NURS 807 Exam 1 Practice Questions
and Answers 2025
Which of the following are reliable sources of drug information for nurses?
A) Newspapers and blogs
B) FDA updates, drug publications, package inserts, pharmacists, and internet-based drug
resources
C) Word of mouth from patients
D) TV advertisements
Rationale: Nurses must rely on accurate, up-to-date sources like FDA, PIs, and pharmacists.
Newspapers, patients, or ads are not dependable.
Which DEA schedule includes drugs with no medical use and high abuse potential?
A) Schedule II
B) Schedule III
C) Schedule I
D) Schedule V
Rationale: Schedule I (heroin, LSD, MDMA) has no accepted medical use. Schedule II–V drugs
have accepted uses with varying abuse risks.
Pharmacotherapeutics is best described as:
A) The way the body processes a drug
B) The study of the clinical purpose or therapeutic goal of drug therapy
C) The chemical breakdown of a drug
D) The method of excretion of a drug
Rationale: Pharmacotherapeutics is about the indication and intended goal. Pharmacokinetics is
“what the body does to the drug.”
Pharmacokinetics (PK) refers to:
A) “What the drug does to the body”
B) “What the body does to the drug”
C) The clinical purpose of the drug
D) The side effect profile of the drug
Rationale: PK = ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion). Pharmacodynamics is
“what the drug does to the body.”
,Which factor affects absorption of a drug?
A) Surface area and blood flow
B) pH
C) Route of administration
D) All of the above
Rationale: Absorption depends on route, surface area, pH, solubility, and blood flow. All listed
factors apply.
Which factor primarily influences drug distribution in the body?
A) Route of administration only
B) Blood flow, protein binding, ability to cross membranes
C) Color and odor of drug
D) Patient’s age only
Rationale: Distribution depends on blood flow, ability to leave blood, enter cells, and protein
binding. Age may play a role but is not primary.
Where does most drug metabolism occur?
A) Kidney
B) Small intestine
C) Liver
D) Stomach
Rationale: Liver enzymes (CYP450) metabolize most drugs. Kidneys excrete; stomach and
intestine mainly absorb.
If a drug is highly protein-bound and a patient has high protein levels, how much free drug will
circulate?
A) More free drug
B) Less free drug
C) No change
D) All drug is free
Rationale: High protein binding traps drug in the blood, leaving less active/free drug available.
The first-pass effect refers to:
A) The first dose of a drug being stronger than the rest
B) A drug being immediately excreted in urine
C) Loss of drug effectiveness as it is metabolized in the liver after oral administration
,D) Drugs being stored in fat tissue
Rationale: Oral drugs pass through the liver first, where metabolism reduces active drug
amount.
Any drug taken orally will first pass through the:
A) Kidney
B) Lungs
C) Liver
D) Stomach lining only
Rationale: Oral drugs undergo first-pass metabolism in the liver before entering systemic
circulation.
The CYP450 enzyme system is most active in which organ?
A) Kidney
B) Heart
C) Liver
D) Brain
Rationale: CYP450 enzymes in the liver metabolize most drugs.
Which food interaction can inhibit drug metabolism and cause dangerous buildup?
A) Milk
B) Broccoli
C) Grapefruit juice
D) Rice
Rationale: Grapefruit juice inhibits CYP3A4, raising drug concentrations.
A drug that blocks or slows enzyme activity is a:
A) Inducer
B) Neutralizer
C) Inhibitor
D) Exciter
Rationale: Inhibitors slow/block enzyme function. Inducers stimulate it.
Which process is the primary method of drug excretion?
A) Liver metabolism
B) Skin sweating
, C) Kidney filtration and secretion
D) Lung exhalation only
Rationale: Kidneys excrete most drugs; liver metabolizes them. Sweat and breath are minor
routes.
Dialysis is an example of which pharmacokinetic process?
A) Absorption
B) Distribution
C) Metabolism
D) Excretion
Rationale: Dialysis removes drugs/metabolites from the bloodstream.
The half-life of a drug is defined as:
A) Time for drug to be absorbed fully
B) Time for drug to cause an effect
C) Time required to reduce drug concentration by 50%
D) Time between doses
Rationale: Half-life reflects metabolism + excretion.
A steady state is achieved when:
A) The amount of drug absorbed equals the amount eliminated
B) The drug concentration is at its peak
C) A patient stops taking the drug
D) The first dose is given
Rationale: Steady state = balance between absorption and elimination, leading to stable
concentration.
Which of the following best defines steady state in drug therapy?
A) The point at which the drug is completely eliminated from the body
B) When the drug concentration in plasma fluctuates significantly with each dose
C) The point at which the amount of drug absorbed equals the amount excreted
D) The peak serum level immediately after administration
Rationale:
C is correct: Steady state occurs when absorption equals elimination, maintaining stable
plasma concentration.
A is incorrect: Elimination describes clearance, not steady state.
B is incorrect: Fluctuations indicate lack of steady state.
