NSG 318 LATEST 2026 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔what can affect bioavailability - ✔✔The form of the drug, route of administration,
gastric mucosa and motility, administration with food and other drugs, and changes in
liver metabolism affect it.
✔✔what metabolizes drugs - ✔✔liver
✔✔what excretes drugs - ✔✔kidneys
✔✔what impacts drug excretion - ✔✔drugs that affect renal excretion, drugs that
decrease cardiac output, diuretics, drugs that compete, urine pH, and decreased renal/
hepatic function
✔✔pharmacodynamics - ✔✔what the drug does to the body
✔✔pharmacodynamics phases - ✔✔receptor binding, postreceptor effects, chemical
reaction
✔✔primary response - ✔✔desirable response
✔✔secondary response - ✔✔desirable or undesirable response
✔✔potency - ✔✔amount of drug needed to get a response most of the time
✔✔therapeutic index - ✔✔relationship between therapeutic and toxic dose
✔✔onset - ✔✔Time it takes drug to reach minimum effective concentration
✔✔peak - ✔✔highest concentration in blood
✔✔trough - ✔✔point of lowest concentration of the drug (drawn before next dose is to
be administered)
✔✔duration - ✔✔length of time taken for the drug to exert a therapeutic affect
✔✔non-specific receptors - ✔✔affect multiple sites (if one is targeted all will be targeted)
✔✔non-selective receptors - ✔✔affect multiple receptors (beta, alpha, etc.)
✔✔Antagonist - ✔✔Prevent receptor activation (blocks the response); one drug
blocks/reduces effects of other drug
, ✔✔agonist - ✔✔Activate receptors to produce a desired response
✔✔additive - ✔✔Sum of effects of two drugs
✔✔synergistic - ✔✔Effect is much greater than effects of drugs alone
✔✔pharmacogenetics - ✔✔Genetic understanding of how drugs may impact one
person differently than someone else
✔✔side effects - ✔✔desirable or undesirable; secondary drug effects
✔✔placebo effect - ✔✔drug response not attributed to chemical drug properties
✔✔toxic - ✔✔drug level exceeds therapeutic range
✔✔what is the fastest therapeutic route for meds - ✔✔IV
✔✔normal lab values- electrolytes (K) - ✔✔3.5-5.0mEq/L
✔✔normal lab values- electrolytes (Na) - ✔✔136-145mEq/L
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (BUN) - ✔✔10-20mg/dL
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (serum creatinine) - ✔✔0.5-1.3mg/DI
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (ALP) - ✔✔30-120 units/L
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (ALT) - ✔✔4-36 units/L
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (AST) - ✔✔0-35 units/L
✔✔how many times should you read the drug label - ✔✔3 times
✔✔competencies - ✔✔patient-family-centered care, collaboration and teamwork,
evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics
✔✔reporting med errors - ✔✔Make sure the client is safe
Notify your immediate supervisor
Check for adverse drug reporting
Identify your responsibility for external reporting
U.S. Pharmacopeia Medication Errors Reporting Program
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔what can affect bioavailability - ✔✔The form of the drug, route of administration,
gastric mucosa and motility, administration with food and other drugs, and changes in
liver metabolism affect it.
✔✔what metabolizes drugs - ✔✔liver
✔✔what excretes drugs - ✔✔kidneys
✔✔what impacts drug excretion - ✔✔drugs that affect renal excretion, drugs that
decrease cardiac output, diuretics, drugs that compete, urine pH, and decreased renal/
hepatic function
✔✔pharmacodynamics - ✔✔what the drug does to the body
✔✔pharmacodynamics phases - ✔✔receptor binding, postreceptor effects, chemical
reaction
✔✔primary response - ✔✔desirable response
✔✔secondary response - ✔✔desirable or undesirable response
✔✔potency - ✔✔amount of drug needed to get a response most of the time
✔✔therapeutic index - ✔✔relationship between therapeutic and toxic dose
✔✔onset - ✔✔Time it takes drug to reach minimum effective concentration
✔✔peak - ✔✔highest concentration in blood
✔✔trough - ✔✔point of lowest concentration of the drug (drawn before next dose is to
be administered)
✔✔duration - ✔✔length of time taken for the drug to exert a therapeutic affect
✔✔non-specific receptors - ✔✔affect multiple sites (if one is targeted all will be targeted)
✔✔non-selective receptors - ✔✔affect multiple receptors (beta, alpha, etc.)
✔✔Antagonist - ✔✔Prevent receptor activation (blocks the response); one drug
blocks/reduces effects of other drug
, ✔✔agonist - ✔✔Activate receptors to produce a desired response
✔✔additive - ✔✔Sum of effects of two drugs
✔✔synergistic - ✔✔Effect is much greater than effects of drugs alone
✔✔pharmacogenetics - ✔✔Genetic understanding of how drugs may impact one
person differently than someone else
✔✔side effects - ✔✔desirable or undesirable; secondary drug effects
✔✔placebo effect - ✔✔drug response not attributed to chemical drug properties
✔✔toxic - ✔✔drug level exceeds therapeutic range
✔✔what is the fastest therapeutic route for meds - ✔✔IV
✔✔normal lab values- electrolytes (K) - ✔✔3.5-5.0mEq/L
✔✔normal lab values- electrolytes (Na) - ✔✔136-145mEq/L
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (BUN) - ✔✔10-20mg/dL
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (serum creatinine) - ✔✔0.5-1.3mg/DI
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (ALP) - ✔✔30-120 units/L
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (ALT) - ✔✔4-36 units/L
✔✔normal lab values- chemistry (AST) - ✔✔0-35 units/L
✔✔how many times should you read the drug label - ✔✔3 times
✔✔competencies - ✔✔patient-family-centered care, collaboration and teamwork,
evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics
✔✔reporting med errors - ✔✔Make sure the client is safe
Notify your immediate supervisor
Check for adverse drug reporting
Identify your responsibility for external reporting
U.S. Pharmacopeia Medication Errors Reporting Program
