ensure 24/7 clinical coverage and timely patient care

Q24. Which is an essential element of medical staff bylaws?

• Clinic wallpaper color
• Procedures for disciplining and privileging clinicians
• Vendor lunch menus
• Visitor parking fees

Correct Answer: Procedures for disciplining and privileging clinicians

Q25. In disaster management, medical staff are required to:

• Only manage billing
• Provide triage, emergency care, and surge management support
• Perform landscaping
• Attend marketing meetings

Correct Answer: Provide triage, emergency care, and surge management support

Q26. Which of the following is a key responsibility of the hospital medical records team working with medical staff?

• Maintaining accurate clinical documentation and confidentiality
• Cleaning instruments
• Approving building permits
• Delivering meals

Correct Answer: Maintaining accurate clinical documentation and confidentiality

Q27. Which staff group most often leads infection surveillance and reporting to public health authorities?

• Clinical engineering
• Infection control team and medical staff liaison
• Security staff
• Hospital volunteers

Correct Answer: Infection control team and medical staff liaison

Q28. What role does the formulary play in hospital medication management?

• Lists approved and preferred medications to promote safe, cost-effective therapy
• Lists cafeteria specials
• Outlines parking rules
• Specifies visitor hours

Correct Answer: Lists approved and preferred medications to promote safe, cost-effective therapy

Q29. Which activity is part of medical staff accountability systems?

• Peer review, audits, and performance improvement programs
• Decorating the lobby
• Ordering stationery
• Organizing staff picnics only

Correct Answer: Peer review, audits, and performance improvement programs

Q30. Who typically coordinates interdepartmental clinical pathways and protocols to reduce variation in care?

• Clinical governance teams or multidisciplinary committees
• Groundskeeping staff
• Hospital cafeteria manager
• Front desk receptionist

Correct Answer: Clinical governance teams or multidisciplinary committees

G S Sachin

I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.

Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com