D is incorrect: Peak level is just a single point, not equilibrium.
and Answers 2025
Which of the following are reliable sources of drug information for nurses?
A) Newspapers and blogs
B) FDA updates, drug publications, package inserts, pharmacists, and internet-based drug
resources
C) Word of mouth from patients
D) TV advertisements
Rationale: Nurses must rely on accurate, up-to-date sources like FDA, PIs, and pharmacists.
Newspapers, patients, or ads are not dependable.
Which DEA schedule includes drugs with no medical use and high abuse potential?
A) Schedule II
B) Schedule III
C) Schedule I
D) Schedule V
Rationale: Schedule I (heroin, LSD, MDMA) has no accepted medical use. Schedule II–V drugs
have accepted uses with varying abuse risks.
Pharmacotherapeutics is best described as:
A) The way the body processes a drug
B) The study of the clinical purpose or therapeutic goal of drug therapy
C) The chemical breakdown of a drug
D) The method of excretion of a drug
Rationale: Pharmacotherapeutics is about the indication and intended goal. Pharmacokinetics is
“what the body does to the drug.”
Pharmacokinetics (PK) refers to:
A) “What the drug does to the body”
B) “What the body does to the drug”
C) The clinical purpose of the drug
D) The side effect profile of the drug
Rationale: PK = ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion). Pharmacodynamics is
“what the drug does to the body.”
,Which factor affects absorption of a drug?
A) Surface area and blood flow
B) pH
C) Route of administration
D) All of the above
Rationale: Absorption depends on route, surface area, pH, solubility, and blood flow. All listed
factors apply.
Which factor primarily influences drug distribution in the body?
A) Route of administration only
B) Blood flow, protein binding, ability to cross membranes
C) Color and odor of drug
D) Patient’s age only
Rationale: Distribution depends on blood flow, ability to leave blood, enter cells, and protein
binding. Age may play a role but is not primary.
Where does most drug metabolism occur?
A) Kidney
B) Small intestine
C) Liver
D) Stomach
Rationale: Liver enzymes (CYP450) metabolize most drugs. Kidneys excrete; stomach and
intestine mainly absorb.
If a drug is highly protein-bound and a patient has high protein levels, how much free drug will
circulate?
A) More free drug
B) Less free drug
C) No change
D) All drug is free
Rationale: High protein binding traps drug in the blood, leaving less active/free drug available.
The first-pass effect refers to:
A) The first dose of a drug being stronger than the rest
B) A drug being immediately excreted in urine
C) Loss of drug effectiveness as it is metabolized in the liver after oral administration
,D) Drugs being stored in fat tissue
Rationale: Oral drugs pass through the liver first, where metabolism reduces active drug
amount.
Any drug taken orally will first pass through the:
A) Kidney
B) Lungs
C) Liver
D) Stomach lining only
Rationale: Oral drugs undergo first-pass metabolism in the liver before entering systemic
circulation.
The CYP450 enzyme system is most active in which organ?
A) Kidney
B) Heart
C) Liver
D) Brain
Rationale: CYP450 enzymes in the liver metabolize most drugs.
Which food interaction can inhibit drug metabolism and cause dangerous buildup?
A) Milk
B) Broccoli
C) Grapefruit juice
D) Rice
Rationale: Grapefruit juice inhibits CYP3A4, raising drug concentrations.
A drug that blocks or slows enzyme activity is a:
A) Inducer
B) Neutralizer
C) Inhibitor
D) Exciter
Rationale: Inhibitors slow/block enzyme function. Inducers stimulate it.
Which process is the primary method of drug excretion?
A) Liver metabolism
B) Skin sweating
, C) Kidney filtration and secretion
D) Lung exhalation only
Rationale: Kidneys excrete most drugs; liver metabolizes them. Sweat and breath are minor
routes.
Dialysis is an example of which pharmacokinetic process?
A) Absorption
B) Distribution
C) Metabolism
D) Excretion
Rationale: Dialysis removes drugs/metabolites from the bloodstream.
The half-life of a drug is defined as:
A) Time for drug to be absorbed fully
B) Time for drug to cause an effect
C) Time required to reduce drug concentration by 50%
D) Time between doses
Rationale: Half-life reflects metabolism + excretion.
A steady state is achieved when:
A) The amount of drug absorbed equals the amount eliminated
B) The drug concentration is at its peak
C) A patient stops taking the drug
D) The first dose is given
Rationale: Steady state = balance between absorption and elimination, leading to stable
concentration.
Which of the following best defines steady state in drug therapy?
A) The point at which the drug is completely eliminated from the body
B) When the drug concentration in plasma fluctuates significantly with each dose
C) The point at which the amount of drug absorbed equals the amount excreted
D) The peak serum level immediately after administration
Rationale:
C is correct: Steady state occurs when absorption equals elimination, maintaining stable
plasma concentration.
A is incorrect: Elimination describes clearance, not steady state.
B is incorrect: Fluctuations indicate lack of steady state.
D is incorrect: Peak level is just a single point, not equilibrium.
