NURS 326 WEEK 1 EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026
Drug - Answers Any chemical that can affect living processes; all chemicals can be drugs at high
exposure.
Pharmacology - Answers Study of drugs and their interactions with living systems, including
physical/chemical properties and effects.
Clinical pharmacology - Answers Study of drugs in humans with focus on patient care.
Therapeutics (pharmacotherapeutics) - Answers Use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease or
prevent pregnancy.
Effectiveness - Answers Ability of a drug to produce the intended response; most important property.
Safety - Answers Ability of a drug to avoid causing harmful effects.
Selectivity - Answers Ability of a drug to produce only the desired effect; no drug is completely
selective.
Individualized therapy - Answers Tailoring drug therapy to each patient due to variable drug
responses.
Chemical name - Answers Name describing chemical structure of a drug (N-acetyl-para-aminophenol).
Generic name - Answers Official nonproprietary name of a drug (acetaminophen).
Brand (trade) name - Answers Manufacturer's proprietary name for a drug (Tylenol).
IV administration - Answers Fastest and complete drug delivery directly into bloodstream;
irreversible.
IM/SubQ administration - Answers Drug absorbed via capillaries; speed depends on blood flow and
solubility.
Oral administration - Answers Slower, variable absorption influenced by GI factors and first-pass
metabolism.
Enteric-coated drugs - Answers Dissolve in intestines to protect drug from stomach acid.
Sustained-release drugs - Answers Release medication gradually over time.
Blood-brain barrier (BBB) - Answers Specialized capillary wall restricting drug entry into the brain.
Protein binding - Answers Drugs bound to plasma proteins stay in bloodstream and are inactive.
Drug half-life - Answers Time required for drug amount in body to decrease by 50%.
Plateau - Answers Steady drug level reached after repeated dosing.
Time to plateau - Answers Usually reached after four half-lives.
Loading dose - Answers Large initial dose used to reach plateau quickly.
Maintenance dose - Answers Smaller dose used to maintain plateau.
Lipid-soluble (nonpolar) drugs - Answers Uncharged, fat-loving drugs that cross cell membranes easily.
Polar molecules - Answers Drugs with uneven charge distribution that dissolve in water but cross lipid
membranes poorly.
Nonpolar molecules - Answers Drugs with even charge distribution that dissolve in lipids and cross
membranes easily.
Ions (ionized drugs) - Answers Charged molecules that cross cell membranes very poorly.
Like dissolves like - Answers Polar dissolves in polar (water); nonpolar dissolves in nonpolar (lipids/oil).
Drug - Answers Any chemical that can affect living processes; all chemicals can be drugs at high
exposure.
Pharmacology - Answers Study of drugs and their interactions with living systems, including
physical/chemical properties and effects.
Clinical pharmacology - Answers Study of drugs in humans with focus on patient care.
Therapeutics (pharmacotherapeutics) - Answers Use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease or
prevent pregnancy.
Effectiveness - Answers Ability of a drug to produce the intended response; most important property.
Safety - Answers Ability of a drug to avoid causing harmful effects.
Selectivity - Answers Ability of a drug to produce only the desired effect; no drug is completely
selective.
Individualized therapy - Answers Tailoring drug therapy to each patient due to variable drug
responses.
Chemical name - Answers Name describing chemical structure of a drug (N-acetyl-para-aminophenol).
Generic name - Answers Official nonproprietary name of a drug (acetaminophen).
Brand (trade) name - Answers Manufacturer's proprietary name for a drug (Tylenol).
IV administration - Answers Fastest and complete drug delivery directly into bloodstream;
irreversible.
IM/SubQ administration - Answers Drug absorbed via capillaries; speed depends on blood flow and
solubility.
Oral administration - Answers Slower, variable absorption influenced by GI factors and first-pass
metabolism.
Enteric-coated drugs - Answers Dissolve in intestines to protect drug from stomach acid.
Sustained-release drugs - Answers Release medication gradually over time.
Blood-brain barrier (BBB) - Answers Specialized capillary wall restricting drug entry into the brain.
Protein binding - Answers Drugs bound to plasma proteins stay in bloodstream and are inactive.
Drug half-life - Answers Time required for drug amount in body to decrease by 50%.
Plateau - Answers Steady drug level reached after repeated dosing.
Time to plateau - Answers Usually reached after four half-lives.
Loading dose - Answers Large initial dose used to reach plateau quickly.
Maintenance dose - Answers Smaller dose used to maintain plateau.
Lipid-soluble (nonpolar) drugs - Answers Uncharged, fat-loving drugs that cross cell membranes easily.
Polar molecules - Answers Drugs with uneven charge distribution that dissolve in water but cross lipid
membranes poorly.
Nonpolar molecules - Answers Drugs with even charge distribution that dissolve in lipids and cross
membranes easily.
Ions (ionized drugs) - Answers Charged molecules that cross cell membranes very poorly.
Like dissolves like - Answers Polar dissolves in polar (water); nonpolar dissolves in nonpolar (lipids/oil).
