NURSING PHARMACOLOGY SAMPLE
EXAM QUESTIONS:
Note: Answers to the sample questions are provided at the end of the question set.
1. A patient requires a high dose of a new antihypertensive medication
because the new medication has a significant first-pass effect. What does
this mean?
a. The medication must pass through the patient's bloodstream
several times to generate a therapeutic effect.
b. The medication passes through the renal tubules and is excreted in large
amounts.
c. The medication is extensively metabolized in the patient's liver.
d. The medication is ineffective following the first dose and increasingly
effective with each subsequent dose.
2. As you are preparing morning medications, the patient says, “I have had
loose stools all night long.” Your patient has scheduled docusate at 0900.
What is the priority action?
a. Hold the medication and inform the healthcare provider.
b. Administer the medication as ordered.
c. Increase IV flow rate
d. Ask the healthcare provider to increase the dose of the medication.
3. A patient taking SMZ/TMP asks the nurse what the name means. The
nurse replies sulfamethoxazole is combined with trimethoprim in
SMZ/TMP to help the drug effectiveness.
How does this work?
a. Sulfamethoxazole acts along with trimethoprim as an anesthetic.
b. Sulfamethoxazole is highly protein bound and displaces the trimethoprim.
c. Sulfamethoxazole increases the excretion of trimethoprim, thereby
increasing the response in the bladder.
d. Sulfamethoxazole has a synergistic effect with trimethoprim against
gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.
4. The nurse will be administering an antitussive medication containing codeine
to a patient. What is the priority assessment?
a. Pulse oximeter reading
b. Lung sounds
c. Respiratory rate
d. Sputum consistency
5. The nurse is monitoring a patient taking furosemide for heart failure.
Which electrolyte imbalance must the nurse be alert for?
a. Hyperkalemia
b. Hypernatremia
c. Hypokalemia
d. Hyponatremia
6. A patient in the clinic reports difficulty tolerating the current ACE inhibitor
medication, and questions if another medication could be used. The nurse
correctly suspects the prescriber will choose which medication, which affects
the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system? a. atenolol
EXAM QUESTIONS:
Note: Answers to the sample questions are provided at the end of the question set.
1. A patient requires a high dose of a new antihypertensive medication
because the new medication has a significant first-pass effect. What does
this mean?
a. The medication must pass through the patient's bloodstream
several times to generate a therapeutic effect.
b. The medication passes through the renal tubules and is excreted in large
amounts.
c. The medication is extensively metabolized in the patient's liver.
d. The medication is ineffective following the first dose and increasingly
effective with each subsequent dose.
2. As you are preparing morning medications, the patient says, “I have had
loose stools all night long.” Your patient has scheduled docusate at 0900.
What is the priority action?
a. Hold the medication and inform the healthcare provider.
b. Administer the medication as ordered.
c. Increase IV flow rate
d. Ask the healthcare provider to increase the dose of the medication.
3. A patient taking SMZ/TMP asks the nurse what the name means. The
nurse replies sulfamethoxazole is combined with trimethoprim in
SMZ/TMP to help the drug effectiveness.
How does this work?
a. Sulfamethoxazole acts along with trimethoprim as an anesthetic.
b. Sulfamethoxazole is highly protein bound and displaces the trimethoprim.
c. Sulfamethoxazole increases the excretion of trimethoprim, thereby
increasing the response in the bladder.
d. Sulfamethoxazole has a synergistic effect with trimethoprim against
gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.
4. The nurse will be administering an antitussive medication containing codeine
to a patient. What is the priority assessment?
a. Pulse oximeter reading
b. Lung sounds
c. Respiratory rate
d. Sputum consistency
5. The nurse is monitoring a patient taking furosemide for heart failure.
Which electrolyte imbalance must the nurse be alert for?
a. Hyperkalemia
b. Hypernatremia
c. Hypokalemia
d. Hyponatremia
6. A patient in the clinic reports difficulty tolerating the current ACE inhibitor
medication, and questions if another medication could be used. The nurse
correctly suspects the prescriber will choose which medication, which affects
the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system? a. atenolol
