PA Practice Exam Question
I am just not understanding how to answer questions like this one below that I can't study for. Can someone explain why the answer is correct? I guess it makes sense that phasing if you don't have to would be more cost effective (less time spent with the trades on site etc). When I read the question and options, though, I think well a medical records facility could be like a closet with no windows, maybe they need more like a shop with windows like a regular pharmacy would be so that is probably a red herring and it specifically says they need to stay open so phasing makes the most sense. Without any information about the quality of the space, I feel like I could just as likely have seen the response say, well, it has to be the phasing because a medical records facility is programmatically not appropriate... This question aside, I just don't understand how we are supposed to answer these kinds of questions. Is there a technique people use???
Question 18
A hospital located on a dense urban site with no vacant land has hired an architect to develop a new pharmacy through either renovation or relocation. The existing pharmacy must remain operational throughout the renovation or relocation, and construction cost and duration must be minimized. There is a vacant former medical records space down the hall from the existing pharmacy.
Which phasing option should the architect recommend?
A. Relocate the pharmacy to a temporary trailer and renovate the existing pharmacy.
B. Renovate the existing pharmacy in multiple phases so that part of the pharmacy can always remain operational.
C. Build a temporary pharmacy in another location to be used only while the existing pharmacy is under renovation.
D. Build the new pharmacy in the existing medical records space and abandon the existing pharmacy at completion of construction.
Your answer: B
Correct answer: D
CORRECT RESPONSE
Build the new pharmacy in the existing medical records space and abandon the existing pharmacy at completion of construction.The architect should recommend building the pharmacy elsewhere because it will minimize construction phases and maximize available resources.
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For this question, it's a matter of considering all of the factors presented. The first is the option to renovate or relocate for the new pharmacy, the second is to maintain operations of the existing pharmacy while minimizing time and cost spent on the new pharmacy, and the third is to consider the vacant records space as a potential location for the new pharmacy.
For the answers: Options A and C are the least feasible, as A requires a trailer (no vacant land) and C requires two pharmacies at the same time (cost to build/relocate elsewhere off site); Option B is along the right path, however the phasing of the project with this option is not optimal; Option D, which makes use of existing space, keeps the pharmacy operational, and reduces total cost of construction is the right choice.
Part of the challenge of these is not creating a scenario that isn't presented in the question (existing space factors, square footage, etc.). Work with the information and factors presented to you in a vacuum without diving too far into something the scenario isn't being presented as. Good luck!
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Thank you. That makes a lot of sense. I still feel like sometimes you are expected to interpret something based on the information, and it's impossible to know when to read it literally and when to make a judgment. Ie: medical record rooms are not the same quality of space as a pharmacy or whatever it is. Maybe NCARB is fairer than I think, though, and I can just read the question exactly, and it is the practice exams from other people that aren't always consistent.
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This is a good question for process of elimination. I used the strikethrough and highlighter A LOT for pick best of 4 or 6 questions.
A. Relocate the pharmacy to a temporary trailer and renovate the existing pharmacy.
This is a possible answer but kind of redundant with D, and why use a trailer when you have a room down the hall you can use. We aren't expected to know the demands of any specific program type unless the question tells us. So the room or trailer should work.
B. Renovate the existing pharmacy in multiple phases so that part of the pharmacy can always remain operational.
This sounds like a possible answer because they used the word phasing in the question. But when you think about it, this sounds like a nightmare for everyone involved.
C. Build a temporary pharmacy in another location to be used only while the existing pharmacy is under renovation.
This should be an obvious wrong answer. If you build another pharmacy then why renovate the original.
D. Build the new pharmacy in the existing medical records space and abandon the existing pharmacy at completion of construction.
Sounds like the best answer to me. If you build out a new space for the pharmacy & then renovate the original, you're building two pharmacies.
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