ATI PN Pharmacology Proctored Exam
2023/2025 | Actual Exam with 60 Verified
Q&A
**1. A provider prescribes phenobarbital for a client who has a seizure
disorder. The medication has a long half-life of 4 days. How many times
per day should the nurse expect to administer this medication?**
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
**Answer:** A. One
**Rationale:** Medications with long half-lives remain at their
therapeutic levels between doses for long periods of time, so they are
often dosed once daily.
**2. A staff educator is reviewing medication dosages and factors that
influence medication metabolism. Which of the following factors
should the educator include as a reason to administer lower medication
dosages? (Select all that apply.)**
A. Increased renal secretion
,B. Increased medication-metabolizing enzymes
C. Liver failure
D. Peripheral vascular disease
E. Concurrent use of a medication metabolized by the same pathway
**Answer:** C. Liver failure and E. Concurrent use of a medication
metabolized by the same pathway
**Rationale:** Liver failure decreases metabolism, increasing
medication concentration. When two medications compete for the
same metabolic pathway, it can increase the concentration of one or
both, requiring a dosage decrease.
**Section 2: Medication Administration and Patient Safety**
**3. A nurse is preparing to administer eye drops to a client. Which of
the following actions should the nurse take? (Select all that apply.)**
A. Have the client lie on her side.
B. Ask the client to look up at the ceiling.
C. Tell the client to blink when the drops enter her eye.
D. Drop the medication into the center of the client's conjunctival sac.
E. Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation.
**Answer:** B. Ask the client to look up at the ceiling, D. Drop the
medication into the center of the client's conjunctival sac, and E.
Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation
, **Rationale:** Looking up moves the cornea away from the drops. The
conjunctival sac can hold the medication. Gentle closure promotes
distribution and prevents the medication from being forced out.
**4. A nurse is completing discharge teaching for a client who has a
new prescription for transdermal patches. Which of the following
statements should the nurse identify as an indication that the client
understands the instructions?**
A. "I will clean the site with an alcohol swab before I apply the patch."
B. "I will rotate the application sites weekly."
C. "I will apply the patch to an area of skin with no hair."
D. "I will place the new patch on the site of the old patch."
**Answer:** C. "I will apply the patch to an area of skin with no hair."
**Rationale:** Applying a transdermal patch to a hairless area
promotes medication absorption. Sites should be rotated to prevent
skin irritation, and new patches should not be placed on the same spot
as the old patch.
**5. A nurse reviewing a client's medical record notes a new
prescription for verifying the trough level of the client's medication.
Which of the following actions should the nurse take?**
A. Obtain a blood specimen immediately prior to administering the next
dose of medication.
B. Verify that the client has been taking the medication for 24 hr before
obtaining a blood specimen.
2023/2025 | Actual Exam with 60 Verified
Q&A
**1. A provider prescribes phenobarbital for a client who has a seizure
disorder. The medication has a long half-life of 4 days. How many times
per day should the nurse expect to administer this medication?**
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
**Answer:** A. One
**Rationale:** Medications with long half-lives remain at their
therapeutic levels between doses for long periods of time, so they are
often dosed once daily.
**2. A staff educator is reviewing medication dosages and factors that
influence medication metabolism. Which of the following factors
should the educator include as a reason to administer lower medication
dosages? (Select all that apply.)**
A. Increased renal secretion
,B. Increased medication-metabolizing enzymes
C. Liver failure
D. Peripheral vascular disease
E. Concurrent use of a medication metabolized by the same pathway
**Answer:** C. Liver failure and E. Concurrent use of a medication
metabolized by the same pathway
**Rationale:** Liver failure decreases metabolism, increasing
medication concentration. When two medications compete for the
same metabolic pathway, it can increase the concentration of one or
both, requiring a dosage decrease.
**Section 2: Medication Administration and Patient Safety**
**3. A nurse is preparing to administer eye drops to a client. Which of
the following actions should the nurse take? (Select all that apply.)**
A. Have the client lie on her side.
B. Ask the client to look up at the ceiling.
C. Tell the client to blink when the drops enter her eye.
D. Drop the medication into the center of the client's conjunctival sac.
E. Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation.
**Answer:** B. Ask the client to look up at the ceiling, D. Drop the
medication into the center of the client's conjunctival sac, and E.
Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation
, **Rationale:** Looking up moves the cornea away from the drops. The
conjunctival sac can hold the medication. Gentle closure promotes
distribution and prevents the medication from being forced out.
**4. A nurse is completing discharge teaching for a client who has a
new prescription for transdermal patches. Which of the following
statements should the nurse identify as an indication that the client
understands the instructions?**
A. "I will clean the site with an alcohol swab before I apply the patch."
B. "I will rotate the application sites weekly."
C. "I will apply the patch to an area of skin with no hair."
D. "I will place the new patch on the site of the old patch."
**Answer:** C. "I will apply the patch to an area of skin with no hair."
**Rationale:** Applying a transdermal patch to a hairless area
promotes medication absorption. Sites should be rotated to prevent
skin irritation, and new patches should not be placed on the same spot
as the old patch.
**5. A nurse reviewing a client's medical record notes a new
prescription for verifying the trough level of the client's medication.
Which of the following actions should the nurse take?**
A. Obtain a blood specimen immediately prior to administering the next
dose of medication.
B. Verify that the client has been taking the medication for 24 hr before
obtaining a blood specimen.
