CLAYTON’S BASIC PHARMACOLOGY FOR
NURSES CERTIFICATION EVALUATION EXAMS
2026 FULL SOLUTION STUDY GUIDE
◉ the study of the interactions between drugs and their receptors
and the series of events that result in a pharmacologic response
Answer: pharmacodynamics
◉ T/F: the better the fit between the receptor and the drug molecule
the better the response of the drug Answer: T
◉ drugs that interact with a receptor to stimulate a response are
known as Answer: agonists
◉ drugs that attach to a receptor but do not stimulate a response
Answer: antagonists
◉ drugs that interact with a receptor to stimulate a response but
inhibit other responses Answer: partial agonists
◉ 3 routes of drug administration: Answer: - enteral
- parenteral
- percutaneous
,◉ when using the _______________ route, the drug is administered
directly into the GI tract by oral, rectal, or nasogastric route Answer:
enteral
◉ when using the _________________ route, the drug bypasses the GI
tract with the use of subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous
injection Answer: parenteral
◉ when using the ___________________ route, the drug is absorbed
through the skin and mucous membranes Answer: percutaneous
◉ after administration, all drugs go through 5 stages: Answer: -
liberation
- absorption
- distribution
- metabolism
- excretion
◉ the study of what the body does to the drug Answer:
pharmacokinetics
◉ release of a drug from the dosage form to be dissolved in body
fluids for absorption Answer: liberation
,◉ liberation of a drug within the body can be manipulated by:
Answer: - pharmaceutical dosage form used (e.g. solution,
suspension, capsule, tablet)
- administering the drug with or without food and water in the
patient's stomach
◉ the process whereby a drug is transferred from its site of entry
into the body to the circulating fluids of the body for distribution
around the body Answer: absorption
◉ the rate at which a drug is absorbed depends on: Answer: - route
of administration
- blood flow through the tissue where the drug is administered
- solubility of the drug
◉ the rate of absorption when a drug is administered by a
parenteral route depends on the Answer: rate of blood flow through
the tissues
◉ absorption of a drug is slowest when administered this way
Answer: subcutaneous injection
, ◉ T/F: after a drug enters a patient's bloodstream, it is still
retrievable Answer: F
◉ the absorption of topical drugs that have been applied to the skin
can be influenced by: Answer: - drug concentration
- length of contact time
- size of the affected area
- thickness of the skin surface
- hydration of tissue
- degree of skin disruption
◉ when drugs are inhaled, their absorption can be influenced by:
Answer: - depth of the patient's respiration
- fineness of the droplet particles
- available surface area of the patient's mucous membranes
- contact time
- hydration state
- blood supply to area
- concentration of the drug itself
◉ refers to the ways in which a drug is transported throughout the
body by the circulating body fluids to the sites of action or to the
receptors that the drug affects Answer: distribution
NURSES CERTIFICATION EVALUATION EXAMS
2026 FULL SOLUTION STUDY GUIDE
◉ the study of the interactions between drugs and their receptors
and the series of events that result in a pharmacologic response
Answer: pharmacodynamics
◉ T/F: the better the fit between the receptor and the drug molecule
the better the response of the drug Answer: T
◉ drugs that interact with a receptor to stimulate a response are
known as Answer: agonists
◉ drugs that attach to a receptor but do not stimulate a response
Answer: antagonists
◉ drugs that interact with a receptor to stimulate a response but
inhibit other responses Answer: partial agonists
◉ 3 routes of drug administration: Answer: - enteral
- parenteral
- percutaneous
,◉ when using the _______________ route, the drug is administered
directly into the GI tract by oral, rectal, or nasogastric route Answer:
enteral
◉ when using the _________________ route, the drug bypasses the GI
tract with the use of subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous
injection Answer: parenteral
◉ when using the ___________________ route, the drug is absorbed
through the skin and mucous membranes Answer: percutaneous
◉ after administration, all drugs go through 5 stages: Answer: -
liberation
- absorption
- distribution
- metabolism
- excretion
◉ the study of what the body does to the drug Answer:
pharmacokinetics
◉ release of a drug from the dosage form to be dissolved in body
fluids for absorption Answer: liberation
,◉ liberation of a drug within the body can be manipulated by:
Answer: - pharmaceutical dosage form used (e.g. solution,
suspension, capsule, tablet)
- administering the drug with or without food and water in the
patient's stomach
◉ the process whereby a drug is transferred from its site of entry
into the body to the circulating fluids of the body for distribution
around the body Answer: absorption
◉ the rate at which a drug is absorbed depends on: Answer: - route
of administration
- blood flow through the tissue where the drug is administered
- solubility of the drug
◉ the rate of absorption when a drug is administered by a
parenteral route depends on the Answer: rate of blood flow through
the tissues
◉ absorption of a drug is slowest when administered this way
Answer: subcutaneous injection
, ◉ T/F: after a drug enters a patient's bloodstream, it is still
retrievable Answer: F
◉ the absorption of topical drugs that have been applied to the skin
can be influenced by: Answer: - drug concentration
- length of contact time
- size of the affected area
- thickness of the skin surface
- hydration of tissue
- degree of skin disruption
◉ when drugs are inhaled, their absorption can be influenced by:
Answer: - depth of the patient's respiration
- fineness of the droplet particles
- available surface area of the patient's mucous membranes
- contact time
- hydration state
- blood supply to area
- concentration of the drug itself
◉ refers to the ways in which a drug is transported throughout the
body by the circulating body fluids to the sites of action or to the
receptors that the drug affects Answer: distribution
